hot hot hot

A couple weeks ago my cousin and I headed here for some much needed R&R

It was HOT. But it's a dry heat, which is so much more bearable than humidity.

There was a lot of this happening. Cranberry Blackberry (vodka) snow cones out by the pool. (In the shade for my poor pale skin.)

The only time you'll see the pool empty is in the morning. Pretty much all of downtown Palm Springs is a dead zone until 5 pm ish. Everyone must sleep during the day. Because then the pool/bar is insanely crowded at night until 2 am or later (the walls were a bit thin...). There's lots of fantastic local restaurants and shops along the downtown strip.

Just a little south on Palm Canyon Drive is Cathedral City. For chain stores, hit "The River" shopping center and hop from air conditioned Borders to air conditioned Starbucks to air conditioned Ben & Jerry's like we did. And definitely dinner at Yard House. (If you go to Yard House you have to order the draft beer float. "Young's Chocolate Stout with Vanilla Ice Cream. YUM!). Or PF Changs or Cheesecake Factory (be prepared for a wait, it gets busy). Or hit the movies at the Mary Pickford theatre or IMAX for more air conditioning when it's still 80 degrees at 9 pm.

Ace's King's Highway restaurant is fantastic. It's an old converted Denny's with a drool-worthy menu.
We stopped in for breakfast and I got:

Sydney got:

and we split:

yummmmmm. highly recommended.

relax, just do it

i will be spending the next week here:


reading books and SPF gazillion
joshua tree and ATVs
cooking in our suite and ice cream runs
air conditioning and mid-century modern architecture

after this disaster of a quarter,
it's going to be a good week

desert oasis

(here)

the final locale i would like to present is palm springs. just 2 hours away from los angeles, this is a vacation hotspot. It is popular for its 1950s mid-century modern architecture/design, has seen its fair share of US presidents as well as celebrities. Frank Sinatra built a home there and Charleton Heston and Clark Gable were regular visitors. Many films have been shot there in as well. It is a place to relax by the pool, soak up the ever present sunshine and enjoy leisurely sports like tennis, golf and polo.

though I have never been, I'm excited to say that there is finally some traveling on my horizon. In mid-june at the end of school I'll be joining the fam for a week of much-needed relaxation! If I'm laying by the pool with a good book, (of course wearing a big straw hat and slathered in sunscreen for my poor pale skin!) I will hardly have time to wish for colder weather.

3 fabulous hotels that I'm not staying at...but hope to visit in the near future:

Ace Hotel
More of a bohemian vibe, their restaurant utilizes local and organic foods. Their rooms are decked out like the tent of a desert archaeology crew. It is brand new, and the coachella festival had an opening night party there if i'm not mistaken. I was going to mention its affordability, but I think its popularity is getting the best of it...when I first discovered it about a month ago, a single room with king size bed ran about $79. It has now been bumped up to $129 ($116 through hotels.com) still not terrible...guess I'd better hurry!




(by her)

Viceroy Palm Springs
It originally started as a bungalow in 1933 visited by the likes of Clark Gable. Styled by Kelly Wearstler in 2001, this hotel is modern and sophisticated, using a color palette of only black, white and yellow.




The Parker Palm Springs
it is swanky, the rooms filled with designer pieces. they have a gene autry suite with it's own saline pool. i can dream right?

their outdoor bar is called "the lemonade stand", how cute is that?