Presidential bowling
More Nixon bowling! I always thought that Nixon had a bowling alley installed in the White House and that was where the pictures were taken. Apparently, however, the bowling alley is in the Executive Office Building. This is clearly where the other Nixon photo used as an icon for THE SYNDICATE comes from too. Several sites claim that a private bowling alley exists in the White House, but a Smithsonian site states that the alley that Truman had installed was dismantled. No official sites proclaim the White House alley's existence. There is an obscure reference to the Bush twins ordering sandwiches for the bowling alley when their grand father was president. If that alley is in the Executive Office building, it would make more sense why then First Lady Barbara Bush would have objected to the request. Ultimately I refuse to believe that a bowling alley is tucked away somewhere in the White House. It is a fine fantasy to hold, but a fantasy at that.
2 Comments:
I always heard (or wanted to hear) that the bowling alley was in the White House basement. I admit, that seems unlikely, but I still want to believe. I didn't know that Truman put it in, either! Very interesting. It looks like there are two lanes...are there more? I'd like to see a picture of two dozen secret service composited into a wide shot of the basement alley.
11:19 PM PDT
It is true that the Truman lanes were dismantled, but Nixon had a single lane installed under the White House portico, and it's still there to this day.
9:12 PM PDT
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