Itinerary: A Reagan Anniversary

The love story of Ronald and Nancy Reagan began in Southern California, and though they made detours to Sacramento and Washington, the right-wing couple always came back to the left coast.

Ronald Reagan says he didn’t even want to date Nancy Davis at first. It took months, but finally Reagan fell for her and “gradually came out of the deep freeze,” according to his autobiography. The night he knew she was the one, he wrote a letter to buddy William Holden that read: “To hell with this, how’d you like to be the best man when I marry Nancy?” Bill answered: “It’s about time.”

That was 47 years ago today. Reagan enthusiasts can visit some of the places where they spent their time:

Friday

Chasen’s is one of the last of the great celebrity restaurants in L.A.; its booth No. 2 is where Ronald finally popped the question. The Reagans spent many nights dining in Chasen’s’ exclusive front room among the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra and Clark Gable. The Reagans continued to dine there until the original restaurant in West Hollywood shut down in 1995.

Chasen’s reinvented itself in Beverly Hills in 1997. The ambience from the Reagan days has been re-created, but if you want to see booth No. 2, you have to go to the old Chasen’s, now a party venue that can be rented through Chasen’s Events (9039 Beverly Drive, West Hollywood. [310] 271-2168). Chasen’s, 246 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills. (310) 858-1200.

Saturday

Nancy Davis became Nancy Reagan when she said “I do” at the Little Brown Church of the Valley. A picture of the wedding still hangs in the church office.

Built in 1940 with volunteer labor--at a cost of about $600--the quaint wood structure, with its knotty pine interior and oak pews, was built so that people would have a place to pray 24 hours a day; the doors are open around the clock. Little Brown Church of the Valley, 4418 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Studio City. (818) 761-1127.

Out past the Ventura County line is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. Inside the hilltop museum one can spend the afternoon perusing the memorabilia and mementos of Ronald Reagan’s presidential life and beyond.

Each year the museum features out-of-the ordinary presidential exhibits. The current exhibit is “Norman Rockwell Paints the Presidents and the America They Governed,” featuring more than 30 original paintings and illustrations chronicling America’s political and cultural history.

Above the public exhibit sits a private office that the presidential couple uses when they visit the museum. It overlooks the crypts where the Reagans will eventually be buried. The Ronald Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley. (800) 410-8354. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5; $3, seniors; free for ages 15 and under.

Sunday

Check out Reagan’s beloved retreat in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Rancho del Cielo. At the so-called Western White House, Reagan chopped wood, rode his favorite black thoroughbred, Little Man, and spent hours lounging with Nancy.

The president’s declining health, caused by Alzheimer’s disease, led the Reagans to move to Bel-Air last year after selling the 688-acre ranch to the Young America’s Foundation. The conservative organization is preserving the home as a historic site and hopes to open it to the general public. Until then tours are available to potential donors. The Ronald Reagan Leadership Program, 812-B Anacapa St., Santa Barbara. (805) 957-1980.

https://www.reaganranch.org.