Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Trains and Treasures:Nixon Museum Yorba Linda, CA


By Angela Rocco DeCarlo,copyright, 2011

The Richard Nixon Library and Museum is an intimate facility highly suited to families and children, especially grandparents with young children. It does not overwhelm in size and so is an enticing destination at any time of the year.

Every Christmas season we take our grandchildren to enjoy the model train exhibits. Last year there were two rooms of spectacular model train layouts – a densely constructed Lego cityscape with many bridges, buildings and encampments. In the second room was the marvelously imagined tiered landscape with various-sized model trains choo-chooing across a fantasy America dotted with charming towns filled with miniature people.

This year’s visit found a smaller, though still interesting, Lego exhibit, which continues until January 28, 2011, with the second room devoted to “Treasures from the Vault:” A collection of valuable gifts given to the Nixon family, but owned by the U.S. government, by many foreign heads of state.

The Lego train exhibit is housed in the museum’s lobby all set about with various themed Christmas trees hugging the perimeter of the space. There’s the Presidents’ tree; the First Ladies’ tree; the Asian tree; the USA tree and others.

The Lego train curators created a little game with a series of items to be found. It made the viewing a fun challenge for children old enough to engage in a scavenger hunt. Finding the girl with the blue balloon proved impossible, but our gang of four, ranging in ages from 5 to 12, managed to locate some of the other game pieces, but not the curved staircase or the Christmas tree being decorated. Last year it was the tiny Superman that was highly sought after and finally located on the top of a building.


Favorites of the display included the large suspension bridge, the barrel tunnel and the colorful carnival scene alongside the little marina, complete with tiny sailboats. The Legos certainly struck a chord with our grandsons, Andrew, 10, and Sam, 7, who is now busy putting together a large Lego passenger airplane from his New Year’s Eve birthday.

The girls, Mish, 12, and Serritella, 5, toured the Legos and then visited the historic fashion gallery where the Nixon daughters’ bridal gowns are displayed together with First Lady Pat Nixon’s gowns. They moved on to the “Treasures of the Vault” (closed Jan. 30) and loved the gorgeous silk paneled screen with brilliant red background upon which white embroidered cranes cavorted. Junior fashionista, Mish, was impressed with the black crocodile Gucci ladies handbag, shown in a case with a companion handbag fashioned from authentic leopard fur – both exquisite.


Pope Paul VI’s gift to the Nixons of a 17th century painting of St. Peter’s Church, Rome, Italy – the largest Christian church in the world, is understated but spectacular. The beautiful forecourt and majestic elliptical piazza bounded by colonnades created in 1629-67 from Bernini’s designs, is seen without the surrounding buildings visible today. Many artists and architects put their brains and hands to the design, but it was Michelangelo, who in 1546 was made chief architect, who designed the great dome and finished part of it. Under the dome is the high altar which itself is above the tomb of St. Peter, the first pope.


My personal favorite was the dazzling gift of a Sultan in 1974 of emerald and diamond jewelry presented to Julie and Tricia Nixon. Nearby was the spectacular King Hussein gift of double strand pearl necklace. As it is the gift of a king it might be inferred the pearls are genuine, not cultured. In another display case was a splendid gold-encased 16th century Bible presented by Israel to President Nixon. All this beauty makes one wonder how the thank you notes could have adequately expressed appreciation for such riches. There are no details on what gifts were presented to the foreign leaders by the Nixons. One can only hope they were as tasteful and well-chosen as those displayed as gifts to the U.S.A. No VCRs back then.


The Nixon Library is part of the U.S.archives and museums which include eleven other presidential libraries. The wealth of historical documentation available at the Nixon is a resource for history buffs as well as students and scholars. The museum offers many programs to the community including free Sunday concerts. Also onsite is the actual Nixon house which is said to have been built by President Nixon’s father from a kit.The presidential limo and helicopter are also on display, as well as a giant version of the iconic photograph of President Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley. From this I learned the photo was not a “photoshopped” creation, as I had supposed, but an actual photo of a real encounter. And that’s what museums are for…letting our imaginations soar among the scenes of the past featuring real people in real situations…preserved here at the Nixon Museum.

The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, CA92886
714-983-9120
http://www.nixonlibrary.gov
Hours – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon – Sat.
11a.m. – 5 p.m. Sun.
Closed Christmas Day, Thanksgiving & New Year’s Day

Admission
Adults (over age 12) $9.95
Child (7-11) $3.75, under 6,child is free
Seniors – 62 + $6.95
Military w/ID $5.95
Student $6.9 05

Angela Rocco DeCarlo
Copyright, 2011

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