Day 45 - June 19th
Presidential Library #4 - William J. Clinton in Little Rock, AR
We slept in a little this morning before heading to the Clinton Presidential Library. We were ready for lunch and had decided to eat in the onsite restaurant, Forty Two. It was downstairs on the bottom floor. It was very elegant and fancy with fresh flowers on each table. There were tourists as well as business people enjoying lunch. The wind was pretty strong, but a few did choose to sit outside on the patio. The menu was pretty "foofoo" for us, but we both ordered the Presidential Club sandwich minus several items! We never said we weren't picky eaters, but really, we are just simple eaters.
After lunch, we headed upstairs to the second floor to begin touring the museum. The first place we passed was a circular display of large photos of President and the First Lady. It was actually the theater inside. We went in and watched the movie. From there, we went into the Cabinet Room replica. It was interesting to see where everyone sat, according to their job title. Of course, seeing the President's taller chair and learning where he sits by the flag location (US flag to his right and Presidential flag to his left) were fascinating. There were electronic displays around the table that you could use to learn more about what goes on in the Cabinet Room.
Next, we went to the main museum. There was not an obvious traffic pattern which we found difficult to know where to go. We just picked a place to start and hoped for the best.
Down the center of the room were large timeline slant displays, one for each year President Clinton was in Office. On each one of the slant boards, were photos and descriptions of events during that year of his Presidency that happened during the year. Below the actual information were metal binders of President Clinton's daily schedules for the year.
On the back side of the timeline boards were glass cases, displaying letters written to President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton as well as their responses to the original letter. There were many interesting letters written by some famous people.
On each side of the timeline boards, there were alcove displays on various topics. Each alcove covered a different theme, such as Science and Technology, Education, Inaugural, and the Vice President. The saxophone he played during one of the Inaugural Balls was on display. Dean also pointed out to Robin the photo of astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, in one of the displays.
When we finished the main museum, we found the escalator and went to the third floor. The replica of President Clinton's Oval Office was right at the top. It was built with several door openings where you could look in from behind ropes and see various parts from different viewpoints.
Next, we walked up one side which housed 4 glass cases of photos and information about Bill Clinton's childhood through his college days.These were very informative.
The center of this area was open to the second floor. There were tall columns on the second and third floor (2 stories tall). These columns contained blue Presidential file boxes, hidden behind clear glass. People could not get inside the glass so they might have just been displayed for decoration. They made for a very attractive look.
We walked back on the other side, which included more of the personal items, such as china, gifts from other countries or other people, and specially designed gifts. One gift which was very unique was the Chihuly Christmas tree. Robin like the sketching created by Maurice Sendak for the First Family.
The last area on the third floor was a traveling exhibit which explained the 2 animatronic dinosaurs at the outside entrance to the Library. The exhibit was about different kinds of dinosaurs, complete with statues or other animatronic models. We learned that, in 1996, President Clinton had signed a proclamation designating nearly 1.9 million acres in southern Utah as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - the largest national monument at the time. The land was protected because of the dinosaur fossils, including some never-before-identified species, contained in this area. They are considered some of the best in the world.
We took the elevator back to the first floor where we visited the small area of gift items, mainly related to the dinosaur exhibit. President Clinton's Presidential limousine was also on display by the information area.
Leaving the Library, we caught the golf cart shuttle to go to the Clinton Museum Store. It is quite a walk to get there, and then, there is no parking if people do drive on their own. The shuttle was very convenient.
Overall, we were disappointed with the Clinton Library. Although it contained lots of information and displays, we felt there was overload and chaos. The organization, well it sounded like it would make sense, kept visitors jumping in and out between timeline and topics. A docent saw us looking at the glass cases of boyhood to college mementos and told us that most people don't see them because they don't know they are there. We really enjoyed them and would have liked to seen those highlighted. We left the Library, confused about what we really learned. This was a real difference from what we had experienced in the other presidential libraries we have visited.
We were also confused about the location and the design of the building. It reminded us of a big trailer, made of glass. In fact, it was very difficult to take pictures inside because of the sun's glare. Of course, we caught the time to visit on the once-a-year window washing day. Although it is set on the banks of the Arkansas River, the view people see is the rusty, old railroad bridge adjacent to the Library and the interstate cloverleaves in front of it. We found it hard to believe that the Museum Store was so far away. Many people probably just skip it because it takes time and effort to get there.
National Historic Site #37 - Little Rock Central High School
We also saw the sign for Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. We found the Visitor Center, but it had just closed. We could see the Park Rangers inside. After getting back in the car, we drove down the next street to the high school. It was massive and quite picturesque. There was a water feature in the front and wrapping stairs on both sides of the building. The high school was still in use. We drove around the block and were able to see the football field and other facilities. Little Rock Central High School was very important because of the role it played in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. It became the most prominent national example of the implementation of the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education when 9 African-American students persisted in attending the formerly all-white high school.
We continued driving in very, heavy traffic until we were out of Little Rock. Our destination for the night was Memphis, TN. Our trip was 140 miles which would take us about 2.5 hours since it was interstate driving the whole way.
State #21 - Tennessee
We finally crossed the Mississippi River and we were into Tennessee. We drove to our Courtyard Marriott hotel and checked in.
Next, we went to find dinner. Dean was still hungry for Italian food so we looked for an Italian restaurant. We found one that was supposedly Elvis' favorite place to go called Coletta's. Upon our arrival inside, the older gentleman host signaled us to a dining room. When we walked into the room, there were 2 middle-aged waitresses sitting at the first table. There were a couple of tables with guests. The waitresses looked up and said to sit wherever we liked. Every single table was still loaded with dirty dishes and trash. Robin said that there weren't any tables clean. The waitresses mocked what was said and never moved to get up to clean them. We turned around and walked out to the laughter of the waitresses.
We drove up and down some main roads. We ended up at Marlowe's on Elvis Presley Boulevard. The hotel had suggested Marlowe's but had said it was mostly barbecue. However, it was late and we we hungry. Outside the restaurant was a pink limousine like Elvis owned. Marlowe's sends it to pick up guests from hotels. Inside the restaurant was lots and lots of Elvis memorabilia. There were several televisions showing Elvis movies. We did eat barbecue and it was delicious. We enjoy the people and the food. They were very hospitable.
The plans for tomorrow were to go to Graceland. Although we love Elvis music, we aren't Elvis fanatics. However, going to Memphis and NOT going to Graceland just didn't seem right. When we found out how much it cost for tickets to Graceland, we had second thoughts. We decided we would sleep on it and make the decision in the morning.
