On our last day in Dallas we drove up to Southern Methodist University to see the recently opened George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. No matter what your opinion of "W" was as a president, you'd probably enjoy this library. It's a state of the art facility which uses artifacts, documents, and audiovisual and interactive exhibits. We found it to be a fascinating way to spend a few hours.
There's a full-size reproduction of the oval office where you can have your picture taken behind his desk. The "Decision Points Theater" takes visitors inside the presidential decision-making process. Gifts that had been given to the president and first lady by foreign dignitaries were also on display. There was a sweet film clip made by his daughters about Bush-the man. And there's much information about Katrina, No Child left Behind, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the most compelling exhibits are about 9-11, which was probably Bush's finest moment as a leader. It would be difficult to leave those displays and film clips unmoved.
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| Mangled wreckage from the World Trade Center |
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| Bush is informed that America is under attack |
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| Replica of the Oval Office |
In the lobby of the museum, there was an amazing 360 degree video montage, projected just below the 67 foot ceiling, that orients visitors to the museum, and includes images of all 44 US presidents as well as the security photos that were taken of each visitor when they entered. Rick took this video of part of the presentation.
After our theater visit we had a delicious lunch at the lovely "Cafe 43" next door.
We were both a bit surprised about how much we enjoyed our visit to Dallas and Fort Worth. In our travels this summer we have seen many communities that are really struggling from the recession. But Dallas seems to be booming. I'm sure there are parts of the city that aren't so nice, but the parts that we saw were clean and bustling. There seemed to be construction going on everywhere.
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