Well it seemed to be hotter here than in Phoenix, but that may be just because summer is closing in. It was hovering around 100-105 range under clear skies for the entire time we spent there. Which sounds really hot, which it was, but it was bareable compared to the Florida and Louisiana heat we have been through.&
Our first impression of the area was, wow this is a wealthy place. Everywhere were golf courses, gated communities and fancy restaurants. But after spending some time there we met people of all walks of life. While some people were very nice and friendly, we got pompous vibe from a lot of people there. People seemed very engrossed with themselves.
Palm Canyon drive in Palm Springs was a destination we were excited to check out. We located the Hair of the Dog Pub that we read about on the internet and stopped in for a beer. It was an alright place, pretty common for a pub. Nothing stood out. It did have NewCastle on tap so it got kudos for that :) The next stop was the Village Pub. It was not in a village and it was not a pub. It was more of a danceclub/pickup joint. Again they had newcastle on draft so I was happy. Overall Palm Canyon struck us as a place where attitude is everything and people are more into how they look instead of socializing and meeting new people. Which is great for some people as they love that environment but for us we felt a little out of our element.
Every Saturday there is a street fair in Palm Desert so we decided to check it out. Once again it was not what we expected. The prices were high, the merchandise was crappy Chinese made products. And the people were rude. Started to be a repeating theme for the area :(
But a refreshing thing happened at lunch. We ate at Health Nutz and met a great kid working there. He made us great sandwiches, with all organic and vegan ingredients. He was from Utah and aspires to open his own cafe in the style of one he visited in Utah. The cafe had no menu and no prices. You just come in and eat what you want and just pay whatever you think is fair. And it is no problem for someone down on his luck to come in and grab from the free food section. And all the food is healthy and organic. He said something very profound to us. “I want to just make enough money to be able to have myself and my dog eat healthier food and life a healthy lifestyle. Stuff means nothing to me, it is just is not important”. He was a good kid and we wish him all the best in whatever life throws at him. What a great lunch that day.
Note: A $12 bottle of maple syrup tastes no better than a $6 bottle :)
If you like beer and have never been to a Yard House establishment you must go to one at some point in your life. They have over 150 beers on tap and in some locations up to 250! The bartender was very nice and we spoke with a very nice englishman as well. I was in heaven I tried samples of almost a dozen beers. The highlight was the half Young’s Double Chocolate Stout with the other half being Framboise’. It was soooo good. More of a desert beer, but fabulous. I cant wait to get back there. Also the food was top-notch with 1/2 price happy hour appetizers!
Behind the Thousand Trails RV resort there is an abandoned desert road the leads to an incredible dune field. I discovered a gold mine for shoes along this road with 11 solo shoes on this small broken stretch of road. The dunes were a blast. The puggles ran and ran and ran, i believe looking for the water. They are so accustomed to having a beach that whenever they see sand they run for the water :) No water to be found here.
And the blog would not be complete without a lowdown on the dogparks in Palm Springs. There were currently 3 in the area at the time we were there.
The first one we visited was the Civic Center park. It was not the biggest park, but what it lacked in size it made up for in personality. Misted covered benches were a plus. A small kiddie pool there made it okay to bring the dogs there before sundown. The other dogs were well-behaved and well-monitored by their owners. Jack did get in trouble as he got a little possessive over a frisbee with a jack russell puppy. Jack just had to let the puppy know his spot on the totem pole. He was not ever that mean, just was not about to lose his frisbee to a puppy :) Overall this park was a well-kept park, very nice, friendly people. Just watch out for the park nazi with her dog Garbo, she is pretty nasty but she breaks the no smoking rule so she has no ground to stand on *LOL* If you meet a nice older british chap, tell him the gypsies from Florida they say hi. Make sure you ask him about his hitchhiker story.
The second park was nice, good grass and seating, but small. But hey at least the community gave the dogs somewhere nice to run off-leash. We never encountered more than two dogs there but it was close to where we were staying so we went a couple times.
The third park located in Palm Springs itself was a major disappointment. The park was physically nice, good size, nice grass, but the people were so self-absorbed and unfriendly. The only way they would talk to us is if they could talk about themselves. We did meet one lady who spoke with us and was not all about herself. But we did find it a little odd she did not own a dog and just goes there to pet other people’s dogs, but if you love dogs and can’t have one, it is a perfect place to go. In the short time we were in there, Jack was snapped at by 3 chihuahuas, 1 peekinese, 1 scotty, 1 besenji, 1 fox terrier, mounted by countless others. ALL without one owner saying a word to its dog, or barely even noticing it was going on. Aggressive behavior was just the norm I assume. It was all topped off when a stupid little Yorkie bit Sharon when she bent down to pet JAck and the owner never noticed. i had to eventually, after several tries to get the owner’s attention, yell “Who’s little sh** is this and could you please come get it!” Finally a little girlie guy owned up to it and came and got the snarling little Sh**. “He never acts like this, maybe its just you.” I decided I was too mad to really say anything because it would have gotten heated (I am still a little mad typing this) and he was not worth anymore of my time. We just left out of there, never to return again.
I have heard about Palm Springs being a pompous town filled with self-absorbed people and it did project that vibe. We did meet some very nice and interesting. However, sadly to say, they were the minority.