I’m tagging along on Christopher’s work trip to California and our first stop after picking up our rental car on Saturday was our traditional snack from Randy’s Donuts before lunch at In-N-Out. We were planning on having a super nerd weekend and visiting both Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon’s Presidential Libraries, but the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library tickets were sold out for the entire weekend. Way to be popular Ronny.

Instead we cruised Mulholland Drive and stopped at a couple scenic overlooks, checked into our hotel, and hit up the M Club lounge for snacks and treats before dinner.

On Sunday we visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda, CA.

Richard Nixon is one of only two presidents to have been born and laid to rest in the same location as their Presidential Library, the other is Herbert Hoover.

We were able to tour the house where Nixon was born and raised, and go inside the helicopter that he left the White House in when he resigned the Presidency on August 9, 1974.

Richard Nixon was born in the bedroom on the left. All of his brothers were born in the local hospital, but he was born during a particularly cold winter and they weren’t able to get to the hospital.

We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the helicopter, but it was lined with plush looking seating covered in gold/yellow fabric.

In the middle of the complex is the incredible First Lady’s Garden. It is filled with all of the roses named after herself and other First Ladies, Peace Roses, and a lovely reflecting pool.

I love the artifacts in Presidential Libraries, especially the campaign buttons, stickers, and signs.

I know the Berlin Wall was huge, but I think we’ve seen at least a mile worth of chunks in museums.

No Presidential Library is complete without a replica Oval Office.

I really like the yellow/gold fabrics in the drapes and sofas in the Nixon Oval, and I love that Nixon chose to use the Wilson Desk. The Wilson Desk is typically in the Vice President’s Room in the US Capitol and Nixon used it as VP. The desk is a partner desk style so two people can comfortably work across from one another. I feel like this is a nice touch for a president, holding space for others to pull up a chair and get in a good work session. Now, was that why he chose that desk? Who the hell knows, but I want to believe it was, at least a little bit, in the spirit of cooperation.

Honestly, I didn’t know very much about Richard Nixon before visiting the library. Before becoming President in 1969, Richard Nixon was in the Navy serving in the South Pacific during WWII, served in the US House of Representatives and US Senate for CA, and served as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower. After his Vice Presidency, Richard Nixon faced two big losses, losing the Presidential Election of 1960 to JFK, and the 1962 California Gubernatorial race. His victory in the Presidential Election of 1968 was an extraordinary comeback for Nixon.

These are some of the things I didn’t know about Nixon that I’m grateful for:

Creating the Office of Minority Business Enterprise in 1969
Creation of the EPA and signing of the Clean Air Act of 1970
Increased the hiring of women in the Executive Branch
National Cancer Act 1971
Title IX in 1972
First Lady Pat Nixon got us Pandas 1972
Ending the draft and establishing an all-volunteer armed force

It takes a strong, dedicated, and resilient person to endure public scrutiny for most of your life. It seems he worked very diligently and tirelessly to improve foreign relations across the globe, and while I haven’t researched these things, I trust the museum’s information.

Watergate was a disaster to say the least, but if you look at Richard Nixon’s entire career, it seems like he was smart, well prepared, and had a long and full career in public service, and for that I admire him.