After lounging around in the hotel for a bit, went to the Palm Springs Art Museum.
There is free admission every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. during downtown Villagefest. And so since it was Thursday night, can't beat a free visit. It was 105F outside so going inside for the art and the air made a lot of sense!
Palm Springs Art Museum
101 Museum Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 325-7186
Closed Mondays and major holidays
Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Thu 12 pm-8 pm
$12.50 adults
$10.50 seniors 62 and over
$5.00 youths 6 to 17 years, students and active military personnel with I.D.
Free to children under 6 years.
The museum leans toward modern and contemporary art though it had a small number of old classics.
One of the displays at the museum was the Russel Wright exhibit.
In another section, they had various glass works. Here was one of the really colorful pieces that caught my eye!
These aren't real people! But from a distance you would think they were real people just sitting on a bench looking at a piece of art across from them on a wall.
How do you decide where to have a meal in a town where you don't know anything about the options?
You can ask a local!
Was in the mood for fish and there are plenty of swanky upscale places for fish but what about something more affordable?
Check out Fisherman's Market and Grill.
The quality of food to price ratio was very good. As you can see the setting isn't fancy but its cool which is what you are looking for when it is 90F+ outside!
One can order any number of fresh fish on the chalkboard and have it grilled. I asked the lady at the counter to suggest something and she liked the fish tacos and that was what I ordered. I thought it would be lighter fare but the portions were actually quite generous. Or maybe in the heat, I just wasn't that hungry!
Fisherman's Market and Grill
235 S. Indian Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Phone: (760) 327-1766
Fax: (760) 416-8641
Mon-Sat 11:00 am-9:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm-8:00 pm
After dinner, I walked up Palm Canyon Drive to check out the downtown Villagefest. It was their weekly street fair every Thursday night. There were many arts and craft vendors, food carts and musicians.
If I hadn't had the delicious fish tacos, I would have had some of the grilled meat from this vendor below ...
The crowd wasn't very large as the sun was still out. I went back to walk by all the booths again when the sun went down and the crowd was much larger. With the sun down, the tourists ventured out from their air conditioned hotels and lots of the local kids were buzzing about in packs of their friends.
What to have for breakfast?
Plenty of hotel dining options but why not get out and about? A local recommended Rock Garden Cafe.
I bet the locale is really packed when it isn't broiling out! But even with the misters going, most people went inside for breakfast/bunch that morning.
I enjoyed the omelette!
And reasonable prices too.
Rock Garden Cafe
777 S Palm Canyon Dr
Palm Springs, CA 92264-8126
(760) 327-8840
There are many art galleries and specialty stores in Palm Springs. One you may want to check out is Bon Vivant.
Disclaimer: my parents know the owners. Nevertheless, Bon Vivant has been around for a while and is doing pretty well and clearly to survive in that kind of business you have to have a good eye for stuff to sell to the customers who are usually interior design people.
Bon Vivant
457 N. Palm Canyon
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 12-5 pm and by appointment
psbonvivant@aol.com
I suppose one of the iconic tourist destinations of the area is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
In about 12 minutes, one is transported away from the hot desert to 8000+ feet where it is nice and comfortable!
It was really nice to take a leisurely walk in the woods where it was so peaceful and quiet.
Hmmm ... is this a natural formation or did some park rangers put that there to cause us hikers to stop and contemplate this sight!
Going back to the question, where do you eat when you don't know any of the local options?
Well, one can go where there is a huge crowd... they must know something!
Had a wonderful burger from Hamburger Mary's. Its more expensive than your typical fast food burger but it was really good and good sized with all the fixings. Also, the fries are terrific!
Hamburger Marys Bar & Grille
415 N. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Phone: 760-778-MARY
Fax 760-322-7466
Where do you eat when you don't know any of the local options?
Well, one can go where there is a modest sized crowd.
It was a Friday night and some of the restaurants had people spilling out into the streets. Didn't want to wait forever for dinner. Some restaurants looked way too swanky inside for my budget. So I came across Backstage Bistro. I suppose everyone was inside the showroom for the evening event so the streetside dining was not too crowded.
I had a delicious salad with cheese and fruit. I must say though that the slices of beef on it were a tad overcooked. The bread was great too!
Backstage Bistro
200 S. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 864-9293
One observation I have to make about all the restaurants I visited was that I found the customer service to be a bit under-whelming. It was not the most attentive nor friendly. But I wonder if the fact that it is 90+ at 9pm and 100+ the rest of the time had anything to do with it? With that in mind, all us diners should cut them some slack.
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