mid-century modern – thosecoolkims

Tennessee Super Kitschfest! Day 7, Memphis Morning to Nashville Night

Our last day in Tennessee was filled to the brim as we left Memphis to head back to Nashville. We logged 28 hrs., 14 mins. in the car and drove 1093 miles total across Tennessee – it was an amazing trip and we were sad to say goodbye to some of the most heartwarming places we’ve visited in America!

The highlights:

#1: Arcade Restaurant (Memphis)

The Arcade is the oldest diner in Memphis and a place that Elvis himself used to dine at quite frequently. It was the ultimate diner, in the “old” downtown, and we loved it! We managed to sneak into The King’s favorite booth too, for a little photo op.

#2: The Lorraine Motel, Room 306 (Memphis)

As we sat around the breakfast table, my mom reminded us that the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination was somewhere nearby, and we should try to see it on our way out. Upon pulling out our phones and checking google maps, we realized it was just around the corner! It was a surreal experience to look at Room 306 with the wreath near the door in memorium of MLK, Jr. and think about that day so long ago.

#3: Ryman Auditorium, aka The O.G. Grand Ole Opry (Nashville)

We made it back to Nashville in time to get one last tour in. We saw a lot of major music stuff at the Ryman – including dressing rooms of Johnny + June, Patsy + Hank and so much more! We were glad we had the chance to see such a legendary performance venue knowing all of the tremendous history behind it!

#4: Robert’s Western World (Nashville)

The nightlife on Broadway in downtown Nashville GOES OFF, and although we aren’t the hugest country music fans, we were told that they do VINTAGE country right down at Robert’s Western World. We were lucky enough to have my parents offer to babysit so Ed + I could experience what a real honky tonk bar is like in Nashville on our last night in town. It was awesome! Brazilbilly is an amazing band that does all old school songs – with a latin/country twist, if you can even imagine! They blew our minds – they played everything from “Girl from Ipanema,” to the Batman theme, to old Hank Williams, and they had everybody out there dancing! Young rockabilly chicks were getting spun around on the dance floor by old white dudes with cowboy hats. We had the best time and wish Brazilbilly would come out and play at Alex’s Bar in the LBC … they’d be AMAZING!

And that concludes our tour! We love you, Tennessee!

What a difference a year makes

We were hanging out at Berlin, our favorite coffee shop, and we were reminded of a shot we took about a year ago. I seriously can’t believe how much has changed.

Palm Springs, Day Two

Oh, yesterday was chock full of perfection! It couldn’t have been better, and we managed to fit in just about everything we love in Palm Springs.

First – it must be mentioned that we SLEPT IN.

Then, it was off to Charles Phoenix‘s retro slideshow: Pools, Patios and BBQs. We had been to his Holiday slideshow before, and it was so fun and super kitschy that we knew we would love the backyard one, too. Basically – he has found and collected the jackpot of kodak chodachrome slides from the ’50-’70s, and has compiled them all into one amazing and hilarious compilation. Here’s just one gem of an example from his slides from the show:

Probably even more of a surprise than his show, was the auditorium and grounds of the Palm Springs Art Museum where the show was held! Yes, we always swoon over the amazing mid-century modernness of Palm Springs, but the museum is super-70s, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled! All orange, very orange … we were dying over it, and took a few pics:

After the slideshow, we headed upstairs to catch the Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982 exhibit, which is as amazing as it sounds, and the perfect thing to see while in Palm Springs!

After all the amazing architecture and art, we were starving – so it was time to hit up our favorite place to eat in Palm Springs – Norma’s, which is on the campus of the absolutely fabulous Parker Palm Springs Hotel. There’s not a trip in Palm Springs that has happened that we haven’t stopped at the Parker. We love it there and freak out over Jonathan Adler’s design no matter how many times we’ve seen it. Norma’s has the best brunch ever. I got my usual lobster + asparagus omelette and Ed got a take on eggs benedict with pancakes, canadian bacon + asparagus. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

We’re always planning our next trip to Palm Springs, even before the current one is over, and I’d heard about a new hotel in town called the Saguaro. Basically, they took over the old Holiday Inn and swanktified it – and now, we are definitely going to stay there next time! It looks amazing with all the colors of the rainbow. We could not get enough of this place as we walked around …

After drooling over the grounds of the Saguaro, we took off to drive around the neighborhoods of Palm Springs to admire the gloriously restored and very well loved mid-century modern homes. We even made a stop by one of our old favorite, Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, and got a pic of it in my fancy 5-series that I’ve been testing all week!

It was an amazing day!

Palm Springs for Carrie’s Birthday!

Many of you know that Palm Springs is a place dear to our hearts. Iconic mid-century architecture, fun and stylin’ places to hang out and get pampered, and on top of that, it’s just a good place to chill. As such, coming here for Carrie’s birthday has become something of a tradition for us.

And so for Carrie’s birthday this year, where are we? Naturally! This time around, we’re staying at Hope Springs, a place we’ve wanted to check out for many years. Very cool, if slightly bare bones. Carrie’s birthday this year happened to fall on a Friday…the beginning of all the festivities for Modernism Week Palm Springs!

Dipping our feet in the mineral hot springs tub!

THIS is Edfood. Lobster pot pie at Copley's.

We’ve got lots more fun coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Oh Palm Springs, How we have missed you!

What has always been a yearly tradition, we are headed back to Palm Springs for my birthday and Modernism Week this year! This is a major milestone for us, because we are leaving Ruby with Grandma + Grandpa and heading out for 2 glorious days/nights! Ed + I have been giddy ever since booking the trip this afternoon.

This year, we have decided to stay at Hope Springs Resort. It’s been on our list for while, and we decided to go for it this year. It’s actually in Desert Hot Springs, so outside of Palm Springs proper, but its gorgeous and somewhere different, and a little bit more budget friendly than our past trips, like at The Parker and The Viceroy. :) We figure the 3 hot mineral pools and the amazing mid-century modern grounds will make up for the 20 min. commute into Palm Springs for the day …

We’re also going to check out Charles Phoenix’s new Retro Slideshow, “Pools, Patios, and BBQs”. We can NOT wait! We saw his Christmas slideshow a few years ago, and it was too rad for words. This is going to be a great weekend … I’ve never been so excited to turn another year older!