As a small business owner myself, I like to support small businesses in the Palm Springs area.  I especially like to support them when they offer superior products and services.  Well, I've come across a new downtown Palm Springs small business that I strongly believe is a place you should all visit when you are in town. 
                                                                          
Owned and operated by Felix Tipper, Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace, is a great place to have a casual ,and al fresco, breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You can also order his gourmet food to be delivered to your vacation rental using an App called Postmates.  Boxed lunches to go, catering, sandwich platters, wine pairing, curated gift baskets and more are also available.  In addition to their regular menu, Felix is always mixing things up with weekly specials.  For example:  the other day I had a balsamic chicken sandwich with arugula  on a focaccia roll that had such a unique flavor I couldn't stop complimenting Felix.  Forget about plain old potato salad for your side.  At Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace, you can have the "Loaded Potato Salad" instead.  I had it and it was like having a hot loaded potato skin except in cold potato salad form.  Absolutely delicious. 

If you love breakfast sandwiches, how does fried egg, gruyere cheese, bacon, tomato and aioli on lightly toasted sourdough sound to you?  Breakfast bowls, bagels, burritos and veggie burritos are also available or you can try their housemade quiche (s).  At Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace, gourmet coffee is also available to enjoy with your breakfast. 

For lunch, enjoy a freshly made salad or take your taste buds on a European vacation with one of their baguette sandwiches. Pair any lunch or dinner with a glass of wine or an ice-cold beer for the perfect Palm Springs lunch. 

In addition to having a great meal, the marketplace offers fine wine, cheese, crackers and an assortment of other retail items you can take with you to your vacation rental.  Tipper's Gourmet Marketplace is located at 276 N. Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.  It is across the street from the Hyatt hotel in the back of the Henry Frank Arcade.  To call ahead for pick-up, they can be reached at 760-322-6666.

If you are looking to host a corporate retreat, wedding, party, family reunion or any other type of event in the Palm Springs area, there is a new event venue, built within a 1955-built bank in downtown Palm Springs, that embodies the mid-century modern lifestyle of Palm Springs.

 

TheBank, built in 1955 as The Coachella Valley Savings and Loan, is Palm Springs newest and most unique event venue. The building retains all of it original character making it a true mid century experience for any type of event. Upon entering TheBank you're taken back to 1955 with original black terrazzo floors, circular walk-in vault with stone facade and free form terrazzo stair case. The second level, the former banking floor, is a large open space with 20-foot high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows overlooking South Palm Canyon Drive with yet another circular walk-in vault. TheBank can accommodate any type of event.  Cocktail parties, sit down dinners, dancing, live performances, DJ's, movie premiers, photo shoots, car shows, product launches and many more.

The architect of the building,  E. Stewart Williams, is one of the more famous Palm Springs mid century modern architects.  Among his major projects are the Oasis Office Building, Coachella Savings and Loan (I and II), Crafton Hills College (in Yucaipa), Santa Fe Savings Bank and the Upper Mountain Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. In addition to the Frank Sinatra House (his first residential commission), Williams has designed numerous architecturally significant private residences throughout the Coachella Valley.  His most dramatic public building is the Palm Springs Desert Museum. It’s first phase was designed in 1976.

I visited The Bank Palm Springs yesterday as they held a Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting there and was blown away by how authentic most everything was.  I remember going to banks as a child in the 70's and 80's in similar buildings.  Without questions, this venue will take you back to those days and offers a fun, retro, unique space to have your next Palm Springs event.

The Bank if located at 383 South Palm Canyon Dr. in downtown Palm Springs.

Palm Springs was recently voted the #1 hippest mid-sized city in American!

There is no universal definition of "hip." For some, it's hipster - that ironic cool that has been perfected by the likes of Brooklyn and Portland. For others, it's trendy and fashion forward, showing off the latest, chicest clubs, restaurants, and boutiques, a la Miami or LA. And while big cities are often known for being hip, smaller cities get passed over, but that shouldn't be the case. To find the 10 hippest mid-sized cities, gogobot, a popular travel website, grabbed the U.S. cities with ranks #100-900 by population according to census data and sorted them by the preferences of their "Trendsters Tribe". They're smaller, sure, but each celebrate cool in their own unique way.  Following are the top ten hippest mid-sized cities in America:

1. Palm Springs, CA: Why it's hip: Once upon a time, Palm Springs was known for being a retirement haven where the post-employment crowd liked to spend their vacations and golden years. Boy, has that changed. While it's still Baby Boomer-friendly, it's now also LGBT-friendly, foodie-friendly, mircrobrew-friendly, and millennial-friendly.

Where to go: You can get a taste of the new and trendy at many stay, eat, and play options in the city. For hotels, try the Colony Palms or the Avalon. (Better yet, stay at a Dry Heat Resorts vacation rental and eat and play at the hotels).  Get some shopping done at Trina Turk Boutique, and take in a little modern culture at the Palm Springs Art Museum. For fancy cocktails and late-night eats, try Tropicale and Bootlegger Tiki.

2. Napa, CA: Why it's hip: Sure, there's wine. But Napa is so much more than that. Once a sleepy town and quick stopover for those on their way to the wineries, the city itself is now its own destination, with blocks packed full of boutique hotels and spas, upscale eateries from celebrity chefs, tasting rooms, shops, and art galleries.

To find out what the other Hippest Mid-Sized cities in America are, Click here to read the entire article...

The 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival is in full swing and doesn't end until January 11.  The Black Tie Awards Gala, which kicked off the festival on January 2, featured A-list stars like Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara and Saoirse Ronan.  While I watched the red carpet walk on TV, I recognized an actor being interviewed whose face I knew, but whose name was a mystery.  He is a character actor who I remember as playing villains in movies and tv shows.  I even think I've seen him in tv commercials and music videos.  Here is his picture; 

Does he look familiar to you?

He looked very familiar to me and then the interviewer mentioned that he lived in Palm Springs.  This caused my ears and interest to perk up because I'm always interested in knowing about famous people living in Palm Springs since I make a living off of Palm Springs tourism.  People are fascinated with celebrity and Palm Springs has a well know historical celebrity past.  This definitely sells the city to older vacationers, but new blood is always good.  Not that this particular 71 year old actor will draw the attention of those under 30, right.  But, he is a celebrity and does currently live in Palm Springs. 

Anyway, this Palm Springs celebrity's name is Udo Kier.  He was born in Cologne Germany, has appeared in over 200 films and has lived in Palm Springs since 1991.  In 1966, Kier was cast in the lead role for the film Road to St. Tropez.   One of the most important films in his early career was Andy Warhol's Frankenstein in 1973.   Another film, Blood for Dracula in 1974, was done by Warhol's studio and produced by Roman Polanski.  Kier played the lead roles of young doctor Frankenstein and young count Dracula.  Other films that people may recognize him from include Blade, My Own Private Idaho, Ace Ventura Pet Detective and Armageddon.   

What I mainly recognize him from is the 1992 video for Madonna's song "Deeper & Deeper".  This happens to be my favorite Madonna song, and I remember him playing this mysterious villain who had the most compelling eyes.  

Remember to rent a luxury vacation rental from Dry Heat Resorts whenever you visit the California desert.

The part of Palm Springs where South Palm Canyon Dr. veers East and becomes East Palm Canyon Drive has numerous hotels, restaurants, apartments and condos.  Mr. Lyons Restaurant  is a great restaurant in the area.  The Ace Hotel along with its fun and trendy restaurant, King's Highway is also there.

People referred to the area, due to the way the street curved, as "the curve" and a hotel opened up a few years ago in the area named, "The Curve".  It took the place of the old Travelodge hotel.  Well, now The Curve closed down months ago and is being replaced with what looks to be another trendy, urban boutique hotel and resort called "V Palm Springs".  They are doing major renovations all over the old buildings.  Even the front of the street is getting a major makeover.  The 140 room resort, as described on their website, will evoke sensations of luxury, beauty, and sophistication...it will provide a cosmopolitan yet relaxed atmosphere for guests. 

Opening in March of 2016, the resort will feature multiple pools, four gardens that "artfully embrace the rough-but-elegant beauty of the local desert landscape", porch-style swings, poolside bar, modern fire pit & an upscale restaurant and bar.

Anyone remember the name, Mark Geragos?  I recognized it immediately when I read that he is one of the owners of this hotel.  I didn't know from where, but I definitely recognized the name.  It turns out that Mark Geragos is an LA based high profile attorney known for representing celebrity clients like Winona Ryder, Michael Jackson, Nicole Richie and singer Chris Brown.  There is the celebrity angle to the new hotel:-)

Now as the owner of Dry Heat Resorts vacation rentals, I don't really want you staying at the hotel.  I'd much rather you stay at one of the numerous luxury vacation homes I offer that are walking distance to it.  Their rooms average 260 sq ft anyway so why would you want to stay there when Dry Heat Resorts vacation homes average 2,000 sq ft. 

The reason that I blog about new hotels in the California desert is to highlight the amazing growth we are experiencing and to inform my guests that great new restaurants, bars, lounges and other amenities are available just steps away from your Dry Heat Resorts vacation rental at some of the newer hotels. 

His name was Brody and from 1995 through August 2015, he was my faithful cat and companion.  For twenty years he was an ever-present part of my daily life.  When he started showing signs of sickness and weakness in June of this year, I didn't realize that his end was near.  This cat was so great that for twenty years, he never missed his litter box;  in June, when his aim went from directly into the center of the  box without a hitch to the corners of the box, I took notice.  The downward spiral had begun.  From the corners of the litter box, it moved to the corners and a little outside the box to all outside the box.  Eventually, he wasn't even making it to the bathroom, and I knew at this point things were going to get rocky.  I suppose I still didn't realize his end was near because he had been around for so long without showing any signs of letting up, that i just took his existence for granted.  I was also probably a little in denial.

In July, the veterinarian informed me that he was completely blind.  Well that explained some things.  His appetite started diminishing and he drank less and less water.  The veterinarian told me that his kidneys were barely functioning.  It seemed he went from being the happy active cat I had always known to being lethargic and pensive overnight.  It got to a point where I would have to lift him into my bed, feed him there and then have to carry him to his litter box where he would immediately go.  Then I would pick him up, litter still clinging to his tiny paws, and bring him back to bed where he would curl up beside me and still purr a little.  Over time, the purring became less and less and eventually stopped.  When the purring stopped, I knew he had no more joy and that keeping him in existence was nothing more than a selfish act on my part.  I knew it was time to let go.

Isn't this blog about Palm Springs vacationing?  Yes, it is.  Sorry to bring you down with the above.  I thought about the recent loss of Brody because I saw a show last night about a local tennis tournament/benefit for a cat and kitten rescue and wanted to blog about it. 

As you can probably tell, I love cats.  If you love them also and will be vacationing in the Palm Springs area on February 7, please consider attending the Kittyland Cat & Kitten Rescue's second annual fundraising lunch and tennis tournament at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage.  to learn about it, please click here; http://www.kittylandrescue.org/

If you are still looking for a place to stay in Palm Springs on February 7 or any time, please check out all the amazing luxury Palm Springs rentals at dryheatresorts.com



 

Palm Desert's El Paseo Also Growing

With all the growth going on in the city of Palm Springs, I usually forget to highlight people, places and things going on in other parts of the California desert.  El Paseo, Palm Desert's upscale shopping district, for example, just experienced a ground breaking ceremony for a new four-star boutique hotel.  This will be the first hotel located on El Paseo itself which I think offers visitors a unique experience if shopping is a big part of their vacations.

The 150-room hotel, which is to be named, Hotel Paseo, will be across the street from The Gardens on El Paseo.  The Gardens on El Paseo is the upscale shopping center, within the upscale shopping street of El Paseo, that Saks 5th Avenue is in.

Hotel Paseo will feature a pool, spa, dining, ballroom and meeting rooms along with valet and underground parking and 24-hour room service. It will operate under the Marriott Autograph Collection brand which will allow its guests to earn and redeem Marriott rewards.

The first guests are expected to check in by February 2017.