California (Deserts)
Palm Springs

Sitting in lush farming land, replete with manicured golf courses, condominiums and millionaires, PALM SPRINGS does not conform to any typical image of the desert. The massive bulk of Mount San Jacinto looms over its low-slung buildings, casting an instantaneous and welcome shadow over the town in the late afternoon. Ever since Hollywood stars first came here in the 1930s, the clean dry air and sunshine, just 120 miles east of LA, have made Palm Springs irresistible. 

For years, high-school kids arrived in their thousands for the drunken revelry of Spring Break, until civic zeal ran them out of town, while others come specifically to sober up: the Betty Ford Center in nearby Rancho Mirage draws a star-studded patient list to its booze- and drug-free environment, attempting to undo a lifetime’s behavioral disorders in a $11,000 28-day stay. The town is also regarded as the country’s largest gay resort.

Palm Springs wasn’t always like this. Once it was the domain of the Cahuillan Indians; they were allocated this land in the 1890s, but exact zoning wasn’t settled until the 1940s, by which time the development of hotels and leisure complexes was well under way. Under an odd checkerboard system, every other square mile of Palm Springs forms part of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, and high rents have made this the second richest tribe in America, worth more than $2 billion, wealth that’s been increasing with the new Casino Morongo, right in the heart of town.

This exclusive resort town in the shadow of 10,804-foot San Jacinto Peak attracts the well-to-do with mineral springs, a generally balmy climate, golf courses, and chic shops.

Downtown Palm Springs

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Downtown Palm Springs stretches for half a mile along Palm Canyon Drive, a wide, bright and modern strip of boutiques that’s engulfed the town’s original Spanish village-style structures. Shops run the gamut from Saks Fifth Avenue to tacky T-shirt emporia and bookstores devoted exclusively to Hollywood stars.

The luxuriously housed Desert Museum, 101 Museum Drive (Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm; end of July through the end of September, Fri–Sun only, 10am–5pm; $7.50), is strong on Native American and Southwestern art, though its only permanent display is the late actor William Holden’s collection of Asian and African works. Some interesting natural science exhibits focus on the animal and plant life of the desert, demonstrating that it’s not all sandstorms and rattlesnakes. There is a modern art gallery and some lovely sculpture courts on the museum grounds and the museum hosts performances in the 450-seat Annenberg Theater. The major cultural center in the desert is the McCallum Theater, at 73-000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, presenting films, live music, opera, ballet and plays (tel 760/340-2787). There’s an anarchic piece of landscape gardening at Moorten’s Botanical Gardens, 1701 S Palm Canyon Drive (Mon–Sat 9am–4.30pm, Sun 10am–4pm; $2), a bizarre cornucopia of every desert plant and cactus, in settings designed to simulate their natural environments.

Around Palm Springs
Most visitors to Palm Springs never leave the poolside, but desert enthusiasts still visit to hike and ride in the Indian Canyons (fall & winter daily 8am–5pm; spring & summer daily 8am–6pm; $5), three miles southeast of downtown along S Palm Canyon Drive. Centuries ago, ancestors of the Cahuilla developed extensive communities here, growing melons, squash, beans and corn. The canyons are about fifteen miles long, and can be toured by car, although it’s worth walking at least a few miles; the easiest trails lead past the waterfalls, rocky gorges and palm trees of Palm Canyon and Andreas Canyon. Some areas are set aside for the specific lunacy of trailblazing in jeeps and four-wheel-drives; rent a vehicle from Off-Road Rentals, four miles north of town at 59-755 Hwy-111 (around $30 per hour; Sept–June only; tel 760/325-0376), or take a guided jeep adventure around the Santa Rosa Mountains with Desert Adventures, 67-555 E Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City (tel 760/324-JEEP; around $70 for 2hr).

If the desert heat becomes too much to bear, large cable cars grind and sway over eight thousand feet up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Tramway Road, just off Hwy-111 north of Palm Springs (Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat–Sun 8am–8pm; tel 760/325-1391; $18), passing through five climatic zones on the way to the top of Mount San Jacinto, where there’s a bar and restaurant at the Mountain Station.

Eating and drinking
The stifling desert heat suppresses even the healthiest of appetites; most people go all day on nothing, to find themselves suddenly ravenous at dusk. Although most of the more famous restaurants in Palm Springs are ultra-expensive, more reasonable options can be found with a little effort; alternatively, head to gay-oriented Cathedral City (“Cat City”), five miles east along Hwy-111.
  • El Gallito Cafe, 68820 Grove St, Cathedral City (tel 760/328-7794). Busy Mexican cantina that has the best food for miles and often a wait to match – get there around 6pm to avoid the crowds. Closed in Aug.
  • Le Vallauris, 385 W Tahquitz Way, next to Desert Museum (tel 760/325-5059 – reservations only). Excellent Californian/French/Italian food, though the price is around $80 per head. You’re likely to run into one or two once-renowned stars.
  • Mykonos, 139 E Andreas Rd (tel 619/322-0223). A family-run Greek joint downtown offering large portions of simple, excellent food.
  • Shame on the Moon, 69-950 Frank Sinatra Drive, Rancho Mirage (tel 760/324-5515). Pasta, seafoods and meats, on a mid-priced menu in a contemporary setting. Excellent service.
  • Thai Smile, 651 N Palm Canyon Drive (tel 760/320-5503). Uninspiring decor but great, authentic Thai food at very reasonable prices. Open daily.

Accommodation
Luxury hotels outnumber the affordable variety in Palm Springs, but prices drop by as much as seventy percent as temperatures rise in summer. The north end of town, along Hwy-111, holds many of the lower-priced places, virtually all of which have pools. The prices below are summer rates.
  • Bee Charmer Inn, 1600 E Palm Canyon Drive. Lesbian motel a mile or so south of downtown, offering continental breakfast, pool, and mini-fridges and microwaves in the room.
  • BW Inn at Palm Springs
  • Casa Cody, 175 S Cahuilla Rd . Attractive, well-located Southwestern-style B&B in a shady garden.
  • Desert Lodge, 1177 S Palm Canyon Drive. Spacious motel-style place with free continental breakfast and in-room movies. Closed July and Aug.
  • Hampton Inn, 2000 N Palm Canyon Drive. Has a beautiful outdoor pool, a must-have in the desert, plus free continental breakfast and comfortable rooms.
  • Ingleside Inn, 200 W Ramon Rd. Expensive downtown option, but one with real class – as evidenced by a guest list including Dalí, Garbo and Brando. Many rooms have antiques, fireplaces, whirlpool tubs and patios. A Palm Springs historic building. $80 and over.
  • Merv Griffin's Resort & Spa
  • Mira Loma, 1420 N Indian Canyon Drive. Small, welcoming place with well-appointed rooms around a central pool. In 1949 Marilyn Monroe stayed in Room Three.
  • Palm Springs Marquis Hotel
  • Travelodge Palm Springs
  • Vagabond Inn, 1699 S Palm Canyon Drive. Clean, small rooms in a centrally located, comfortable motel. Coffee in the room, refrigerators available.

Arrival, information and getting around
Arriving by car, you drive into town on N Palm Canyon Drive, passing the visitor center at no. 2781 (daily 9am–5pm; tel (1-800/34-SPRINGS). Greyhound buses (nine daily from LA) come in at 311 N Indian Canyon Drive. Trains from LA (three per week) stop just south of I-10 at N Indian Avenue, about ten minutes from downtown. Sun Buses (4am–10pm; tel 760/343-3451), circulate all the local resort towns.

Companies such as Palm Springs Celebrity Tours, 4751 E Palm Canyon Drive (tel 760/770-2700), offer celebrity tours from $12. You could do it yourself, with a map of the stars’ homes from the visitor center – but you’d miss out on the sharp anecdotal commentary.