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Welcome to
Palm Springs!
Dining, Sightseeing, Shopping Top to Bottom in the Desert
The inviting oasis of Palm Springs provides diversity in the desert.
A mere two hours from the Hollywood sign and the beaches of LA., there is a place in the desert that is a Southern California oasis retreat.
It is a palm-lined paradise, a weekend playground for some, a quiet retreat for others that has been everything from a second home for Hollywood heavies and sports stars to spring breakers.
This Jetsons-like Visitor's Bureau building is a former gas station.
Today, it's a lot like a woman's purse – a mixed bag of everything. It has social-seeking singles (both straight and gay), romance-seeking couples (both straight and gay), families and twenty-somethings to seventy-somethings.
Plenty of palm trees – and free parking!
Palm Springs is a true hotspot in every sense of the word. Temperatures can reach 115 degrees in the summer. But of course it's a dry heat, places have a/c and water misters, and there are plenty of swimming pools.
It's easy to spot the tourists from the locals by the wardrobe. Tourists wear nothing but shorts and sandals and talk about the heat while locals don jeans and long-sleeve shirts and treat anything less than 90 degrees as if a sudden Arctic storm hit town.
Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta
The primary Palm Sprngs intersection: Palm Canyon @ La Plaza.
There is more to Palm Springs than Palm Springs.
It's one of several desert cities in the Coachella Valley. To the east, there's Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and La Quinta. Each has its own attributes and they are connected by streets with the names Fred Waring Drive, Frank Sinatra Drive, Gerald Ford Drive and Dinah Shore Drive.
Along the way, there are seemingly endless shopping malls and chain restaurants, from standard to spectacular. Palm Desert has the Marriott, with its large pool and weekend bachlorette and bachelor parties, La Quinta has top golf courses and Indian Wells has exclusive condo properties.
Palm Springs itself is simple. The town mostly consists of about 10 blocks of shops, restaurants and bars occupying the main road, Palm Canyon Drive.
Palm Canyon a one-way street going south on Highway 111, about 15 minutes from the 10 freeway. Highway 111 splits at the entrance to Palm Springs, with Indian Canyon Drive a block to the east being the one-way headed north.
Former Mayor Sonny Bono keeps watch over classic buildings.
The architecture is a mix of old '50 and '60s buildings in modern surroundings. Most are a single story and some have funky roofs and other quirky Jetsons-ish designs that reflect its glorious past. One almost expects to see Jack Benny or Sinatra step out of a door and onto the street. Perhaps even its former mayor, Sonny Bono. (They, and many other less famous people of Palm Springs heritage, are preserved in a Walk of Fame on the sidewalks.)
And there are palm trees. Plenty of palm trees. Plus unlimited free parking. Just don't park at the red curbs. Those are reserved for locals.
Palm Springs Activities & Sightseeing
Just 15 minutes from downtown is a tram to an 8,500-foot mountain.
From the desert floor to high above it, there is more to do in Palm Springs than shop and sit out by the pool. Though those are certainly favorite pastimes.
The most amazing of them all is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. One of the fascinating things about the state of California is the incredible variety of landscape, and the Coachella Valley is no exception. Just 15 minutes from downtown Palm Springs is a large mountain rising to 8,516 feet that's more ski resort than desert.
The ride to the top is steep and spectacular.
The tram takes visitors on a scenic – and steep – ride to the summit. There they are welcomed with a real treat: Views of a flat desert on one side of a rustic lodge and a forest of pine trees on the other. The scenery is vivid, there are hiking and walking trails, occasional wildlife sightings and picnic tables. When the weather's nice, it is the perfect place to sit down with a sandwich and take in the surroundings. Just think, in another hour, you may be back in the hot town by the pool or at the cantina for Happy Hour.
Depending on the season, the weather is either pleasant (70s in the summer with a cooling breeze) or freezing, perhaps snowing (winter, when there's even cross-country skiing). While most people get to the top by the tram, there is a hiking trail and overnight camping. Because conditions can change quickly, this is for seasoned hikers only. Highway 111 at Tramway Road. Tickets: $22.25. Free parking. Palm Springs Tram Website.
Back on flat land, as one might expect there are ample opportunities to lose golf balls in this part of the California desert. Bob Hope used to joke that "Palm Springs has so many golf courses that after you tee off, you see which one your ball lands on and play that one." Hotels and all resorts have courses, too numerous to list here; many of the top ones are in La Quinta, including the PGA West layouts.
There's no shortage of shopping in Palm Springs and throughout the Coachella Valley. Palm Canyon Drive is lined with all kinds of shops and a drive in the direction of La Quinta rewards browsers and buyers with several hours of shopping satisfaction. More functional than fancy, the Palm Springs Mall close to downtown has a Von's, Rite Aid Office Max, Radio Shack, Tru Value, Ross and nail salons. It is located at 365 E Tahquitz Canyon Way.
Though the weather fees like it, this isn't Las Vegas but there are casinos, such as the Spa Casino downtown on Indian Canyon Drive, and others on the adjacent Indian reservations.
Batters get up – and fans get happy with $1 beers – with the Palm Springs Power baseball team. It plays in a stadium on a site that was once occupied by the Angels for Spring Training. The team is comprised of top college baseball players from around the country playing in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball Association (SCCBA). Tickets; $7 adults, $6 students and seniors. Team Website w/schedule.
For those so inclined, downtown Palm Springs has a small wedding chapel in a pleasant garden setting off La Plaza Street. Don't expect a formal affair, though. Let's just say it's okay to arrive with a cocktail in hand (though open containers on the street are illegal).
Dining Guide – Palm Springs Restaurants
Keep reading to find the Best Burger in Palm Springs.
From the initial look of things, people who live and play here like their meat, as there are several steakhouses along Palm Canyon and in the area.
But we'll begin the restaurant guide with meat of a different kind – the Best Hamburger in Palm Springs.
Look no further than Tyler's on the corner of La Plaza and Indian Canyon Drive. This is a true, classic American prize, a juicy burger on a perfectly-sized bun stuffed with basic toppings. While they serve french fries, the side prize is the homemade potato salad, so delicious it would even be welcomed on any Southern picnic table. And Southerners know their potato salad!
A cheeseburger is just $6.50, they have beer and a friendly, attentative staff which is only too glad to give Palm Springs information to customers. It serves lunch only and is closed every August so the owner can go on vacation.
There are two (well, actually four) locations of Los Casuelas. The one most people visit is downtown on Palm Canyon. With its patio, round bar covered with thatched roof and themed dining rooms, it would seem the obvious choice for dinner. But save it for cocktails instead. For food, head to the one on the north side of town, where the food is flat-out authentic Mexican (368 N. Palm Canyon).
The Mexican-style restaurant with the best decor – and margaritas – is Blue Coyote (455 N. Palm Canyon). The food is more upscale and prepared with a Southwestern flair.
For those who like music with their meal – heck, for those who just love great food - there's Shanghai Red's. Located just behind the "touristy" Los Casuelas and disguised as a meat market (not to be confused with a "meet" market) it's a locals' hideaway. The lobster tacos are enough to entice one to drive back out from L.A., to try again but there's also a chowder that can rival anything in Boston, the delicious Ozzie shrimp in a great sauce and Cajun lamb chops. A blues band adds to the atmosphere and there are TVs to watch sporting events.
 The food isn't all that great – other than the onion rings, which may be the best on the planet – but the atmosphere at Billy Reed's (1800 N. Palm Canyon) is worth the short trip from the middle of town. It's like an 1800s parlor and saloon, right down to the strong drinks and old cash register.
For breakfast, Peabody's serves all day, though the food is just so-so. Pinocchio's has $3.95 endless glasses of champagne available with its eggs and such.
There are other restaurants in the area, many located along Highway 111 in and around Rancho Mirage. The River is a shopping complex based around a "river" with a Fleming's, PF Chang's, Yard House, plus sushi, pizza and BBQ. It also has a movie theater and shops.
Sporting Events, Festivals
Every Thursday, downtown Palm Springs hosts a street festival.
Because of its weather – some 350 annual days of sunshine and pleasing temperatures (in the winter, anyway) – the Palm Springs area attracts national events, sports and other activities.
Every Thursday evenings, in fact, downtown Palm Springs holds a street festival called VillageFest with vendors selling crafts and food. N. Palm Canyon Drive is shut down to traffic. It runs from 7-11 and as the event winds down, the restaurants and bars become popular post-festival gathering spots.
The area gets in the swing of things early in the year. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is the second stop on the PGA Tour in mid-January at PGA West, La Quinta Country Club. The same venue hosts the PGA Qualifying tournament Dec. 3-8 this year. The 2008 LG Skins Game is Nov. 29-30 at Indian Wells Celebrity Course.
The LPGA has a very popular tournament among a certain segment of the population, the Kraft Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore) at the Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage in April.
Each Spring, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden hosts the Pacific Open Life Challenge, a two-week tennis tournament featuring both men and women pros from the ATP Masters Series and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 2009 event is scheduled for March 9-22.
Young music fans – 20- and 30-somethings – make a beeline to the area the end of each April for the Coachella Music Festival. Tens of thousands camp out in the dusty grounds surrounding the event, which features dozens of bands ranging from Rage Against The Machine to Jack Johnson.
This being Palm Springs, there is also a Hippiefest the third Saturday of July and the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival the following week.
PubClub.com's
Guide to Los Angeles:
• Hollywood.
Visit some of L.A.'s hottest and most unusual clubs.
• Long Beach.
Home to the World's Fastest Beach Party, and more.
• Santa Monica/Westside.
Peek inside L.A.'s most diverse pub and club scene.
• South Bay.
Where the young and beautiful get wild and crazy.
• Sunset Strip/Beverly
Hills. Hear the next hot band or see a celebrity (maybe).
• Venice Beach/Marina
de Rey. Muscle Beach and L.A.'s newest hot spot.
• Orange County.
The young and young-at-heart love this upscale area South of L.A.
• Catalina Islands.
So far and yet so near.
• LA Traffic: Problem
and solutions
 Check out Palm Springs' Nightlife!
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