The City
Most people I know have heard about Palm Springs, but most of them have never been here. What’s more, they won’t tell you why they know this city, it just rings a bell in their minds. So what makes Palm Springs so special place we never went to? One can of course use Wikipedia to check some fact, which will tell you that ‘biking, golf, hiking, horseback riding, swimming, and tennis in the nearby desert and mountain areas are major forms of recreation in Palm Springs’, but that still leaves the question — ‘why there’? When you try to locate this city on the map (it’s 100 miles east from Los Angeles), and even you when you are going there (if you can, fly directly, traffic from LA is hopeless), you still keep wondering — why on earth this city is so famous over apparently nothing special. And when you finally get here, it transcends upon you slowly but surely. Here’s the top three reasons I picked up: 1. Makes you feel on the moon It’s relatively close to Los Angeles, but it provides a perfect getaway location, which instantly lets your mind and body detach, or rather — switch to a local mode. Being in the middle of desert and surrounded by mountain sierra from three sides gives you an unearthly feeling only moon could possibly top (just guessing here). 2. Summer exists here And it’s f…ing real!! Excuse me, I’ve just spend too much time in ‘California’, where sun glasses is the only real summer thing you should own. Palm Springs is sweltering now doubt, especially in the noon, and it’s probably radioactive too (oops). But to hell with that, at least you can feel it on your skin, you can hide from the sun in the shade of umbrellas and cool yourself with cocktails, you can wear swim clothes all day long and not need winter coat when the sun sets. 3. Its very European Despite it’s location in the middle of the desert, Palm Springs is not like Vegas at all. It’s actually very nice city, very american, but also very european too — artful, well-designed, tastefully luxurious. There are plenty of Danny’s, Wendy’s, IHOP’s here, but also some really nice modern villas, cool resorts and hotels (see next), and some really good cars you won’t even see in Hollywood (I suspect because their owners are all here). That should tell you something about people who live or visit this place. Result: Feeling of being somewhere, immersed into pleasant languor, and not wanting to come back. Just listen to this song and you will feel it. Ace Hotel & Swim Club You really don’t expect to find place like this in the desert, not even in Palm Springs. Don’t get this wrong, it feels 100% local and makes you feel immersed into the ethos and history of the place. But it’s the special kind of people you find there, types you expect to see in London or New York, or in few rare places in San Francisco. Hotel and it’s stuff makes you feel completely at home no matter when and where you come from, but also makes you feel like on your own planet, makes you want to be back, and makes you want to go and see the world around. That’s all I can say, if that all sounds to fluffy, just visit the place. The Saguaro Colors, bright colors, fun colors, more colors Yoga, pool parties, celebrities, paparazzi, fashion brands, Uber. Sounds like ideal place for a spring break, yes — if you can afford it. Coachella Location — Empire Polo Club, smell of horses mixed with weed, quite peculiar People — fashionable, living in smartphones, but very collaborative, young and old Views — I won’t even try to describe them, every once in a while, when people lift their heads from their smartphones, they realize that they are probably in one of the most beautiful places, which beats even what they see on the stage. Lana Del Rey — clearly today in the US it’s #1 artist, she is the Elvis of modern youth Beyond music — but there’s not so much people do in terms of arts. There’s face painting tent, but that’s pretty much it. But may be it’s a good thing that Coachella is actually still a music event, and not a mish-mash of everything and nothing at the same time.
