If you're a US president, you get a presidential library. Even if you're Nixon. Despite everything, this same rule will most likely apply to the man currently holding the title.

I visited the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace on a sunny summer afternoon in August of 2005. With a day to kill under the warm California sun, I could have cruised down the 101, hit Sunset Boulevard or tracked down an In & Out. Instead, I somehow wound up in Yorba Linda where I slapped down a few bucks to gawk at Nixon's grave and assorted memorabilia from his administration. My favorite moment from the visit: watching an argument between a father and two staff members. He was furious that they wouldn't let his 17-year old daughter peruse Watergate-era documents in the off-limits basement archives. She was writing a report to send off to Ivy League admission offices.

Also neat: the black marble section of the museum devoted to the scandal and a gigantic White House replica with working lights.

Before meeting up with family in Anaheim, I took photos of knicknacks in the gift shop and the gun Elvis gave Nixon during their chat in the Oval Office. That and more can be found in this Flickr gallery or by clicking on the photos above.

Labels: libraries, Nixon, politics