Earlier this month, my husband and I took a trip to Southern California to celebrate his birthday. Our first destination was Palm Springs - and before anyone asks, no - we did *not* "take the tram".

 

En route from Riverside County:

 

 

Ugh... forgot we had some curves and elevation changes - on our return trip we got to enjoy these dips and curves along with 60mph winds  :-P

 

 

The Morongo Casino and Resort.

 

 

I knew the area had wind turbine farms - I just didn't realize how d@mn many there were!

 

 

 

 

The Palm Springs Visitor Center - yep, they love their mid-century modern architecture here.

 

We were staying near the 'downtown' area; of course we had to get some of the touristy shots such as Liberace's former home.

 

 

And Katherine Hepburn's former home:

 

Lots of lovely details and landscaping on the homes in this section:

 

 

 

A lot of the homes are either mid-century modern or Mediterranean-inspired...

 

And then there's this *thing* which I think resembles most of the Dillard's department stores in shopping malls across America. If I recall correctly, it's for sale for the paltry sum of $11,000,000.

 

 

 

Walking down Palm Canyon Drive, the main north-south thoroughfare:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who knew they had a Walk of Fame?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The building under construction is a redevelopment of a former shopping mall - a lot of the locals seem to think it's the further 'ruination' of the character of the city.  :?

 

 

 

One of several lovely sunsets:

 

 

 

The next morning we took a walk around the residential areas closer to the mountains:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This subtle piece of real estate was recently acquired by Leonardo DiCaprio

 

Dame Elizabeth Taylor's former digs:

 

A little more shopping on Palm Canyon:

 

 

 

 

So the next day, I start walking on Palm Canyon and noticed small white wispy clouds at the top of Mount San Jacinto. In ten minutes they went from small and wispy to "yeah, I better pick up the pace" aka a storm was about to roll in.

 

 

 

 

The new Arrive Hotel - not quite open when we were there:

 

And speaking of arriving - the storm eventually hit with 60mph winds and rain; ah well we weren't going to let that spoil our trip.

 

We made our way to the art museum which has quite an impressive collection for a smaller museum and they had an amazing exhibit of one family's collection but of course, no photography permitted in the galleries, just the sculpture garden and common areas.  :|

 

 

 

 

 

Over to more antique shops south of the museum - some pricier homes up in the hills:

 

Bob Hope's former spaceshi... home:

 

We stopped in the Parker Hotel for cocktails - this was known as the Givenchy when it was owned by Merv Griffin but has new ownership and redesigned by Jonathan Adler:

 

 

 

The next day, you can see the storm left some snow pack on Mount San Jacinto:

 

Random shots around 'downtown' Palm Springs:

 

 

 

 

 

And then we're off to our next destinations - Riverside County and San Diego. Hope you enjoyed!

 

So do Hollywood people also have homes or apartments in LA?  Or do they do a 100-mile commute?  Or do they fly by private plane to one of the little airports in LA?

^They typically use Palm Springs as a "getaway" (similar to Ohioans and cabins in *insert region here*) and have their main home in Los Angeles.

 

Great shots, MayDay.

So do Hollywood people also have homes or apartments in LA?  Or do they do a 100-mile commute?  Or do they fly by private plane to one of the little airports in LA?

 

Palm Springs was an old school weekend retreat for Hollywood folks that has since morphed into more of a general family-oriented tourism town (it also was a place for celebrities to get off the radar). It was a big gay mecca in its heyday, and there are still some majority gay hotels (guidebooks keep tabs on theses). Hollywood people almost always own homes in LA, and the Hollywood presence in PSP seems to have diminished somewhat since Hollywood started redeveloping into one of LA's strongest urban neighborhoods (though Palm Springs still maintains some cultural ties). I don't know anyone who commutes from Palm Springs to Hollywood unless they're working remotely from LA, and only go in a couple of times a month. That commute can be brutal. It's also a launch point for Coachella since it has a decent airport (actually an amazing airport for a city its size). It still does do a few big gay events like the White Party, but a lot of the hotels are becoming more family-friendly and marketing themselves that way. Change is very much in the air, with a lot of new construction stalled by the recession starting back up. I've seen a couple of new hotels downtown start going up within just the last year. It also became a big retirement area for people who like desert environments. I could never live there, but you could do a lot worse in the valley. Like in much of inland California, the people are nice and down-to-earth. One of my old roommates who was gay used to fly to Palm Springs a lot. He was an older dude who liked all the mid-century stuff and classic American cars. Palm Springs has a lot of that. Though the gay culture might not be what it used to be, there is an obsession with mid-century America still running strong in Palm Springs.

 

*I work in Palm Springs sometimes, and it's great in the winter, but hell in the summer. The downtown is very touristy and it's insanely cheap compared to Oakland. It's a very slow-paced, relaxing city that is the exact opposite of Oakland's hipster/burner/tech/anarchist culture in every way. It not only attracts a lot of Angelenos, but also a lot of Bay Areans. There are a lot of flights from SFO. If you ever visit, make sure to go November-March. That's the best weather. Even by April, temps can break 100! I was there for a week once when it was well above 105 every day, and I thought I was going to die. I don't think I've ever drunk so much water...

 

**Coachella is the younger, cleaner, safer, more sober, more socially conservative version of Burning Man. The Palm Springs area is very much the Default World, which makes it a great escape from Oakland. It's a nice place to work remotely and do workshops, though your career would likely be stunted if you lived there full time as opposed to LA. And that summer, really, really sucks. It's even worse than Vegas in the summer...

Great shots of Palm Springs!  This time of year is perfect for a visit.  I've been living here in the desert for 4 years after 25 years in San Francisco and have to say I enjoy it a lot.  I'm glad that you were able to see so much during your trip.  Palm Springs offers a lot for such a small town, but is quite a different place during the summer when the tourists have returned home.

 

Although the summer is brutal here, you get more or less used to it and plan the day accordingly.  We don't spend much time outside after mid-morning in the summer, unless at a pool or somewhere with good AC.  The cost of living is surprisingly low compared to the Bay Area, and the people here are genuinely nice. 

 

Also worth seeing are Joshua Tree National Park, Anza Borrego State Park and nearer by Indian Canyons.  Good hiking, interesting flora and fauna, and fairly close by.

 

 

 

 

 

My wife's family had a place in Rancho mirage, so for about 3 years we shlepped the family there over winter break, until my MIL sold it 3 years ago :-( . I used to love it there. I loved the dissonance of sitting by a pool, looking at a desert, with a snow capped mountain as the backdrop. Combine the landscape with the fact that we were 3 hours difference from the east coast, and my work day ended at 2pm. It was like living in another world.

 

God I miss that place.

Living in LA, I've been to Palm Springs many times. Although it does have some interesting architecture, it is one of the most overrated places I've ever been. It's boring. It's painfully hot. It's completely uninspiring. Next time, take the tram because the tram is the best part of Palm Springs.

The morning in the desert out there is usually incredibly pleasant, and then around 10:15 the first tick of heat appears, and then by 11am it's game over.  We stopped at a gas station out in the desert near Andrews Air Force Base one time around 2 in the afternoon and I think someone would be lucky to survive 30 minutes out there in the midday 120F heat.