While this "Playground to the Stars"runs on a burgeoning vacation and tourism industry, it still manages to maintain the chic charm of the quintessential small town, where one can walk down a scenic and historic main street for shopping, dining, people-watching and neighborly chats. The city's permanent population is still under 50,000 which helps promote the small town ambience. Largely because it's less than a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, Orange or San Diego counties, the city is also home to a large contingent of seasonal second-home and vacation property owners.
Call Bill & Linda today! They know Palm Springs, they know this area, and they know the art of fine luxury living!
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"
Ruby Keeler, Al Jolson, William Powell, Rudolf Valentino and Harold Lloyd executed the initial jailbreak from Hollywood in the 1920's. They were followed by the likes of Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Liberace and Elizabeth Taylor in the 40's, 50's and 60's. Then, more recently, by Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Jennifer Lopez.
Palm Springs has its share of kept secrets.But, its world-renown golf resorts and activities now attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and vacationers each year and the area provides both wealthy and not-so-wealthy homebuyers and investors with distinctive lifestyle choices and significant portfolio opportunities for everything from entry-level bungalows all the way up to fine homes and estates of unparalleled excellence.
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"
Old Hollywood haunts still compete with California Fresh and French cuisines. Melvyn's Restaurant, located on the premises of the legendary Ingleside Inn, is elegantly upbeat with a fully restored 1895 carved oak and mahogany bar. With numerous antiques, waiters in linen jackets, and photographs from long ago, dining at Melvyn's is truly "Old Hollywood". And, you don't need a telescope to see the stars come out at night – or even, maybe, at lunch. Melvyn's also hosts the area's version of "American Idol" every Thursday night, encouraging brave souls to perform with live accompaniment.
One of the "hot" newer places in town is Copley's, an intimate restaurant bar patio in a lovingly restored rustic-chic cottage with hardwood floors once home to actor Cary Grant. And just steps from where Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way meet, in the heart of Palm Springs, Le Vallauris serves the finest cuisine in a peaceful realm reminiscent of an exclusive country estate in the south of France.
Cute cafés dot the downtown, and unique restaurants populate the main drag and side streets. There's no lack of night life in Palm Springs with small nightclubs and patio bars peppering the landscape. The larger hotels and 10 area casinos also offer nightly entertainment options, with outstanding local talent as well as famous celebrity acts.
Art and Architecture
As the "Who's Who" of Hollywood fueled the city's postwar growth, an explosion of highly original buildings came into being in what became known as the Palm Springs Modern style. These buildings, some of them designed by famous visiting architects such as Richard Neutra, and Albert Frey, and others produced by immensely talented local architects, reflect the diversity of approaches to Modern design. Many of these buildings have survived and, sensibly, been restored, with some even accessible to visitors.
Long known for its reclusive retreats, hideaway homes, and secret sanctuaries for Tinsel Town stars, celebrities aren't the only ones getting makeovers in Palm Springs these days. The downtown is undergoing a dramatic revitalization program with precedent-setting alternatives to the well-known resort destinations. The late Sonny Bono, once mayor of Palm Springs, is credited with helping start the now surging revitalization. At the cutting edge of this 'renaissance' are new boutique hotels, retail stores, healthcare and personal services – something the city is proud to add to its mix of eclectic design styles. This resurgence is breathing new vitality into this city.
Get a Grip!
The valley has long been home to some of the finest golf in the world. Celebrity golfers have maintained homes here since the days of Hope and Crosby. From the LG Skins Game in November, to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January, to February's Frank Sinatra tournament and the Kraft-Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore) in March, this is among the world's finest of golf destinations. You'll find the perfect ingredients for just enjoying or professionally improving your game: abundant sunshine, low humidity, and dramatic desert scenery at more than 110 golf course communities from which to choose.
What a Racquet!
Tennis was the first recreational attraction for the Palm Springs area. Yet, you can now get great seats to professional tennis's "Fifth Slam" – the Pacific Life Open down the street in Indian Wells, the game's largest venue outside the four Grand Slam tournaments. Or, up your game with lessons at prestigious facilities. Palm Springs has a vibrant tennis community throughout the year. And now, the famous Racquet Club is being renovated to offer prestigious homes and lofts to those looking to meld tennis with luxury, with a little celebrity history thrown in for good measure.
Shop 'Til You Drop!
Downtown is a walking litany of boutique hotels, unique restaurants, art galleries, and shops ranging from chachkas to couture. Every Thursday evening, tourists and locals are drawn to the cultural artery of Palm Canyon Drive as vendors and local performers transform it into a lively street fair known as Village Fest.
Getting Back to Nature
Palm Springs is more than just golfing, shopping or basking in the glorious desert sunshine – it offers something for everyone. A vast fertile valley surrounded by majestic mountain ranges that soar over ten thousand feet above the Coachella Valley floor. Within the valley, a cascade of visual grandeur of lush and ancient palm groves, hot springs bubbling up from below, an abundance of plants and wildlife.
Desert attractions include outdoor tours, museums, art galleries, wildlife and botanical parks or hot-air balloon rides as well as the 15-mile long Palm Canyon, one of the most breathtaking spots in Western North America. Its indigenous flora and fauna provide magnificent contrasts to the stark, rocky gorges and barren desert lands beyond.
Entertainment Tonight
The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is a three-hour, razzle-dazzle, song and dance vaudeville-style extravaganza showcasing variety acts, Ziegfield-style production numbers, former headliners like Gogi Grant and Mimi Hines, the music and dance of the '30s, '40s and '50s with one amazing difference…cast members range in age from 55 to 85 years young! After 16 years, patrons (nearly 3 million of them) have packed the house at every performance, with up to ten shows a week, seven months a year, in the refurbished 1930's Art Deco Plaza Theater, once home to Jack Benny's radio broadcasts!
It's An Adventure
The more adventurous come to the desert to capture its spectacular views from many different angles: by foot, horseback, jeep, Hummer, mountain bike, and via the world's largest rotating tramcars on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Hike among the lustrous colors of the ancient canyons, the magnificence that is the Joshua Tree National Park, the immense beauty of Anza Borrego, California's largest state park, or Santa Rosa/Mount San Jacinto National Monument. Push it to the extreme and rappel down shear mountain cliffs. Hang almost motionless in a hot air balloon above the green oasis below. Skydive or hang-glide with certified pilots. Tear through the dunes on ATVs.
istory Lessons
For a slice of the town's western past, check out the Village Green Heritage Center, with its collection of frontier buildings and in-depth exhibit about native Cahuilla Indians, a nomadic tribe that gave up their wandering ways once they discovered the valley's natural desert springs.
Adjacent to the airport, is the Palm Springs Air Museum which showcases several dozen pristine condition World War II aircraft, including some of the greatest airborne fighting machines ever conceived. Many tours are guided by those who actually flew the historic aircraft.
Just 30 miles east of Indio, the General Patton Memorial Museum is dedicated to the colorful, courageous and stalwart World War II general who rescued Americans trapped at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. It also honors veterans of conflicts from the Civil War to the Iraq War. Artifacts, an informative movie, a tank yard, and a gift shop are also available.
Call Bill & Linda today! They know Palm Springs, they know this area, and they know the art of fine luxury living!
