Palm Springs: A Grand Downtown in the Soft Evening

Palm Springs was a surprise after the drive through the desert.  After passing so many chain restaurants and big box stores, it was a treat to arrive downtown to find people walking around the sidewalks, and to duck into local stores and closely spaced businesses.

Our first stop was the headquarters for Modernism Week, a celebration of all things 1950s and ’60s, where people were milling about exhibits of classic paints from the era, looking over artifacts used on the popular TV show, Mad Men, and out back, a classic Airstream trailer, that was kitted out as a VIP abode for some fortunate few.

The day’s heat had softened to an evening glow as we made our way up town, passing by boutiques and ice cream shops and a statue of Sonny Bono, the man whose untimely death by ski accident made a generation of people don helmets.  Many of the restaurants had outdoor patios overlooking the busy street, and across from a library building was a massive construction project, a future Kimpton Hotel.  In the library, a white cardboard model showed this project and another stretching far out, recreating a large section of the main drag.

We liked it here, the walking made us feel like we were back east, and we scoped out some different restaurants for a planned evening rendezvous with an old college friend of Mary’s who lives here.  Today we’re up early to meet a man to take a Jeep tour in the desert!