palm springs, part two

while our afternoons were spent poolside, our mornings and evenings were spent exploring palm springs.  this retro resort town has a high concentration of mid-century modern buildings, vintage shops, and golf courses.  and everything about palm springs is pristine.

stylish architecture is everywhere.  we saw a few of these modernist buildings - the kaufman desert house designed by richard neutra; the hyperbolic metal kite-shaped roof of the visitor's centre (originally a gas station) designed by albert frey; and frank sinatra's home including a glimpse of the piano shaped pool (the backyard door was open!).

the clean mid-century lines found most everywhere in town where also found in many of the hotels (once hollywood estates).  we brunched at norma's in the parker hotel designed by jonathon adler; it was gorgeous and shiny and totally retro.  we also brunched at the purple palm in the colony palms hotel; a charming boutique hotel with a moroccan flair.  the food at both places was very good.

during our short stay, stefan discovered his favourite brunch, dinner and coffee spots. so should we retire to palm springs, stefan is all set up.  cheeky's is a very popular brunch destination with good reason... i had the best kale salad ever!  workshop kitchen and bar served gorgeous food in heath ceramics... i had the best beet salad ever!  both places determine what goes on the menu depending on what's seasonal, fresh, and local.  koffi, billed as the best coffee shop in palm springs, was located directly across the street from the ace... we were there daily for a coffee/chai fix and to load up on water for our morning excursions (it gets hot!).

although i planned on scouring vintage stores for mid-century finds, that never really happened.  i did get to poke into a few shops including trina turk's shop. such lovely colourful homeware selection... ceramic sculptures, glassware, trinkets, textiles, etc.