Ahhh, my first vacation of 2017. I flew out to LA to visit my friend Quinlan and we took a weekend trip to Palm Springs. This place has been on my travel list for everrrr, and we finally checked it off!! We hopped in the car on Saturday morning and two hours later, we arrived at our destination. In typical Carm fashion, I created an entire itinerary listing out every place we had to eat, drink, and hang out (with backups too).
First up on our list was BREAKFAST. Luckily I scarfed a chocolate chip Poptart in the car on the ride in, but poor Quinlan was starving. We ended up waiting an hour for a table for two at Cheeky's... but seriously, we HAD to eat here, and it was totally worth the wait. I got eggs benedict (duh) and it came on a cheddar scone instead of a plain ol' biscuit YUM. Quinlan got huevos rancheros and we split a corn pancake. The corn pancake was exactly that - a pancake with corn in it. Isn't it picturesque??
We stayed at The Saguaro, aka the rainbow hotel. We were expecting a pretty chill scene since Coachella was over but nope, it was a straight up Vegas-style hotel pool party, complete with live DJ.
We got into the spirit by ordering a pitcher of margaritas and going for a swim. I also got this drink called MERMAID BAIT (how cute) which was basically just watermelon juice. There were sooo many bachelor/ette parties, but we ended up making friends with these two other girls who thought the whole scene was just as absurd as we did. We spent all day by the pool and then went to Birba for dinner, where we split a bottle of wine, started with the highly recommended meatballs, and finished off the meal with a couple pizzas. It was divineeee.
Since Saturday was our pool day, Sunday was our day of activities. I had a list of places I wanted to go just to see them in person and grab a photo. first stop: The Parker. Ever since seeing Gray Marlin's Parker Palm Springs series, I've been dying to find the white brick wall and bright orange door IRL... and hoping a giraffe/camel would pop out with an Hermes gift for me.
Next up was #ThatPinkDoor !!! This door has become Insta-famous due to its millennial pink color and its midcentury modern vibes. It's actually somebody's house but I guess they don't mind everyone and their mom taking photos in front of it. While we were taking this photo, a neighbor was walking her dog by us and said that about 50 people a day stop by to take in the door and all its glory. *sigh* When can i move in?
I swear every hotel in Palm Spring is cool. I'd love to come back another time and just do one night at each one to experience them all. I took this star jump photo of Quinlan at the Ace Hotel. She's my sunshine!!!
Then we skaddadled over to Reservoir for brunch. This was definitely our most anticipated meal of the trip and it did not disappoint. For some reason I was craving a salad (that never happens) so I got the cobb salad topped with the absolute freshest shrimp I've ever eaten in my entire life. Quinlan got the burger, following along with one of my many life mottos, "You can never go wrong with the burger."
Palm Springs is like a city stuck in the midcentury. Everything from the architecture to the people has an old-world vibe. We popped into two stores that are known for having great midcentury furniture finds. A La Mod had a cool (but slightly odd) collection of vintage furniture and home decor. Just Modern was a more updated store with contemporary items that looked like they were created in the 1960s.
The Amado was my dream place to stay but it was unavailable for the weekend that we were in town. I've been obsessed with this orange door and the boutique hotel's five rooms for years. Next time we go back, we're staying here. It'd be the perfect location to rent out for a bachelorette party.
Throughout my entire stay in California, I think my diet consisted of about 50% ice cream. On our way out of town we stopped into Ice Cream and Shop(pe) - yes, that's its real name - for a couple scoops! I got mint chocolate chip and licked away trying to finish it before the desert sun melted it all... the sun won.
I found out about this amazing collection of art installations throughout Palm Springs called Desert X pretty randomly via Instagram. The last day of the exhibit was the last day we were in town and I was so excited to have caught it! We hiked up a giant hill in the blazing sun (post-ice cream cones) to check out this mirrored house installation called 'Mirage' by Doug Aitkin. It reflects the sky, the mountains of Coachella Valley, and the city of Palm Springs. From certain angles, it seems to disappear into the scenery completely. It was AMAZING and the perfect way to end our artsy, foodie trip to Palm Springs.
xo Carm
