Did you hear that there’s a big election coming up? Yeah, it’s hard not to go anywhere or watch anything that isn’t covering the race. So feeling patriotic and trying to stay local to conserve that other big topic, gas, we decided to take a couple of day trips around the LA area and check out some of our former presidents’presidential libraries. In SoCal we have 2 big ones, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. Fan of them or not, both of these libraries boast some pretty nifty artifacts from our nation’s colorful history ; )
The Gipper’s library rests on top of a great hill in Simi Valley, CA. It’s really a very comprehensive and interesting place and good ol’ Reagan’s final resting place is on the grounds as well. I got sucked in to he and Nancy’s love story while Dan sketched Air Force One. Yep, the original aircraft that flew him around during his presidency is right there for anyone who visits to walk through. It is a pretty neat sight as is the archives of everything from his acting days all the way to the day he left the building ; ) Food wise they had 2 cafes where a hungry veggie could sink her teeth into. The was the Ronald Reagan Pub, located underneath Air Force 1 as well as the Reagan Country Cafe. Both a cafeteria style but the cool Irish pub by the plane had a bunch of salads and sandwiches that could be doctored up for a gal like me. The cafe upstairs had a view of the valley and I asked if I could make my veggie pizza cheeseless and that was A-ok with them ; ) After our day at the library, we made our way over to Don Cuco’s for dinner. I got a huge veggie tostada salad and it was delish! More info on President Reagan’s library can be found online at Reagan Library. Don Cuco’s is a chain and worth looking up as well!
The following weekend we headed south to Orange County and we paid a visit to Tricky Dick, Richard Nixon’s presidential library. His had a special attraction as the house he was born in is on the grounds and like Air Force 1, you can get an inside tour. The library is on the acreage that young Nixon played on while his parent’s farmed lemons. It’s got some great info about the era he “ruled”and apparently they are updating their Watergate exhibit so it’s worth a visit. They had a very small cafe on site where they had pre-made sandwiches and fruit cups available. We popped into Chili’s afterwards for dinner and I got my usually yummy portobello fajitas! Go visit Pat and Richard at the Nixon Library.
Some exciting stuff to come so keep checkin’ back!!
