SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Katie Pesznecker shares her favorite Palm Springs haunts with us. What’s more, she just “leveled up”, achieving the exalted “MVP 100K” status on Alaska Air. Look for her in seat 2A on your next Alaska Airlines flight!
I’m officially sprung on Palm Springs, having recently spent a fun-filled long weekend there with one of my college besties. Whether you’re into golf, gambling, grubbing on good food, or just want some vitamin D, this desert town has plenty to offer. It’s relatively easy to reach from Anchorage, too, and now’s the time to book a getaway. Palm Springs’ “season” runs from December-ish to April, a time when its sweltering summer temps drop to more tolerable and pleasant degrees, and plenty of annual events and festivals make for a variety of diversions.
My friend Kat and I visited Palm Springs in October, when the average daily high is 91 degrees. Palm Springs did not get that memo, as during our stay, record-setting temperatures hovered around 108 and 109. Luckily our gorgeous boutique hotel, Triada, had two delightful pools that served up super-chill vibes. Kat had stayed there on two previous trips and has enjoyed fantastic experiences and service there every time.
Triada has been around since the 1920s. The bartender at the pool bar, Gilbert, was a wealth of information. He fired up a short documentary about Palm Springs on the small bar’s flat screen. It explained how the area became a retreat and playground for Hollywood actors who were under contract to studios requiring they be within 2 hours of LA for potential reshoots. Geographically, Palm Springs fit the bill.
The documentary also showed some of the city’s most famous houses that once belonged to or sheltered the ultra famous, like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley, and Elizabeth Taylor.
In fact, according to Gilbert, Miss Taylor would stay in our very hotel. It was easy to imagine glamourous Hollywood icons swanning about the white stucco Spanish colonial property with its lush grounds and foilage and red-tiled roofs.
Its ideal location was just one block off Palm Canyon Drive, the town’s main street that’s known for galleries, shops and restaurants. While we used Uber a lot (hello, heat!) we also were able to walk to many spots from our hotel.
We kicked off the weekend with brunch and bubbles at Eight4Nine. We opted for the house mimosas with two refills (at $14, a no-brainer on a vacation Saturday). The menu was loaded with tempting options. After much mulling, my girlfriend Kat ordered the egg sandwich – a fried egg on brioche, with applewood smoked bacon, Emmentaler French Swiss cheese, butter lettuce, tomato, lemon aioli, and pickled red onions. I opted for a regionally influenced dish, the poblano chili relleno stuffed with Beecher’s flagship white cheddar, cilantro, and corn pudding, atop refried pinto beans and ranchera sauce.
The restaurant was deceptively large inside, with fun, bright décor that had a playful, breezy feel. Plenty of nooks off the main dining room created a cozier ambiance, and while no one was seated on the patio in that heat, I appreciated it was there. We had a table in the bar where we could watch people stroll past as we enjoyed our food, coffee, and all three mimosas.
After very enjoyable afternoon pool time, appreciating the vary laid-back and serene ambiance of our hotel, it was off to afternoon tapas at Blue Coyote Grill. Like Eight4Nine, this restaurant sits on Palm Canyon Road. The outside had shaded seating with misting systems in place to combat the steamy temps. I tried a skinny margarita with pureed strawberry that was bright and refreshing in the heat. We shared tapas like house-made chicken taquitos, creamy freshly made guacamole, and a decadent queso dip.
Because we didn’t have a car, but required basic girls’ weekend provisions in our room (cheese, grapes, wine), we used Instacart and ordered everything we needed online from a shopper who hit up a local Albertson’s grocery. Our shopper showed up at our hotel about an hour later. This service is a logistical game-changer, especially in states like California where you can also have adult beverages delivered. It’s ideal on a relatively short trip too, as you can allocate time to fun stuff and not waste precious moments running errands.
That evening, Kat made reservations at Spencer’s Restaurant, an old-school steak house with dim lighting and a moody interior, situated at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains. The restaurant touts itself for a fresh approach to classic American cuisine and it did not disappoint. We split an iceberg wedge salad, which felt very on-brand. Kat opted for a filet; I chose the pan-fried Dover sole with lemon caper brown butter and asparagus, with a small dish of rich bearnaise sauce and a side of gratinee potatoes.
The next morning we enjoyed a simple and light breakfast at the hotel, and refreshed with pool time, before venturing into the heat to explore the town. Our first stop: the Shag Store, a quintessential Palm Springs gallery featuring the work of artist Josh Agle (aka Shag). His work is fun and colorful, celebrating the vibrant Palm Springs culture. The gallery features original paintings, fine arts prints, and curated limited-edition merchandise like glassware and home décor.
We hopped in an Uber to travel further down Palm Canyon Boulevard where we indulged in more shopping, and paid a visit to the giant Marilyn Monroe statue formally called “Forever Marilyn.” The steel and aluminum sculpture towers at 26 feet high and has gone on display in various U.S. locations before finding a home in Palm Springs. We learned the statue’s days at its present location were numbered as it was imminently scheduled to be relocated to the nearby park.
Our lunch spot was just 13 minutes away on foot, said our map app, so we decided to walk. Rookie mistake. It was well over 100 degrees by this point, and in hindsight, it would have been far more comfortable to pay for an Uber to our location, Chi Chi, a swanky little lounge of a restaurant located in the Avalon Hotel.
We drained glasses of water and Diet Coke before our food arrived. My Caesar salad was crisp and fresh, complimented by slices of seasoned grilled chicken, grated high-quality parmesan and toasted breadcrumbs.
For our final night in Palm Springs, we headed to The Tropicale. Boasting “comfort food from around the world,” it’s inspired by upbeat 1960s-style supper clubs, with an eclectic food menu, inventive cocktail selection, and swanky décor. The interior definitely gave off classic Palm Springs vibes, with mid-century style design elements and colorful but muted lighting.
After some drinks and light bites, we headed across the street to the Agua Caliente Casinos Palm Springs. This is one of a small chain of California casinos, and I was pleasantly surprised by its size and energy. We burned some money through the slot machines before saddling up to a $10 minimum bet roulette table and winning some of our money back. If you’re into table games and slots, the casino is definitely more affordable than your Vegas strip options and it was an entertaining way to spend some time out of the heat.
Come Monday morning, our fun-filled Palm Springs weekend was nearly over. Our last stop: Cheeky’s, a venerable brunch spot where there’s almost always a line. Conveniently located just up the street from our hotel, a final brunch felt like the right way to bookend our girls’ weekend. Priding itself on peddling quirky comfort cuisine, Cheeky’s even keeps its own flock of chickens in the spirit of striving to always serve the perfect egg.
Embracing the restaurants farm-to-table energy, I ordered soft-scrambled eggs with resh ricotta, pesto, peppers, blistered tomatoes, sliced avocado, and wheat toast. Hats off to Cheeky’s chickens, as they were truly exceptional eggs. We also shared a “flight of bacon,” which was six pieces each prepared differently – for example, there was a spicy jalapeño bacon slice, a sweeter mango bacon strip, and a classic slab of applewood, too.
As is often the case when traveling with a friend or group, Kat and I often took turns picking up tabs. She introduced me to a great app that does the math for you when the vacation dust has settled. Splitwise is free, and you can enter what you spend as you go, noting whether it’s being split two ways (or more), or divided by item. The app reconciles the expenses so at the trip’s end, you can see what money is owed to each other. I love that this took the hassle and guesswork out of tracking expenses.
I look forward to visiting Palm Springs again – preferably not when it’s nudging 110. I now see and embrace why many Alaska friends have this on their go-to list of winter getaways. It’s always fun to discover a classic American town with such a unique sense of history and place. Layer on a vibrant dining scene, gorgeous desert scenery, and a decidedly laid-back sense of leisure, and Palm Springs has you covered.
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