120 miles E of downtown L.A.; 135 miles NE of San Diego
Palm Springs had been known for years as a golf course-studded retirement mecca, invaded annually by hordes of libidinous college kids on spring break. Well, the city of Palm Springs has been quietly changing its image and attracting a whole new crowd. The late former mayor Sonny Bono's revolutionary "anti-thong" ordinance in 1991 halted the spring-break migration by eliminating public display of the bare derrière, and the upscale fairway-condo crowd now congregates in the outlying resort cities of Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and La Quinta.
These days, no billboards are allowed in Palm Springs; all the palm trees in the center of town are backlit at night, and you won't see the word motel on any establishment. Seniors are everywhere, dressed to the nines in leisure suits, sustaining the retro-kitsch establishments from the days when Elvis, Liberace, and Sinatra made the desert a swingin' place. But they're not alone: Baby boomers and yuppies nostalgic for the kidney-shaped swimming pools and backyard luaus of the Eisenhower/Kennedy glory years are buying ranch-style vacation homes and restoring them to their 1950s splendor. Hollywood's young glitterati, along with upscale gays, are returning, too. Today, the city fancies itself a European-style resort with a dash of small-town Americana -- think Jetsons architecture and the crushed-velvet vibe of piano bars with the colors and attitude of a laid-back Aegean village. One thing hasn't changed: Swimming, sunbathing, golfing, and tennis are still the primary pastimes.
Another important presence in Palm Springs has little to do with socialites and Americana. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians settled in this area 1,000 years before the first golf ball was ever teed up. Recognizing the beauty and spirituality of this wide-open space, they lived a simple life around the mineral springs on the desert floor, migrating into the cool canyons during the summer months. Under a treaty with the railroad companies and the U.S. government, the tribe owns half the land on which Palm Springs is built and works to preserve Native American heritage. It's easy to learn about the American Indians during your visit, and it will definitely add to your appreciation of this part of California.
