The West Coast From Right to Left Part I: The O.C. and Tricky Dick

I'm on another road trip.  Figured I'd share the president-related days on here.

So this trip is really a two-parter.  For the first couple of days, I'm in Los Angeles, going to presidential libraries.....both Republican.  For the rest of it I'll be in Seattle and Portland seeing friends and indulging the hippie part of my personality.

On the flight to L.A. last night, my seatmates were two Angelenos.  One instantly set off my gaydar before he said a word.  And then when he DID talk he sounded quite a bit like Paul Lynde, and even mentioned a vacation to "Boston and P-town."  Pretty much the only way he could have been any gayer was if he started singing Barbra Streisand songs.  He originally hailed from Detroit.  The other seatmate was a stylish looking young woman who was an L.A. native.

So of course when they asked me what my plans were I said "I'm in town to research presidential libraries."  Their smiles froze.  "I'm uh...hoping to write a book...."  That didn't help my case.  I think what I was "supposed" to say is I was of course in town to enjoy the shopping, the surfing, the beaches and the wine.....but instead I let my geek flag fly.   And I think somewhere down there Nixon is smiling because someone came to L.A. just to see his library.

This morning I rented a car.....and quietly panicked.  This was my first time driving in L.A.   However as soon as I started driving....a lot better than I expected.  I realized after driving in Chicago any time of year, Wisconsin during blizzards, the Rockies, and Southern Georgia during some nasty weather....L.A. was downright doable.  When I crossed the border into Orange County, I couldn't help myself....and as a nod to my favorite non-BBC soap opera, I shouted out "Welcome to the O.C., bitch!"

But of course my destination wasn't Newport Beach, but Yorba Linda, birthplace of Richard Nixon.  As soon as I parked my car, I started grinning....and pretty much did not stop until the drive back. 

It's a beautiful facility.  The gardens outside are both gorgeous and fragrant.  Although I couldn't help but think when I saw the fountain: "LBJ's is bigger!"  I guess Lyndon is down there smiling too!

The Nixon library is unique in that it was originally run by a private organization: the Nixon Foundation.  This meant that Nixon could pretty much present his story his way.  One remnant of this is the introductory movie, narrated by Nixon himself.  Mysteriously, we don't see some of the more embarrassing aspects of his career like "You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore."  And Watergate is portrayed that makes it look like it was all the fault of his aides.  Which leads me to the conclusion that A. Nixon was lying or B. He was an idiot for such a  monumental cove rup to go on without noticing.   As I've heard the tapes....I'm going to go with A., he was lying.

However, since 2007, the library is now run jointly with the National Archives.  They have been working to update the exhibit and make them more interactive.  I also thought the museum now is a good balanced exhibit of Nixon's accomplishments and his failings.  One of my favorite parts was in the Watergate exhibit, you can press a button and lights will illuminate the places in the White House and Camp David where there were bugs to record the notorious tapes.

Currently there is also an extensive exhibit on Pat Nixon.  March 16th would have been her 100th birthday.  This was the part of the museum where I learned the most.  My favorite story was after her college graduation, she got invited to visit some relatives in New York state.  So by herself, she drove all the way from New York to California....and this is BEFORE the interstate system.  She got two flat tires on the way, and changed the tires herself.  

At one point when I was visiting that exhibit, I got distracted by a family that showed up.  The man was from China, and was explaining to one of the tour guides, what the Chinese characters meant on a trunk that was in the exhibit.  Meanwhile I was being entertained by his lively and loony nieces who would ask me questions like "Did Abraham Lincoln GO IN A ROCKETSHIP????"

Outside there is a lovely flower garden.  What I especially enjoyed is not only were the flowers brightly colored, but also very fragrant.  Off to the side in the garden are the graves of Pat and Richard Nixon.  The epitaph on Nixon's grave is "The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker."

Nixon's birthplace is also onsite.  The house is still intact, and has most of the original furniture.  I was most excited to see the bed he was born in, and the piano he first learned to play on.  On top of the piano was a clarinet that Nixon also played.  Apparently altogether he played piano, clarinet, violin, saxophone and accordion.

But the highlight of the trip was to visit the helicopter, "Army One."  Originally built in 1961 (which explains why the furniture reminded me of my Aunt Goldie's house...)  the helicopter was used by Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford.  It's most famous for the picture where Nixon waved his hands in the V signs right after his resignation.  A fellow tourist was kind enough to take my picture in the same pose on the same spot.  I was downright giddy with excitement.  I also was a bit naughty on the plane and....oops....touched the chair that the president would sit in.

There were two spots on the plane reserved for the presidential physician, and the military staff member who carried the codes for the nuclear bombs.  After Nixon resigned, up until the moment Ford was sworn in, he could have used the codes.  It's estimated that Nixon was somewhere over Missouri when Ford was sworn in.  Nixon said in the Frost interviews that if he'd tried to use the codes then, they wouldn't have worked.  I brought this up on the helicopter and the tour guide hadn't heard that before....which also made my day.  

After a nice dinner at the California Sea Food Grill....was driving along through the rush hour traffic and ran over a piece of metal.  Traffic was too crowded to avoid it....but I figure the flat tire I got was better than smacking into another car.  As I'm not as skilled as Pat Nixon, I had to call AAA.  The mechanic who came was from Whittier, where Nixon lived for a good chunk of his life.  When he found out why I was in L.A. he chimed in "Nixon was the best president we've ever had!  The only problem is he got CAUGHT."

Tomorrow I go to Simi Valley to see the Reagan library.  Also hope to spend a little bit of time in Malibu and be a slightly more traditional tourist.