Palm Springs – thosecoolkims

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!

The Last Hurrah

So the last hurrah before Ruby arrives was indeed amazing. Staying at The Parker has been on our list of things to do ever since we first laid eyes on it a couple years ago. Jonathan Adler‘s fun, lighthearted take on the early 1970s is just so…happy. So why hadn’t we stayed there until now? Simply, it was always just a little out of our reach financially. Thanks to the recession and Palm Springs’ off-season (hot, hot desert summer), The Parker was dealing, and we were only too happy to take advantage of it!

Carrie has been a champ through Ruby’s gestation, but even a trooper like her deserves some serious R&R and especially pampering. I treated her to the “Vanilla Sundae”, which was a full three hours in The Parker’s super-fab spa, the Palm Springs Yacht Club (PSYC). Based on how much she was glowing by the end of it, I’d say it did the trick!

Other things we did there? Lots of nothing. And that was the point!

Here’s Norma’s, their awesome breakfast and lunch joint whose decor reminds me a lot of San Diego’s Bazaar del Mundo during the 1970s. Carrie loved her lobster and asparagus omelette.

The world’s most awesome lobby…

Chilling out at one of The Parker’s pools. Being able to order all kinds of tasty things poolside was a real highlight.

Here’s me with one of the super Jonathan Adler tapestries in our room.

Two days of decadent relaxation! We’re so glad we did it.

Palm Springs Bound!

Just a few short days and Ed & I will be lounging around here, at the most fabulous place on earth The Parker Palm Springs! We’ve visited many times, but have never been actual hotel guests – so needless to say, we cannot wait for the most luxurious adult weekend of our lives before Little Miss Ruby arrives. Seriously … check out the photos, or look at one of our past visits to see how fantastic this place is!

Friday can’t come soon enough!