President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan flew into Palm Springs on December 29, 1988 – making it one of the last stops for the couple of his presidency. The couple flew to the Coachella Valley to stay with their close friends Walter & Leanore Anneberg at Sunnylands.
This week, The Reagan Library has released footage of Air Force One landing at Palm Springs International Airport and the pair deplaning, shaking hands with officials, including Mayor Sonnny Bono and his wife Mary, and heading out in a limo.
Watch:
From President Reagan’s diary entry for the day:
“At 4:15 P.M. we landed at Palm Springs. A 20 min. drive & we were at Sunny Lands—met by Lee & Walter. It’s beautiful as always. Ardie Deutsch had gifted me with a massage—a new kind. It was great & I feel great. Then it was dinner with Lee & Walter & an early bed time.”
The Reagans stayed in the desert through the New Year, according to the White House schedule. They time relaxing, playing some golf, and going to a dinner at El Dorado Country Club before heading off to Pasadena to see the Rose Parade on Monday, January 2.
