| Today we travel to Simi Valley and the state-of-the-art Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, featuring 18 galleries that pay tribute to America’s 40th president. Visit a full-scale replica of Reagan’s Oval Office, see a piece of the Berlin Wall, explore interactive exhibits, read letters written by President Reagan to Nancy, pay your respects at their final resting place and admire spectacular views of the Conejo Valley. The Air Force One Pavilion features a presidential limousine, a secret service vehicle, a Marine One helicopter, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk, and a walk-through of the Air Force One airplane that served seven U.S. Presidents. On view for a limited time is the traveling exhibition, Auschwitz: Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. that features an extraordinary collection of items from one of the darkest chapters in human history. Making its only stop on the West Coast, this exhibit features more than 700 objects that were direct witness to the horrors of the Holocaust and Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi Germany’s largest concentration camp. These items, assembled for the first time in history, were brought together from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum as well as more than 20 institutions and museums around the world with a clear goal – to honor the victims, understand how such a place came into existence and consider how its existence determines our present worldview. On display will be personal belongings from Auschwitz dwellers – both victims and perpetrators – such as suitcases, eyeglasses and shoes, along with other artifacts from the camp including concrete fence posts, fragments of a prisoner barrack, a desk and other possessions of the longest serving Auschwitz commandant, a gas mask used by the SS, and an original Model 2 freight train car used for the deportation of Jews to Auschwitz. Included with your admission is timed entry into the Auschwitz exhibit as well as an audio tour for both the Auschwitz exhibition and the museum’s permanent exhibits. Enjoy approximately 5 hours at leisure with lunch on your own at the museum café. The Auschwitz exhibition is recommended for ages 12 and over. Although the history of Auschwitz is challenging, this exhibition is designed not only with profound respect for the victims, but also for visitors. Care has been taken to ensure that there are no gratuitous depictions of violence. Every effort has been made to consider the emotional impact this story can have, so that visitors can safely explore this history, seek to understand it better, and to make meaning for themselves. |