Destination - Palm Springs

 Now more than ever do I realize that I shall never be content with a sedentary life,
and that I shall always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.
~ Isabelle Eberhardt ~

Downtown Palm Springs

The last week of January we went to Palm Springs for a week, just to get away.  For us, Palm Springs is only a little over 2 hours away.  We took the dogs and we stayed in a timeshare, The Plaza Resort and Spa, which was quite nice.  This was just a mini-vacation, a chance to get away and do something different. 

There is a lot to do in Palm Springs and the surrounding towns of Palm Desert, Indio. La Quinta and Cathedral City.  If you have never been there it is worth a trip.  It's in the desert, so in the summer it is very hot, and even in the winter the weather can be warm.  A chance to go swimming and work on a tan in the middle of the winter, or go golfing if that is your thing.  And there are always lots of things to do and great restaurants to eat at.

Street Fair in Palm Dessert

On Saturdays and Sundays there is a street fair on the grounds of the College of the Desert in Palm Dessert, with fresh produce, lots of vendors selling just about everything, and food stalls with all kinds of foods. It is open from 7AM to 2PM.  Admission and parking are free.  And on Thursday evening from 6-10 PM there is the Villagefest in downtown Palm Springs.  There are vendors and booths with art, handcrafted items, food, entertainment and more.  There are also several farmers markets around the area on various days.
http://www.codstreetfair.com/ College of the Desert Street Fair
http://www.palmspringsvillagefest.com/  Palm Springs Village Fest

Another fun thing to do is to take the aerial tramway to the top of the mountain.  Visitors travel aboard the world's largest rotating tram cars from the floor of the desert to an alpine forest at the top of the San Jacinto mountains.  You travel to an elevation of 8,516 feet.  There are restaurants, gift shops and hiking trails at the top.   If you are a AAA member be sure to ask about the discount.  http://www.pstramway.com/

Downtown Palm Springs

Good restaurants abound all over the Palm Springs and Palm Desert area, with just about any kind of food you are in the mood for.  Our first night we had dinner at Lulu's, which is right in the downtown area of Palm Springs.  Good food, and a very popular place.  I had their 3 course special for $19.99 which included a salad, main course and desert.  For my main course I chose the tilapia with a mango salsa and for dessert the flourless chocolate cake. 

Fisherman Market Palm Springs

Another night we ate at the Fisherman's Market & Grill on Indian Canyon Dr. in downtown Palm Springs.  We had eatten there on a previous visit, and it was worth going back for.  Very informal dining.  You stand in line to order your meal and then it is brought to your table.  The fish and chips are very good.  Rachel Ray featured this restaurant on her $40 a day show and she raved over the fish tacos, which is always one of my favorite things.  On this visit I ordered their Manila clam appetizer, and I will say that I was disappointed in them.  They were tasteless and very chewy, and a very small serving (which was fine since I didn't care for them, but had they been good I would have been disappointed in the serving size).

We also tried the restaurant Picanha - a Brazilian grill and bar.  At this restaurant you help yourself to a variety of salads, as well as some of the main courses, and then they come to your table with all different kinds of grilled meat on a sword, which they slice onto your plate.  We had several different steaks, chicken, pork and even sausage.  Most of the meat was quite tasty, and the food was all good.  I felt it was a little pricey though considering that you basically served yourself.  But a different food experience.  Other good restaurants include The Rock Garden Cafe and Maracos (Mexican food).  There are many other excellent restaurants that we didn't try, the area is known for their places to eat.

Indio is famous for its dates and even has a date festival held every year in mid February.  You can see the camel races if you attend the date festival.  But no matter what time of year you are there, you can purchase fresh dates and anything made with dates.  We loved the date milkshakes at Shields on Palm Canyon Dr. in Indio.

Holocaust Memorial - Palm Dessert

In Palm Desert there is an area called El Paseo which is a shopping avenue with over 300 shops and galleries.  And the Gardens of El Paseo has more shops.  It is very upscale shopping.   We also stopped at Civic Center Park and it was a pleasant park with an off-leash dog park.  What I really liked about the park was its Holocaust Memorial area.  Quite moving and worth a stop. The Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens are also in Palm Desert. It is a park that is devoted to the deserts of the world.  http://www.livingdesert.org/

Pioner Town

A good day trip to take from Palm Springs is a drive to Joshua Tree National Park.  It is about an hour drive, and well worth the trip.  We made a short detour on our way and stopped at Pioneer Town, which is a town that was created to look like an old west town.  It was used for filming cowboy westerns in the 50's, in particular the Roy Rogers show.  It was fun to look around, and some of the old buildings are now being used as shops.  The pottery shop had some very nice pottery for sale.

Joshua Tree National Park

Then we drove on to Joshua Tree.  There is an entrance fee, but if you are over 62 and have the lifetime senior pass, then there is no fee.  The main attraction in the park is all the neat rock formations and the Joshua trees - also known as Yucca trees.  The trees look like something right out of a Dr. Seuss book.  They are all over the place, and all different shapes and sizes.  I was fascinated with all the rock mountains and the rock formations, quite nice.  A must stop is the Key lookout, from there you can see clear across the desert to Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault is within viewing sight as well.  There are paths you can decide to hike at different pullouts.  We mostly saw rock climbers out doing their thing.  Pets are allowed in the park, but can not go onto any of the hiking trails, so we were limited, as we had Baxter and Sadie with us.

Outside the Follies Theatre

For a fun evening out, you can't beat the Palm Springs Follies.  They are a typical Las Vegas style follies show, with great costumes, dance numbers, comedy skits and songs.  But the cast are all seniors with the youngest member being 55 years old and some cast members in their 80's.  But you certainly wouldn't know it by watching them perform.  They have all been performing their whole lives so they are in great shape.  I know that I couldn't do those high kicks or the splits and I'm in my 60's. It's a fun show, wth comedy acts and they always have a famous headliner, this season it is Maureen McGovern.  http://www.psfollies.com/

The car my husband wanted to buy

If you like old cars, Palm Springs is a great place to see lots of those.  There are plenty of car dealers selling old cars, some probably belonged to stars who used to live here.  And there are also plenty of thrift shops and consignment shops selling vintage clothing and other items.  You can find just about anything you are interested in - from casinos, spas, art, lots of shopping and activities from balloon trips to dessert tours.  The city is very pet-friendly with off-leash dog parks and plenty of restaurants with outdoor dining where your 4 legged friend is welcome.

It's a great place to just get away for a vacation for a few days, or for quite a few "snowbirds" it is a great place to spend the winters to get away from their weather back home.

The Schnauzers enjoyed their trip to Palm Springs