This was our second trip to Palm Springs together and my second time ever. Our first trip was in August 2008, and, although we were able to do many things then, it was too hot to fully enjoy the city. If my memory serves me correctly, there were a few instances where poor Willy almost passed out. But, we had none of those problems on this trip. The weather was perfect for hiking, eating great food, watching an outdoor movie, and visiting an art museum, without the chance of suffering from a heat stroke.
Day 1
We left for Palm Springs on a Saturday morning and arrived around noon. We first stopped at the Palm Springs Visitor Center to find a map to the trails at Indian Canyons. I ended up having to change clothes and shoes here, too, because Willy had "forgotten" to tell me we were going hiking (even when he saw me leave the house in flip flops and jeans). Luckily, I had packed my running shoes and windbreakers. After getting directions, we were off.
Indian Canyons is gorgeous. The weather in Palm Springs is surreal; how can it be 80 degrees in the middle of February?! The first trail we took was an easy trail in Andreas Canyon. This canyon was different from the canyons I've hiked through in LA because the land wasn't all dry and rocky. In addition to the seemingly barren landscape, there were flowers and streams and palm trees! Yes, palm trees! And an abundance of them as well. What made this hike even more special was that we met a great couple and one of the guys offered to give us a little photo shoot (I guess he could tell Willy's method of using nature as a tripod wasn't working out too well):
After this hike, we went on two more trails. The second one was more difficult. Willy left me a couple of times and I wanted to give up, but the view at the peak was worth it. After that we were about to go home when, thankfully, one of the park staff told us there was one more very short one that we just had to do. This last trail was very short (1 mi round trip), easy, and brought us right up to this wonder:
After Indian Canyons, we popped in Willy's Tito Puente CD (Tito and the Springs = almost a match made in Heaven) and drove to our hotel: Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs. It is right on Palm Canyon Drive, the main street in downtown Palm Springs. After checking in, we hit the pool, showered, and walked to dinner.
If you are ever in Palm Springs, you must go to LG's Prime Steakhouse, which has 3 locations (all local to the Palm Springs area). We discovered this place on our first visit and knew instantly this would become a staple in our places to visit in Palm Springs. We were even lucky enough to get the same server, Mima, who remembered us! We started off with an appetizer sampler and escargot melted in butter and alfredo sauce, shared a filet mignon with creamed spinach on the side, and wrapped up with some vanilla bean ice cream. To complement our meal, we shared a half bottle of red wine.
After dinner, we watched a movie poolside at the Riviera Resort & Spa. We saw a flyer at the Visitor Center advertising this as the last event of the "Modernism Week" festivities, which just happened to be this week, and decided to take advantage of it. I admit I don't remember much of the movie (because I might have fallen asleep) but I do remember that the Riviera has very comfortable private cabana beds. They also provided free popcorn and desserts.
Day 2
After packing up, we went to the Palm Springs Art Museum, which was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel. The museum's visiting exhibits were of Wayne Thiebaud, who grew up in California and is famous for his paintings of food and consumer goods, and Robert Mapplethorpe, a master of photography known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and provocative nudes. Here are some shots of Thiebaud's works that Willy snuck in before security asked him to stop:
After spending the morning at the museum, we went to Pomme Frites, a French restaurant on Palm Canyon Road, for lunch before reluctantly heading home.
Cost Breakdown
$12.00 - Admission for 2 to Indian Canyons
$113.03 - Dinner at LG's Prime Steakhouse with 2 appetizers, 1 "In Season Special" Prix Fixe (1 salad, 1 entrée, 1 side, and 1 dessert) for $45, and a half bottle of red wine
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$125.03
Notes:
- Our 1 night at the Hyatt Regency Suites Palm Springs was comped for participating in the Faster Free Nights promotion toward the end of 2008.
- This Hyatt charges for parking, but there is plenty of metered street parking available (that does not run on weekends) all around the hotel.
- We received free admission to the Palm Springs Art Museum because we are friends of a sister museum. Admission prices ranges from $5 for students to $12.50 for adults and is free on Thursdays from 4-8pm.
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