Submitting to my Viceroy

We checked into the Viceroy Palm Springs and even in the off-season the three pools and manicured grounds were perfection, and we also didn’t have to fight for a lounge chair.  The lawn was so bright and evenly green, I’m convinced they use spray paint for touch-ups.  Black and white awnings and canary yellow loungers complimented my new cover-up.  Hotels make great accessories.

Nap time!

Bungalow is the way to go!

We had grand plans to hike Joshua Tree National Park, but really that was a cover to my master plan of sitting by the pool while someone served me drinks.  Daran forgot all about our hike when I suggested a swimsuit photoshoot…predictable creatures.

We used the complimentary bikes provided by the hotel to tour some of the neighborhoods and then the center of town.  Biking is touted as the best way to view the architecture of the surrounding neighborhoods; you can plan your route here.  Plus, biking was an excuse to mask one of my favorite recreational activities, craning through the windows at the interior design.

Palm Springs Bike Routes

True to its reputation as one of the world’s greatest concentrations of modernist design, you can find the most  ahhmazing mid-century mod furniture stores along with vintage clothing boutiques.  Visit home stores La MOD Inc or Just Modern to get your Don Draper on.  If you’re looking for something to wear that’s a little easier to pack in your carry-on than an Eames lounge chair, Marianne’s is worth dropping into along with my favorite SoCal swim shop Diane’s; both are downtown.

If you’re visiting with more than four people, look into renting a house.  A number of listings on Airbnb and Homeaway are so well suited for a city still set in the 1950s, you’ll feel a sense of time travel, assuming time travel will have business class.  But if you want a scene more of the boutique variety, the Ace Hotel and Swim Club is the ultimate throwback Palm Springs hotel with a twist of hipster influence.  Or is it the other way around?  I’m sure hipster’s will claim the latter, but we all know everything that is old is new again.

Obvious and Avoid:

Obvious:

Obviously lunch should be on everyone’s agenda.   After a morning sucking in for photos, I wanted a burger and fries. Tyler’s and outdoor courtyard in the middle of town has an impressive veggie burger.  We tried Lulu’s for dinner but they are better known for breakfast and that was apparent.

If being in the desert reminds you of Vegas, and Vegas reminds you of gambling (like it does us), then you are in luck.  On your way out of town, you can try your hand at any one of the casinos conveniently located just off the exit ramp of the highway.  In n’ Out shares the same exit ramp, it’s just meant to be, don’t try to resist.  In 45 minutes, Daran paid for his portion of the road trip which is obviously our whole trip.

Avoid:

Don’t stay somewhere without a pool, after all this is the desert.  Swimming pools and air conditioning are practically a religion here.

Try not to form an impression of the area based on the insurmountable volume of wind turbines.  Their sheer numbers almost make it seem as if they are native to the desert.

Avoid holding the steering wheel at 5 & 7 (see video).