Page 96 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

PALM SPRINGS
Where hip meets Mid-Century Modern
»DINE, SHOP,
GALLERY HOP!
Visitor Information
visitpalmsprings.com
SINCE THE 1930s, PALM SPRINGS has
been a playground for A-list celebrities who
fell under the spell of the area’s tranquil
beauty, and in the 1950s and ’60s, it was the
retreat of Frank Sinatra and other Holly-
wood stars who partied poolside in their
Mid-Century Modern bungalows. Today,
with a growing nightlife, burgeoning art
scene and casual, relaxing vibe, Palm
Springs is again Hollywood’s playground.
Newly fresh and compelling, this epicenter
for desert vacations again exudes laid-back
contemporary cool.
A spectacular redevelopment plan has
put a new luster on downtown Palm Springs,
highlighted by the opening in November
2017 of the light-drenched Kimpton Rowan
Palm Springs hotel, and a pedestrian
walkway aiming a visual spotlight on the
world-class Palm Springs Art Museum. Vis-
itors can also experience glamorous style at
many of the city’s super-trendy hotels as
well as many historic boutique properties.
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B Y C H R I S T O P H E R P . B A K E R
Add Uptown art galleries and fashion stores,
exciting new restaurants and an edgy night
scene and it’s no wonder a whole new gen-
eration of vacationers, trendsetters and
celebrities—from Leonardo DiCaprio to
Miley Cyrus—is flocking to where it’s the
swinging 1960s all over again.
Haute Design/Architectural Cool/
Year-Round/LGBT Friendly
Known throughout the world as the
mecca of Mid-Century Modernism, Palm
Springs embraces and celebrates this design
aesthetic. With the world’s largest concen-
tration of such architecture (more than two
thousand homes), it shows a distinctive
style that can be experienced not only
in architecture, but also interior design,
fashion and unique shopping. In fact, retro
and Mid-Century have found a home in
Modernism Week—attracting more than
100,000 visitors from around the world
each February and October.
VISIT PALM SPRINGS