Robert

A California Oasis

June 2011

Palm Springs

Perfect Getaway

Written and Photographed by Roberto Hernandez

Located just over 100 miles for Los Angeles prop-er and if you’re lucky (really lucky) you can get there in just under two hours. This is LA though, a place known for it’s horrible traffic, you prob-ably have a better chance of meeting Johnny Depp shop-ping at the mall, in fact that happened to me yesterday. I digress, this isn’t about LA or traffic or work for that mat-ter because this is the week-end and we are going to a city that was designed as a per-fect short getaway for all the people fed up with LA (stars included).

As the ancient home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and nestled at the base of the San Jacin-to Mountains the palm lined tress and the areas many fresh water creeks make this place a true oasis in the des-ert. Hollywood stars have been attracted to the respite

that the Palm Springs has to offer. Palm Springs is home to enough golf courses, country clubs, shopping districts and spas to meet anyones fancy and make you extremely re-laxed. What about if you like a little bit of exploration includ-ed in your weekend getaway? What if a morning hike is your way of relaxing? Well, Palm Springs has your answer.

Besides the shopping and re-

sorts Palm Springs is home to an almost astounding collec-tion of Mid-Century Modern homes and architecture. The city was practically built during that period! The perfect place to find out more information on these homes is the visitors center on your way in to Palm Springs. This building, which was converted from old gas station is a perfect example of the clean lines and design which are key to Modern ar-

chitecture. For the wilderness adventurers in your group up the road from the visitors center is the air tram that will take almost 3,000 feet to the top of the San Jacinto Moun-tains. As you drive into Palm Springs you’ll come across the quaint downtown area of Palm Springs, hopefully your hotel is near there because you really won’t have to drive anywhere if it is.

If you get in to Palm Springs before check-in time, like I did, you might want to escape the heat by visiting the Palm Springs Art Museum. The museum offers a selection of Modern and Contemporary artworks as well as Western and Studio Glass pieces. The architecture of the museum is very Modern and allows you to appreciate the art inside it without distraction. Of course there was one piece that still distracted me and that was the chandelier that is hanging in a grand staircase that leads down to the museums’ lower level.

Once you’ve checked into your hotel and have got-ten settled go ahead and en-joy the rest of the afternoon by the pool and build up and ap-petite because Palm Springs is a host to many excellent restaurants. One such res-taurant is Trio. The restaurant serves New American food, has an excellent full bar, and not to be superficial but the waitstaff is collectively one the best looking I’ve seen in a while. The atmosphere is best described as attentive but still fun because nothing is too se-rious in Palm Springs.

The next morning I slept in and you should too. After you awake from your restful

nights sleep grab a quick bite and a coffee and take a drive out to the Tahquitz Creek Na-ture Preserve and enjoy a hike along the creeks and visit the waterfalls. Just remember to take some sandals to change into or shoes that you don’t mind getting wet because the trail cuts across the creeks in some locations. After your hike, it might be a good idea to get some lunch and head back into Palm Springs for a relaxing stroll downtown and some shopping.

On my last day in Palm Springs I went ahead and vis-ited the Living Desert Reserve. It’s really important to stop by when they open because the animals are more active then. The zoo has a good selection of African animals and ani-mals from around the world and it’s an excellent excur-sion for a day visit. The giraffe exhibit is the newest and the biggest and if you get there early enough visitors have the opportunity to feed the gi-raffes.

My Palm Springs week-end was fun and full of out-door activities but I left time to relax and enjoy the scenery and that is my idea of a per-fect weekend getaway. Hope you get the chance to experi-ence this wonderful getaway and many more. See you on the road!

– Roberto Hernandez

©Roberto Hernandez 2011