Back in May, we traveled to Dallas to help my parents pack for their big move, and from there headed out to Oxford, Mississippi to watch Randy's brother Scott graduate from Ole Miss. This short trip was really our only "vacation" time this year, and since most of it was spent packing boxes and driving, I don't think "vacation" is how either of us would classify it. But because it was us, we took the time to stop and see some sights.
The Clinton Library was important to us, because we've made a habit/tradition of going to presidential spots. With the trips we took to Little Rock and College Station this year, we're up to five presidential libraries and one presidential birthplace.
The nostalgia factor was high for us both. We each remember all of Clinton's presidency; it was part of our landscape growing up, and the events of those years are important events in our lives.
The library was a lot more modern in terms of architecture and layout than previous libraries had been (Reagan's is close; it's very open, and Clinton's had a similar feel). I was a little disappointed because I felt it wasn't a very "deep" experience. You don't come away with a sense of having learned more than you already knew, but that may be because Clinton's presidency is barely history.
I did really love that we were able to get close to so much. A few of the libraries are bad about letting you take pictures or get any kind of tactile experience. But at Clinton's, I got these:
This is me sitting in the Chief of Staff's chair, in a replica Roosevelt Room, I believe (if I'm wrong about the room, excuse me - it's been a very long summer).
See?
A collection of campaign buttons from all of Bill Clinton's various campaigns over the years; I think this specifically in a display about the 1992 campaign for the presidency.
You can't expect a couple of Republican political operatives to miss out on this!
View of the Arkansas River from inside the museum; also pictured is the old, original railroad bridge.
This is a good shot to give you an idea of the layout; there is a lot of natural light, and the archived documents are all stored in the columns in plain sight. The timeline portion was not very naturally laid out; we found it a bit difficult to navigate properly. We also had limited time, as we arrived late in the afternoon, and so missed a handful of exhibits (presidential gifts of state, that sort of thing).
One thing I noticed about this library compared to others was the lack of pomp & circumstance surrounding the First Lady's history; I'm sure this had something to do with Hillary Clinton's prominence separate from her husband's legacy, but it was still odd (compared to LBJ's library, which is much more focused on Lady Bird's contributions and legacy, almost out of balance in the opposite way).
When we finished at the library, we went in search of the Arkansas state house.
This stop in Arkansas was our first introduction, in this trip, to the South. There was an atmospheric change from Texas; we notice this whenever we venture out of state, but the South had a unique feel. There was a palatable sense of time having rewound, or at least slowed down so significantly as to give the idea that it never passes. This only deepened as we went on, through Tennessee and down into Mississippi. I hope to be able to post about the rest of this trip soon, so I can try and convey what I mean.
In the meantime - if you have a chance to visit the Clinton Library, I highly recommend it. It has a lot to offer and it is a must-see in Little Rock.
No comments:
Post a Comment