# Have you physically ever been in the Oval office? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192 "2010-08-31T22:34:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/1 "2010-08-31T22:34:39Z")
Inspired by this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=576565). Have you physically been office of the President of the U.S., more commonly known as the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House? If so, when were you there? I had the privilege of visiting the Oval office in the Summer of 2006. I can’t tell you why, or I’d have to kill you. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/2 "2010-08-31T23:00:18Z")
Yup. Late 70s, whilst touring the White House. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/3 "2010-08-31T23:06:51Z")
Never. I did get to meet Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, once. I was in New Zealand with People to People when I was 15 and we were on a tour of Parliament House. She crossed paths with our group and was gracious enought to stop and answer a couple questions. I asked her if she had an official residence, which she does, but it’s “just a regular house, not a palace”. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/4 "2010-08-31T23:08:05Z")
The one time I visited the White House Menachem Begin was visiting, so I got the extremely short tour. I didn’t get anywhere near it. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/5 "2010-08-31T23:38:55Z")
I’ve never even been to Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![HawksPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@HawksPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HawksPath)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/6 "2010-08-31T23:48:43Z")
I’ve been to a private party in the White House, but not in the Oval Office. I was a kid at a Peace Corp reunion where my parents had been Corp members with Lillian. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/7 "2010-09-01T00:52:58Z")
Been in the White House. President Bush was busy with the Italian PM and was unable to meet with me that day. My great-grandfather was on the Oval Office. Got to meet Teddy Roosevelt. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/8 "2010-09-01T01:07:40Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Never. I did get to meet Helen Clark, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, once. I was in New Zealand with People to People when I was 15 and we were on a tour of Parliament House. She crossed paths with our group and was gracious enought to stop and answer a couple questions. I asked her if she had an official residence, which she does, but it’s “just a regular house, not a palace”. [Premier House](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_House), just up the road from Parliament. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/9 "2010-09-01T01:56:03Z")
Once during the Carter years, he said “Hello!” to our school tour group as we passed. Twice during Reagan’s second term, and also got to sit in the presidential box at the Kennedy Center a few times that term. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/10 "2010-09-01T02:59:17Z")
I’ve leaned over the ropes into the replica at the Clinton Library. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/11 "2010-09-01T08:12:43Z")
I did one of those educational trips to DC when I was in the 8th grade, but at the time the White House was undergoing renovations or something, and was closed to tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/12 "2010-09-01T09:37:10Z")
The oval room no, but I have been standing in the doorway to the assembly room of the UN Security Council. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/13 "2010-09-01T11:19:27Z")
> [@Neptunian\_Slug](#): > > My great-grandfather was on the Oval Office. Got to meet Teddy Roosevelt. Your great-grandfather is President Taft? That’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/14 "2010-09-01T15:26:25Z")
> [@Neptunian\_Slug](#): > > My great-grandfather was on the Oval Office. Got to meet Teddy Roosevelt. Nitpick: I don’t doubt he visited the president’s office, but I don’t believe the Oval Office existed when TR was president. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/15 "2010-09-01T15:26:50Z")
Sorry, that’s classified. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/16 "2010-09-01T15:36:48Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > > [@Neptunian\_Slug](#): > > > > My great-grandfather was on the Oval Office. Got to meet Teddy Roosevelt. > > Nitpick: I don’t doubt he visited the president’s office, but I don’t believe the Oval Office existed when TR was president. Maybe Teddy came back to visit Taft, who was in office when the Oval office was created, and slug’s grandfather happened to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Drygon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@Drygon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drygon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/17 "2010-09-01T15:43:49Z")
We were heading towards the oval office during a private tour of the White House and were about 100 feet away when we saw Andrew Card and some of the joint chiefs go in and a SS guard was posted outside the door. We later learned that they just found out about the Madrid train bombings. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/18 "2010-09-01T17:13:20Z")
About 1983/84. An employee had a brother in charge of SS transportation. Got to go in the garage and see cars and trucks and golf carts that will do 60+. Then upstairs to see this room and that. Have a pic of me & mom in front of the private quarters area, but we couldn’t go see Ron’s bathroom or anything. Got to sit on a sofa in the OO, but not the Presidential Chair. Even at 20, I had too much respect to bounce in The Man’s chair. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/19 "2010-09-01T17:18:19Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I did one of those educational trips to DC when I was in the 8th grade, but at the time the White House was undergoing renovations or something, and was closed to tourists. Hrrmm… Was this in 1976 by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192/20 "2010-09-01T18:43:19Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > > [@GESancMan](#): > > > > I did one of those educational trips to DC when I was in the 8th grade, but at the time the White House was undergoing renovations or something, and was closed to tourists. > > Hrrmm… > > Was this in 1976 by any chance? February 1985. I took [this](http://www.suppersready.net/pictures/dc.png) picture as we were driving by in the bus… maybe they were just painting it. At any rate, I remember we couldn’t visit because it was closed. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-physically-ever-been-in-the-oval-office/552192.md?page=2)