Page 103 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

design, fashion and unique shopping. Mid-
Century glamour draws more than 100,000
visitors from around the world for Mod-
ernism Week every February and October.
Many of the finest examples of Mod-
ernism are boutique hotels—Holiday
House, Orbit In and Parker Palm Springs, to
name a few—and almost all have played
host to the Hollywood elite. In fact, many
homes of famous personalities who have
lived, loved and played in Palm Springs
(from Ol’ Blue Eyes to Elvis Presley) are
open to view during Modernism Week and
at other times of the year.
Palm Springs’ population once surged in
winter, with its guaranteed sunshine and
warm nights, then cleared out by summer.
No longer. Palm Springs is now a trendy year-
round destination, not least as the weekend
haven of choice for sleek LA hipsters come to
chill out by the pool with cool cocktails. And
Palm Springs’ sizeable gay and lesbian popu-
lation translates into an uber LGBT-friendly
and fun destination, and never more so than
during the annual Gay Pride Festival
(November) and White Party (May).
Cultural Oasis in the Desert
Palm Springs, just a two-hour drive from
Los Angeles, is gateway to a desert oasis
where palm trees and majestic moun-
tains—gloriously snow-capped in
winter—offer stunning vistas from the his-
toric downtown village. For centuries
inhabited by the Agua Caliente band of
Cahuilla Indians, Palm Springs was named
by the native tribe for the city’s healing hot
springs and palm oases. The four beautiful
and wildlife-rich Indian Canyons, on the
immediate outskirts of town, are open to
the public for hikes. The tribe is in the
process of building a sensational new Agua
Caliente Cultural Museum scheduled to
open in 2020. For those looking for lady
luck, the tribe’s downtown Spa Resort
Casino adds 24-hour excitement with its
live music lounge and outdoor concerts
beneath the starry night sky.
Basketry, pottery and other artifacts by
local Amerindian tribes is a highlight of the
Palm Springs Art Museum’s Mesoamerican
collection. Considered one of California’s
finest regional museums, this world-class
venue is also notable for its contemporary
art and astounding glass art in the Denney
Western American Art Wing. A few blocks
away, the Palm Springs Art Museum Archi-
tecture & Design Center, in a 1960s former
bank building of classic Mid-Century Mod-
ernist styling, houses the museum’s
growing collection of architecture and
design-related pieces.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is one of
the world’s foremost museums dedicated
to WWII aircraft, displayed in two hangars
replicating the European and Pacific the-
aters. Aviation buffs and WWII aficionados
will exult to the warbirds on display, to
flying demos and Warbird Rides in a P-51
Mustang and C-47 Skytrain.
Tramway to Another
World/Summer Fun
To truly appreciate Palm Springs’ beauty
and scale, climb aboard the Palm Springs
Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest
rotating tram car—for a sensational cacti-
to-clouds ride, and hiking and dining at
8,500 feet near the top of Mt. San Jacinto.
The easy Desert View Trail begins near the
Mountain Station and rewards hikers with
sensational views over the city, as does the
Bogert Trail complex at the southern end of
Palm Springs. In summertime, chill at the
Splash House pool party or find cool family
fun at Wet’N’Wild waterpark. Every
Thursday evening, the downtown drag
transforms into VillageFest, a traffic-free
street fair with arts, crafts, local produce,
plus great grub and entertainment. And
every month is packed with festive events.
There’s always something happening in
Palm Springs.
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 101