36-Hours in Palm Springs
While we were in LA, Ali and I decided to take a mini-vacation from our vacation and head a couple of hours into the desert to Palm Springs. I have vague memories of Palm Springs, the desert, and stopping at the outlets in Cabazon as a child, but they are only very, very vague. Nevertheless, my nostalgia was reignited by the annual migration to Palm Springs for Coachella, (but without the FOMO, because music festivals are kind of really not my thing). Spending most of my life in very large, metropolitan cities, I had been yearning for open space and blue skies and landscapes that stretched far and wide - something I got a serious taste of while we drove from New Orleans back up to New York the previous week.We set out to Palm Springs and the landscape quickly transformed from tall buildings and dense urbanity into rolling hills and mountains and sprawl - and I could not believe how beautiful it was. My preference has always been towards cities - towards gorgeous, historic architecture and organized chaos, but the desert is really equally gorgeous and exciting, and I found myself getting really nerdy about the quartzite in the rocks along the mountainsides.Our 36-hour, 1-night trip was filled with R&R and exploration from the moment the vistas opened up. Our first stop was to the Cabazon Dinosaurs, followed by brunch (the upside of leaving LA early in the morning) at Cheeky's, (the menu changes weekly and yes, it's worth the wait). We then checked into our room at The Saguaro, a colorful, affordable hotel minutes from downtown Palm Springs, and headed straight to the pool for sunshine and margaritas. I soaked in the sun for hours and swam back and forth reveling in the uninterrupted sunshine; it was hot and it was everything I needed. At night, we took a stroll along South Palm Canyon and had dinner at Las Cazuelas Terraza, a pueblo style Mexican restaurants with live music.The following morning, we took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to the peaks of the San Jacinto mountains, which offers amazing and diverse pathways for hikes. The views were breathtaking and the chill at the top of the mountains was utterly refreshing. That afternoon, we explored the gorgeous, desert oasis that is The Parker Hotel. The Saguaro is fun and I love the colors and atmosphere, but there was definitely a part of me wishing we had splurged for a night at The Parker. Walking around the property had us prematurely planning our next trip to the desert. We had lunch at Norma's, and shared the Ahi Tuna Cobb and Fish Tacos while sipping on ice-cold lemonade; they're our favorite foods already, but enjoying them in the shade of a mid-century, Jonathan Adler filled space made it all even more delicious. Before we headed back on the road to LA, we stopped at Hadley's Fruit Orchard for their world-famous date shakes - honestly, that alone might be worth the journey!
