This article was originally published by Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam, one of Club Skirts' media sponsors.
Heather recounts her trip to Palm Springs earlier this year for a Dinah press conference the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism and Club Skirts hosted to reveal the exciting program for The Dinah 2013 and provide an exclusive tour of all the amazing attractions and hidden treasures the sunny oasis offers all year long.
It's the perfect "Guide to Palm Springs" for those of you, Dinah goers, who plan on coming earlier and/or staying longer.
 |
| Palm Springs loves Marilyn Monroe at its heart |
My Auntie has been talking up PalmSprings for quite some time. It is her
next dream destination, so on this girlfriend getaway weekend to get to know
why “The Springs” is so good to us girls I was wide-open to soak in all of the
wonderfulness of this desert oasis.
Palm Springs is fashionable in the sophisticated easygoing
chic way that is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn or Isabella
Rossellini, but the town is also a quirky, fun, colorful and playful with its
ode to the 1950s and early 1960s style that echo Cyndi Lauper and Katy Perry.
Within moments of arriving at Palm Spring’s International
Airport I was checking into the Hilton Palm Springs,
which by spring will be completely new. The hotel has done away with the old
and welcomed the new making it an aesthetically pleasing and tech-friendly
resort after undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation.
The Hilton is located a heartbeat away from the action
whether it’s the upcoming Dinah, the all-girl spring break extravaganza now in its
23rd year that will take over the town with a block party between the host
hotels, or the Palm Springs International FilmFestival, ModernismWeek,
and any number of events that happen year-round.
Desert escape
People have sought out Palm Springs as a healing retreat
since the 1800s. The first settler, aside from the ancestors of the Agua
Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) Indians, was Judge John Guthrie McCallum.
John escaped San Francisco’s chilly and foggy climate for Palm Spring’s more
than 350 days of sun and the natural healing properties in the Coachella Valley
to better his son’s health in 1884. His son had tuberculosis.
The Agua Caliente Cahuilla was a hunter and gather tribe
that settled in the valley more than 2,000 years ago, according to historians.
Today, remnants of the tribe’s peaceful way of living still stand along hiking
trails and the tribe’s descendants have capitalized and taken care of the
wealth of the land’s natural resources and traveler’s attraction to area.
Palm Springs is nestled at the base of the San Jacinto
Mountains that jut up to an elevation of 10,833 feet. The mountains are so high
that from December until March a winter wonderland is created 30 minutes up the
Aerial Tramway from the desert floor.
Two years after John moved his family to the desert oasis,
the Palm Springs Hotel was built by Dr. Welwood Murray and Palm Spring’s life
as a resort was born.
Today, Palm Springs has more than 100 hotels from bed and
breakfasts to high-end resorts, making the destination affordable meeting
nearly every traveler’s budget.
For women seeking women-only accommodations, Palm Springs is
home to two boutique hotels: Casitas Laquita Inn
and the Queen of Hearts, which cater only to women.
Palm Springs became popular because just beneath the desert
floor is a world of hot mineral springs that provide hydrotherapy and
relaxation, discovered by the Agua Caliente Cahuilla about two centuries ago.
The desert city offers a unique postage stamp image of American
towns as Palm Springs has one of the largest concentrations of mid-century
modern architecture. It is somewhat stuck in time in a pleasant way that is
celebrated by residents and visitors.
Looking out the window of our group’s van, I literally was
on a journey through time back to the days of Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, Doris
Day, Nat King Cole, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O, Frank Sinatra and so many others
who called Palm Springs their personal getaway.
The California desert retreat still calls out to an
estimated 1.5 million travelers from nearly every corner of the world every
year to experience what the desert oasis has to offer, according to the Palm
Springs Bureau of Tourism’s website.
Palm Springs has a lot to offer travelers of varying
interests.
 |
| Relaxing in the mineral waters at Spa Resort Casino |
Girls looking to relax can get blissed out at the Spa Resort Casino’s
mineral baths and saunas. I came out of this simple spa completely dazed,
relaxed and quite refreshed. The best part is that this unassuming spa is
gentle on the purse and girls can hang out all day in the lounges and take
their time going through the different stages of the treatment. When I was ready
to leave, I was offered to freely use the showers, hairdryers and other
amenities to walk out into the sunny world fresh and ready to hit the town.
Not far from Hollywood, it isn’t uncommon for vacationers to
have brushes with celebrities. “The Springs” has been a retreat for stars and
starlets (Norma Jean who later became Marilyn Monroe was discovered in Palm
Springs) along with the wealthy to average traveler alike since the 1920s. Why
not?
There are more than 130 golf courses that attract amateur
and pro golfers.
Art galleries and the Palm Springs Art Museum among other
historic sites, boutiques and interior decorating shops displaying quirky and
cheerful post-WWII art line North and South Palm Canyon Dr., the nexus of Palm
Springs. The historic Plaza Theatre, now home to the FabulousPalm Springs Follies, has been the site for
Hollywood premieres and where Jack Benny occasionally broadcast his radio show
during the 1940s.
Giving a nod to Palm Spring’s tie to Hollywood, a larger
than life statue of Marilyn Monroe now demarks the heart of the city. Celebrity
gazing can be done viewing the number of tributes to the town’s beloved late
famous residents, such as Sonny Bono, who was the mayor of Palm Springs, and
Lucille Ball, who also owned a home in the resort town.
Stars still flock to “The Springs” as their chosen escape
destination, yet it’s still home to an estimated 45,000 people who revel in the
historic town’s uniqueness.
I didn’t run into any celebrities during one of my afternoon
walks, but I did find interesting shops, one of which was raved about by local
girls.
 |
| Shopping in Palm Springs |
The Springs girls love the LushCouture,
affectionately called the “$16 store.” It’s a fashionista’s dream where most,
but not all items from blouses to slacks to shoes and accessories are, you
guessed it, $16 bucks.
New stores, such as the funky and fun Just Modern: New Century Modern,
are popping up along North Palm Canyon Drive, which has been dubbed Palm Spring’s Uptown Design District.
Dinning around the
desert
A renaissance is occurring in Palm Spring’s dining scene
with new and interesting restaurants opening up within recent months, such as Casa de Frida,
which offers a unique Latin fusion experience.
I was completely surprised by the flavors brought together
from Mexico, Spain, Central and South America, Cuba and chef’s family recipes
handed down for generations. Each dish was familiar but incomparable to the
average Latin fare. One of the chef’s signature dishes is the Barbacoa, a
Mexican version of boef bourguignon. The meat was so tender
it fell off the bone into the sauce with the touch of the fork and each bite
burst with flavor from savory to tangy from the green olives in the sauce.
Yet, the ultimate surprise was the desert.
Being the desert girl that I am, I tend to judge restaurants on a scale of
adventurous to below average based on their desert menus. Cada de Frida is adventurous. The
chef’s signature marble flan-like, but not flan, with a moist chocolate cake
base stands in a world of its own.
 |
| Desert at Casa de Frida |
The restaurant is quickly becoming a
favorite among locals.
Another local favorite is Zin American Bistro. The food is exquisite
and they have an award-winning wine list. I enjoyed a bowl of truffle mushroom
soup and the special of the night sea bass with lobster that was a delight with
a glass of Opolo zinfandel.
Our table was out on the open air patio where we watched
locals peruse arts and crafts booths an dlisten to street musicians at the Palm Springs VillageFest,
a free event held every Thursday night downtown. The street fair closed down by
the time we were done with dinner, but I will definitely check it out the next
time I’m in Palm Springs.
During the day, one of the best lunchtime views is from
Peaks Restaurant on top of San Jacinto Mountains. I enjoyed grilled salmon
along with ahi tuna poke appetizer. It was a perfect filling light lunch.
Pinocchio’s in the Desert is Palm Springs brunch spot, perfect for
those mornings after late nights filled with too much dancing and a little bit
of drinking.
Outdoor adventures
To work off the good food, Palm Springs offers the widest
array of outdoor adventures at traveler’s finger tips that I’ve seen to date. A
day can consist of an early hike in one of the historic canyons and the other
half of the day can be spent cross-country skiing atop San Jacinto Mountains.
It is truly amazing.
 |
| Palm Canyon in the Indian Canyons of Palm Springs |
The area is naturally historic, the Tahquitz Canyon and
three other canyons in the southern region are registered on the National
Register of Historic Places and Palm Canyon is considered by some to be the
world’s largest California Fan Palm Oasis.
Our group hiked along the trails and into the rocks at the
Indian Canyon with our guide from Desert Adventures, learning the
history of the development of Palm Springs and its natural wonders. It was
impressive to see the fan of palm trees along the spring in between the desert
rocks.
A girl’s dream
getaway
It is no wonder why Dinah Shore, who inspired the Ladies
Professional Golf Association’s tournament held at MissionHills Country Club
and ultimately the Dinah Shore Weekend, loved Palm Springs. It loved her back.
 |
| Pool Party: Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend 2012 |
While the golf tournament no longer bears her name, the
ultimate girl power spring break, The Dinah, honors her in name and for
empowering women. The lesbian spring break (Dinah never spoke about lesbians
hijacking her name and golfing event), it has grown beyond a weekend of queer
girls partying, but into the world’s largest premiere all-girl destination
featuring emerging and top shelf female talent.
This year’s event promises to be bigger and better with its
traditional line up of comedians and entertainers, but also with the addition
of introducing indie musicians and a mini film festival to the estimated 15,000
women who will gather in the desert oasis.
Yet, even without The Dinah, Palm Springs is a great
girlfriend getaway destination for women of all ages simply because it offers
so much in the palm of our hands.
Step out into the sun in Palm Springs, visit VisitPalmSprings.com.
(Photos courtesy of: Heather Cassell, Spa Resort Casino, the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, and Club Skirts)
Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend is April 3-7, 2013
Get your tickets now at: www.TheDinah.com
No comments:
Post a Comment