hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

CITY LIFE & FINE LIVING

m aga z i n e fa ll 2 016

RIVERSIDE

LIKE IT HOT?Habanero Grill

brings the heat

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh✍

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh✍

CmHmImEmFDrinks, politics &

presidential history at the Mission Inn

yEars & cOunTInGcommunity Foundation celebrates a milestone

75

+EncOunTErs

20 | riversidemagazine.com | fall 2016

COVER STORY

fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 21

Written by John Welsh

Mark Grant strolled outside the Presidential Lounge at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in a lobby area

where tables and chairs are positioned directly under paintings of U.S. presidents who have visited or stayed at the iconic destination in downtown riverside.

Grant, 64, was in town for a high school reunion. He would soon reconnect with classmates from the 1970 graduating class of rubidoux High. But,

at least for a few moments on a recent Friday night in September, Grant enjoyed a quiet moment. He took a break from a Blue Moon beer and laughter inside the lounge and soaked in the paintings of taft, reagan, kennedy, nixon and others.

He returned to the hotel lounge and ordered another Blue Moon. His wife, Mary, was about to dive into a dirty martini.

“When we come to a place like this, we immerse ourselves,” said Grant, who was visiting from redding.

the Presidential Lounge was just beginning to churn into a bustling, Friday

The past pairs nicely with the present in the Mission Inn’s Presidential Lounge

Written by Jerry Rice

I t coULd Be SaId that the road to or from the White House goes through riverside. that’s because at least 11

presidents — star ting with William Mckinley in 1881 — visited the city sometime during their lives.

Why riverside? Star t with oranges and its location, says karen raines, curator of history at the Mission Inn Museum.

“In 1895, riverside was the wealthiest city per-capita in the entire nation because of the citrus industry,” she said. “It also was the perfect stopping point on the railroad if you were going to Los angeles or points south. then, of course, the Mission Inn is a beautiful building. even back then, it drew people to see it.”

Will riverside be on the itinerary of the new chief executive after election day? While that’s still to be determined, here are some highlights from past presidential visits:

Benjamin Harrison: In the middle of his only term as president, Harrison was in riverside for one day in april 1891. there was a short parade, he delivered brief remarks and he swung by the Glenwood Hotel, which now is the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, and accepted a bouquet of f lowers from allis Miller, daughter of hotel owner, Frank Miller. “We call Harrison the ‘drive-by president’ because he didn’t get out of his carriage and actually step

Hail to the chiefs here in Riverside

History on tap

coUrteSy rIverSIde MetroPoLItan MUSeUMPresidential visits are sure to draw a crowd, as Benjamin Harrison did in 1891.

Specialty drinks inspired by famous Mission Inn visitors include the Herbert Hoover Lemon Drop, left, J.F.K. Cosmopolitan and Harry Houdini Handcuff Martini.

Presidential Lounge at The Mission Inn Hotel & SpaPHOTOS BY ERIC REED

fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 21

COVER STORY

fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 21

Written by John Welsh

Mark Grant strolled outside the Presidential Lounge at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in a lobby area

where tables and chairs are positioned directly under paintings of U.S. presidents who have visited or stayed at the iconic destination in downtown riverside.

Grant, 64, was in town for a high school reunion. He would soon reconnect with classmates from the 1970 graduating class of rubidoux High. But,

at least for a few moments on a recent Friday night in September, Grant enjoyed a quiet moment. He took a break from a Blue Moon beer and laughter inside the lounge and soaked in the paintings of taft, reagan, kennedy, nixon and others.

He returned to the hotel lounge and ordered another Blue Moon. His wife, Mary, was about to dive into a dirty martini.

“When we come to a place like this, we immerse ourselves,” said Grant, who was visiting from redding.

the Presidential Lounge was just beginning to churn into a bustling, Friday

The past pairs nicely with the present in the Mission Inn’s Presidential Lounge

Written by Jerry Rice

I t coULd Be SaId that the road to or from the White House goes through riverside. that’s because at least 11

presidents — star ting with William Mckinley in 1881 — visited the city sometime during their lives.

Why riverside? Star t with oranges and its location, says karen raines, curator of history at the Mission Inn Museum.

“In 1895, riverside was the wealthiest city per-capita in the entire nation because of the citrus industry,” she said. “It also was the perfect stopping point on the railroad if you were going to Los angeles or points south. then, of course, the Mission Inn is a beautiful building. even back then, it drew people to see it.”

Will riverside be on the itinerary of the new chief executive after election day? While that’s still to be determined, here are some highlights from past presidential visits:

Benjamin Harrison: In the middle of his only term as president, Harrison was in riverside for one day in april 1891. there was a short parade, he delivered brief remarks and he swung by the Glenwood Hotel, which now is the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, and accepted a bouquet of f lowers from allis Miller, daughter of hotel owner, Frank Miller. “We call Harrison the ‘drive-by president’ because he didn’t get out of his carriage and actually step

Hail to the chiefs here in Riverside

History on tap

coUrteSy rIverSIde MetroPoLItan MUSeUMPresidential visits are sure to draw a crowd, as Benjamin Harrison did in 1891.

Specialty drinks inspired by famous Mission Inn visitors include the Herbert Hoover Lemon Drop, left, J.F.K. Cosmopolitan and Harry Houdini Handcuff Martini.

Presidential Lounge at The Mission Inn Hotel & SpaPHOTOS BY ERIC REED

fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 21

22 | riversidemagazine.com | fall 2016

on the ground. But we still count it as a presidential visit,” Raines said.

William McKinley: In 1881, as a congressman from Ohio, McKinley spent part of a day in Riverside and made a brief stop at the Glenwood Hotel, which was built in 1876. McKinley served as the 25th president of the United States from March 4, 1897, until his assassination on Sept. 14, 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt: Roosevelt arrived in Riverside on May 7, 1903, and spent the night in a four-room suite at the Mission Inn. Before bedtime, the electricity in the city failed and the lights went out. The president’s security detail feared a possible assassination attempt, and got Roosevelt down on the f loor of his room in an effort to protect him. Miller, also concerned for the president’s safety, rushed in. “It was lucky he didn’t get shot because as he burst through the doorway security was on top of the president and they had their guns drawn,” Raines said. The next morning, Roosevelt participated in a ceremony that included transplanting one of Riverside’s two parent navel orange trees in front of the Mission Inn.

William Howard Taft: During his f irst year in off ice, the portly president was honored with a banquet at the Mission Inn in October 1909. Wanting to make his guest feel comfortable, Miller had a wide armchair specially made to accommodate Taft’s 300-plus-pound frame. The president didn’t appreciate the gesture and at f irst refused to sit in the chair. Today, the chair is in the hotel’s lobby.

Herbert Hoover: As secretary of Commerce, Hoover made an unplanned visit to Riverside on March 19, 1922, during a trip to determine a site for Boulder Dam. Hoover and his entourage were delayed at the train station in San Bernardino, and when Miller found out he invited everyone to the Mission Inn for breakfast. Hoover returned to the hotel in March 1939 to help Republican Party off icials plan for the 1940 presidential election.

John F. Kennedy: JFK was at the Mission Inn in December 1940 for the Institute of World Affairs, a program co-founded by Miller.

22 | riversidemagazine.com | fall 2016 fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 23

night gear. Tables started filling up. Beer flowed from taps into tall glasses. Blenders churned ice. Guests stirred straws inside their old fashioned cocktails. The historic watering hole is the perfect spot for locals to bring out-of-town visitors for a special drink.

For those who haven’t been to the lounge in a while, some major changes are bound to get noticed. There’s some fresh pop to the lounge’s look and hotel lobby, and the drink menu gives special nods to the hotel’s famous faces.

More than a dozen specialty cocktails are titled for some of the big names, actors and presidents who have bent elbows in its cozy room. Take a plunge with a Ginger Rogers, for example, named for the actress, singer and dancer who stayed at the hotel in 1977. Ginger’s martini cocktail includes gin, vermouth, apricot brandy and lemon juice.

“It’s a tribute to the famous people who have visited the Mission Inn,” said Alex Abundas, an assistant director at the hotel overseeing food and beverage. “And we didn’t just attach drinks to any name. We did our research.”

Loren Lawe, executive chef and director

of food and beverage, says the Presidential Lounge is an “upscale, elegant bar” and a “genuine, old-school bar.”

Framed photographs of presidents’ visits and memories now adorn the lounge’s walls. Some of those pictures were found

The Mission Inn is rich in presidential memorabilia, including President Taft’s oversized chair and portraits by artist Bonnie Brown of every chief executive who visited the landmark.

Lyndon B. Johnson: After a rally in Los Angeles, LBJ f lew to March Air Force Base then went to the Riverside County Courthouse downtown where he gave a short speech on Oct. 28, 1964. He then went to San Bernardino and the Platt Building, where he had worked as an elevator operator in 1925 when he was a teenager.

Richard Nixon: Richard and Pat Nixon were married on June 21, 1940, in the Mission Inn’s Presidential Suite, the same room that Theodore Roosevelt had stayed in. “The Nixons didn’t have a lot of money back then, and it was cheaper to get married there than in our chapel,” Raines said. “Interestingly, they were here in 1940, the same year as John F. Kennedy, and Nixon and Kennedy would end up going against each other for the presidency 20 years later. It’s one of those quirks of history.”

Gerald R. Ford: In March 1998, 11 years after leaving the White House, Ford, then a resident of Rancho Mirage, came to the Mission Inn for a fundraiser for Congresswoman Mary Bono.

Ronald Reagan: The future 40th president of the United States married Nancy Davis in a small San Fernando Valley church on March 4, 1952, then they drove to the Mission Inn where they spent the f irst night of their honeymoon. In her 1980 autobiography, “Nancy,” she recalled their visit: “The manager had placed a beautiful bouquet of roses in the bridal suite. The next morning before we left, we delivered them to an elderly woman across the hall (whom) had learned was quite ill. It somehow seemed fitting to share our happiness.”

George W. Bush: Early in his f irst presidential campaign, Bush was the guest of honor at a fundraising reception at the Mission Inn on Sept. 29, 1999. As president in 2003, Bush returned to the Mission Inn where he met with Arnold Schwarzenegger and owner Duane Roberts, and then spent the night. “The president was wandering up on the fourth f loor of the hotel, which is open to the air and is very beautiful,” Raines said. “The Secret Service wanted him inside, but he was having such a good time he refused to go inside until he was done looking around.”

inside boxes, collecting dust, says Lawe. Makes sense those shots were rediscovered. After all, it is called the Presidential Lounge.

Both Lawe and Abundas described the bar as a place to impress relatives visiting the Inland Empire — without being stuffy. “It’s the social center of Riverside,” Abundas said. “It has a touch of class, with a warm feel to it.”

Visually speaking, lounge visitors walk across beige, terra cotta tiles imported from Italy. When the sun shines through the lounge’s windows, the rays create a vibrant feel without impeding a feeling of intimacy. Outside, in the lobby area, visitors can stand atop a presidential seal, another new feature. Feel free to sit in the infamous, oversized chair built for Taft when the rotund president visited in 1909.

Paint has been removed from brass railings, allowing the works to shine with their former glory.

Also, frequent hotel visitors will notice something else missing: the carpeting that ran lengthwise from the Orange Street entrance, past the front desk, and toward Duane’s Prime Steaks & Seafood. That carpet, which featured California’s missions, has been replaced with a stylish black-

and-white tiling, adding to the elegance.Bill and Sue Cloonan sat a table near

that tiling. He enjoyed a Hendrick’s gin and tonic and she enjoyed a Manhattan. Bill Cloonan said he loved upscale atmosphere of the lounge, but minus any pretensions. Sue Cloonan described it as classy but casual and comfortable.

“You feel special when you walk in,” she said.

PHOTO BY D.C. HEATH/COURTESY RIVERSIDE METROPOLITAN MUSEUMPresident Theodore Roosevelt holds a shovel during a May 8, 1903, ceremony replanting one of the parent navel orange trees at the Mission Inn.

PHOTO BY ERIC DRAPER/GETTY IMAGESPresident George W. Bush, right, and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Mission Inn in 2003

A photo of Richard and Pat Nixon taken on their wedding day in 1940 hangs over the fireplace.

fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 23

on the ground. But we still count it as a presidential visit,” Raines said.

William McKinley: In 1881, as a congressman from Ohio, McKinley spent part of a day in Riverside and made a brief stop at the Glenwood Hotel, which was built in 1876. McKinley served as the 25th president of the United States from March 4, 1897, until his assassination on Sept. 14, 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt: Roosevelt arrived in Riverside on May 7, 1903, and spent the night in a four-room suite at the Mission Inn. Before bedtime, the electricity in the city failed and the lights went out. The president’s security detail feared a possible assassination attempt, and got Roosevelt down on the f loor of his room in an effort to protect him. Miller, also concerned for the president’s safety, rushed in. “It was lucky he didn’t get shot because as he burst through the doorway security was on top of the president and they had their guns drawn,” Raines said. The next morning, Roosevelt participated in a ceremony that included transplanting one of Riverside’s two parent navel orange trees in front of the Mission Inn.

William Howard Taft: During his f irst year in off ice, the portly president was honored with a banquet at the Mission Inn in October 1909. Wanting to make his guest feel comfortable, Miller had a wide armchair specially made to accommodate Taft’s 300-plus-pound frame. The president didn’t appreciate the gesture and at f irst refused to sit in the chair. Today, the chair is in the hotel’s lobby.

Herbert Hoover: As secretary of Commerce, Hoover made an unplanned visit to Riverside on March 19, 1922, during a trip to determine a site for Boulder Dam. Hoover and his entourage were delayed at the train station in San Bernardino, and when Miller found out he invited everyone to the Mission Inn for breakfast. Hoover returned to the hotel in March 1939 to help Republican Party off icials plan for the 1940 presidential election.

John F. Kennedy: JFK was at the Mission Inn in December 1940 for the Institute of World Affairs, a program co-founded by Miller.

22 | riversidemagazine.com | fall 2016 fall 2016 | riversidemagazine.com | 23

night gear. Tables started filling up. Beer flowed from taps into tall glasses. Blenders churned ice. Guests stirred straws inside their old fashioned cocktails. The historic watering hole is the perfect spot for locals to bring out-of-town visitors for a special drink.

For those who haven’t been to the lounge in a while, some major changes are bound to get noticed. There’s some fresh pop to the lounge’s look and hotel lobby, and the drink menu gives special nods to the hotel’s famous faces.

More than a dozen specialty cocktails are titled for some of the big names, actors and presidents who have bent elbows in its cozy room. Take a plunge with a Ginger Rogers, for example, named for the actress, singer and dancer who stayed at the hotel in 1977. Ginger’s martini cocktail includes gin, vermouth, apricot brandy and lemon juice.

“It’s a tribute to the famous people who have visited the Mission Inn,” said Alex Abundas, an assistant director at the hotel overseeing food and beverage. “And we didn’t just attach drinks to any name. We did our research.”

Loren Lawe, executive chef and director

of food and beverage, says the Presidential Lounge is an “upscale, elegant bar” and a “genuine, old-school bar.”

Framed photographs of presidents’ visits and memories now adorn the lounge’s walls. Some of those pictures were found

The Mission Inn is rich in presidential memorabilia, including President Taft’s oversized chair and portraits by artist Bonnie Brown of every chief executive who visited the landmark.

Lyndon B. Johnson: After a rally in Los Angeles, LBJ f lew to March Air Force Base then went to the Riverside County Courthouse downtown where he gave a short speech on Oct. 28, 1964. He then went to San Bernardino and the Platt Building, where he had worked as an elevator operator in 1925 when he was a teenager.

Richard Nixon: Richard and Pat Nixon were married on June 21, 1940, in the Mission Inn’s Presidential Suite, the same room that Theodore Roosevelt had stayed in. “The Nixons didn’t have a lot of money back then, and it was cheaper to get married there than in our chapel,” Raines said. “Interestingly, they were here in 1940, the same year as John F. Kennedy, and Nixon and Kennedy would end up going against each other for the presidency 20 years later. It’s one of those quirks of history.”

Gerald R. Ford: In March 1998, 11 years after leaving the White House, Ford, then a resident of Rancho Mirage, came to the Mission Inn for a fundraiser for Congresswoman Mary Bono.

Ronald Reagan: The future 40th president of the United States married Nancy Davis in a small San Fernando Valley church on March 4, 1952, then they drove to the Mission Inn where they spent the f irst night of their honeymoon. In her 1980 autobiography, “Nancy,” she recalled their visit: “The manager had placed a beautiful bouquet of roses in the bridal suite. The next morning before we left, we delivered them to an elderly woman across the hall (whom) had learned was quite ill. It somehow seemed fitting to share our happiness.”

George W. Bush: Early in his f irst presidential campaign, Bush was the guest of honor at a fundraising reception at the Mission Inn on Sept. 29, 1999. As president in 2003, Bush returned to the Mission Inn where he met with Arnold Schwarzenegger and owner Duane Roberts, and then spent the night. “The president was wandering up on the fourth f loor of the hotel, which is open to the air and is very beautiful,” Raines said. “The Secret Service wanted him inside, but he was having such a good time he refused to go inside until he was done looking around.”

inside boxes, collecting dust, says Lawe. Makes sense those shots were rediscovered. After all, it is called the Presidential Lounge.

Both Lawe and Abundas described the bar as a place to impress relatives visiting the Inland Empire — without being stuffy. “It’s the social center of Riverside,” Abundas said. “It has a touch of class, with a warm feel to it.”

Visually speaking, lounge visitors walk across beige, terra cotta tiles imported from Italy. When the sun shines through the lounge’s windows, the rays create a vibrant feel without impeding a feeling of intimacy. Outside, in the lobby area, visitors can stand atop a presidential seal, another new feature. Feel free to sit in the infamous, oversized chair built for Taft when the rotund president visited in 1909.

Paint has been removed from brass railings, allowing the works to shine with their former glory.

Also, frequent hotel visitors will notice something else missing: the carpeting that ran lengthwise from the Orange Street entrance, past the front desk, and toward Duane’s Prime Steaks & Seafood. That carpet, which featured California’s missions, has been replaced with a stylish black-

and-white tiling, adding to the elegance.Bill and Sue Cloonan sat a table near

that tiling. He enjoyed a Hendrick’s gin and tonic and she enjoyed a Manhattan. Bill Cloonan said he loved upscale atmosphere of the lounge, but minus any pretensions. Sue Cloonan described it as classy but casual and comfortable.

“You feel special when you walk in,” she said.

PHOTO BY D.C. HEATH/COURTESY RIVERSIDE METROPOLITAN MUSEUMPresident Theodore Roosevelt holds a shovel during a May 8, 1903, ceremony replanting one of the parent navel orange trees at the Mission Inn.

PHOTO BY ERIC DRAPER/GETTY IMAGESPresident George W. Bush, right, and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Mission Inn in 2003

A photo of Richard and Pat Nixon taken on their wedding day in 1940 hangs over the fireplace.