And even more new things to do, celebrity residents, and places to visit are on their way to Palm Springs.  Some are being kept secret, including what is to take the place of the iconic Spa Resort Hotel.

The closing date for the 229-room Spa Resort hotel, which opened in 1963, was July 8, 2014.  They started demolishing the hotel shortly thereafter, but from what I saw, this demolition slowed to a snails pace up until yesterday.  I say yesterday because I was driving by it this weekend and wondering why it looked about the same as it looked  six months ago, five months ago, last month, and last week.  this is what I saw yesterday:

That giant crane was ripping what remained of the structure apart.  For those of you regular Palm Springs visitors, and residents such as myself, this was really a milestone, an end to an era.  The Indians who own the land and the former hotel are not saying what they are going to put up in its place.  One of the few things I've read about what they are saying is that they will protect the natural hot mineral spring that is there.  That leads me to believe that whatever they build will incorporate the hot mineral spring, the very feature that Palm Springs was named for, into it.  I hope that is not just wishful thinking as that hot spring, along with our palm trees, mid-century modern architecture, swimming pools, the dry heat and mountains, is an integral part of the Palm Springs identity and brand. 

Here is a close up of the destruction.  Here is to the Future of Palm Springs...