Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Two for two – our visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential library was another one borne more of obligation than desire (as was our visit to the Richard Nixon Library, see my previous post). Of course nobody made us do this, but since we agreed we would visit all the existing Presidential Libraries during our time on the road, and we were in the neighborhood during our trip to Los Angeles, there didn’t seem to be much of a choice. In fact, it seems our trip to Los Angeles was defined by a dubious trifecta of obligatory events – attending a Dodgers game (not Dan’s favorite team), and visiting the libraries of two presidents neither one of us were overly fond of. However, I have to laugh a little when I look back at these two administrations in light of today’s political climate. Just saying…

Ronald Reagan was an actor, a union leader, the governor of California, and the 40^th president of the United States (1981 – 1989). He introduced the economic program eventually dubbed “Reaganomics”, was instrumental in ending the Cold War with Russia, initiated the infamous war against drugs, and survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. He also had his share of scandals, the most notorious among them being the Iran-Contra Affair in which the United States sold weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran as a part of a largely unsuccessful effort to secure the release of six U.S. citizens being held hostage in Lebanon.

Reagan’s Presidential Library is located in scenic hills of Simi Valley, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It is the final resting place of both of he and Nancy Reagan, and is the largest of the 13 federally operated presidential libraries. In addition to the museum highlighting the accomplishments of his presidency, there is a 90,000 square foot exhibit hangar which houses the permanent display of the Boeing 707 aircraft utilized as Air Force One during Reagan’s administration. No matter how we felt about Reagan’s presidency, this was quite an impressive library and museum, in a beautiful setting. That was worth the price of admission.