This August we took a quick trip to Chicago. The “we” on this journey are my daughter Liz, granddaughter Adeline, and yours truly.  We had booked this back in March when Barack and Michelle Obama began making appearances to announce the Presidential Library’s opening in June.

We swiftly hopped on the internet to get some tickets and were lucky enough to get some for August.  Tickets are still only available about six months out.  We planned our trip around those dates. Liz is a whiz at finding great hotels at reasonable prices and once again she hit a home run when she selected the L7 Chicago by Lotte. It was right on the Loop and central to the city’s major sites.  We did, however, have to take a car to the Library, which is on the Chicago’s South Side near the University of Chicago. 

The Obama Presidential Library is, in a word, magnificent. Visitors are guided from the ground floor up through four floors of exhibits that explore the civil rights movements that grew in America through the Obama family history, campaigns, and Presidency.  The interactive and compelling displays are truly moving, entertaining, and make one wistful for those more innocent days when it was considered a scandal when Barack wore a tan suit or put mustard on his hamburger.  You’ll be happy to know that the Obama Burger is available in Tafari’s Kitchen at the museum, with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, house pickles, and—of course—classic mustard on a toasted brioche bun.

The fifth floor of the museum includes a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, where visitors can line up to have their photos taken as they sit behind the replica of the Resolute Desk. While waiting in line, one is surrounded by a display of Michelle Obama’s most famous outfits, including the red dress she wore on the night Barack first won the Presidential election, her Inauguration ensembles, and several ball gowns. 

Another moving exhibit features the video of the eulogy that President Obama gave at the funeral of Rev. Clementa Pinckney who was murdered, along with eight of her congregants, at the Emanuel AME Church in 2015 in Charleston, SC. When he began singing “Amazing Grace” the congregation joined in.

The vitality, accomplishments, and promise of the Obama Presidency are well-captured in this new Presidential Library and there was much to see and interact with. One section is devoted to the importance of citizen participation and educates visitors about the many ways they can participate in democracy all across the country.

Thus far, I have visited two Presidential Libraries—the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park and the Obama Presidential Center—and I highly recommend both.  I have also toured the homes of Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Martin VanBuren. All these places provide insight into the lives of the men who have led our nation. Knowledge of our country’s history is a responsibility of citizenship, and an informed citizenry is essential to our democracy.