Palm Springs Post 1: The Character of Palm Springs

I met my friend Tracey in Palm Springs for a quick vacation towards the end of January. It’s a good meeting point for us because it’s about halfway between Tucson and where she lives in the California Bay Area. And the weather is good in the winter.

I always enjoy what geographers call a “sense of place”. I haven’t been to Palm Springs very often, but I definite enjoy the feel of the place – like an upscale Tucson, plus a strong gay community.

I love old gay guys. I know that’s a little bit of a generalization, but I do enjoy the public persona that many (not all) adopt. It’s a cultural thing, like a regional difference. We all have our stereotypes about how different groups interact in public. Here’s a few of my other stereotypes: people in New England are in your face, people in the south are super friendly (even if it’s not genuine), people in California are competent and competitive, Midwesterners are polite, Pacific Northwest…ahh…I’d say grumpy. Gray, rainy, never-enough-coffee, cold, damp, tired and leave-me-alone grumpy.

The gay guys in Palm Springs add a cheerfully disarming vibe to the streets and shops that I enjoy. Their energy! Their humor!

In general I’ve found that the classic gay population does not adopt an aggressive persona in order to signal dominance, unlike straight men who can sometimes feel dangerous to me with their jacked up trucks with rolling coal, rude behavior, competitive driving, etc., etc.

I could live in Palm Springs just for the gay guys. Seriously. I love being able to joke around and be friendly, without them getting ideas and sending unwelcome vibes. These men I trust.

One day Tracey and I asked a shopkeeper for nearby lunch restaurant recommendations, and he demurred, saying, “I don’t really know, James brings my lunch…” And it wasn’t even what he said, it was how he said it. So cutesy and sweet and teenagery (although he was nearly my age) and almost bashful. So full of obvious delight. He was just about melting into a puddle on the floor.

This is a much better vibe, in my option, than what one would typically get from a shopkeeper. Oh, and when he did finally give us a restaurant recommendation, it turned out to be an excellent restaurant. Of course.

Here’s an old glass piece in his shop that I considered buying. It looked good in the sunny window.

It’s also an artsy community and I love art. For example, one day when we were walking around in the small downtown, we unexpectedly came across an art sale in a park. The art was quite good.

These stained glass window hangings were cleverly designed. With a quick change of a colored paper backing, they would look like a completely different season. So you could update it every few months to match the current season.

Some of the art had a southwest style. I bought that little blue and gold roadrunner for John.

Palm Springs is also known for its mid-century modern architecture, but I didn’t take any architecture photos. Maybe another time!

Here’s an example of the neighborhood where we stayed (it’s not our actual Airbnb, which was a patio apartment in a nice complex a block or two from where I took this photo.) I’d guess this particular neighborhood was built in the 1970’s – 1990’s. It was on the north side of town. Pro tip – it’s less windy further south.

I love the mountains too! Just like in Tucson and Albuquerque – it’s wonderful to have serious hiking trails on the edges of the suburbs.

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