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Driving California's Steep and Scenic Pines to Palms Highway

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

This story will be in the first-person because...I have a confession. Actually, two.

1: I watch too much of the BBC's Top Gear. Typically I just fast-forward through the interviews and in-studio car talk to get the meat of the program, where Jeremy, James and Richard are off driving exotic, winding roads and stopping to have mugs of tea at shady petrol stations.

2: I don't drive that much at all anymore. Living in NYC negates the need for a car, and though I'll occasionally Zipcar to help a friend move apartments, my behind-the-wheel dalliances are mostly limited to long weekends of rental car release.

For these two very important reasons, sometimes an excellent, leisurely drive figures at the front of my vacation. I have had two mindblowing drives this year. First, on the TT racecourse on the Isle of Man (read all about that here), and, second, on the Pines to Palms Highway from Orange Country to Palm Springs, California.

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Palm Springs Travel / California Travel / Road Trips / Architecture Travel / Design Travel / Retro Travel / Photo Gallery / → All Tags

Architecture is Reason Enough to Hit Palm Springs

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

When you're not guzzling all-you-can-drink champagne in Palm Springs, the thing to do is take in the sights. Just be totally sober before hopping behind the wheel, of course. There's no shortage of vistas in this desert valley surrounded by mountains and blue skies, and we confess that our favorite thing to do in Palm Springs is actually just leisurely cruise around.

Driving here (any time other than Coachella) is a breeze. The streets are wide and well maintenanced, traffic is extremely rare, and oftentimes the buildings that line that road are as photo-worthy as the natural scenery. There's just something about that midcentury modern look, and luckily it's something in which Palm Springs specializes.

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Palm Springs Travel / California Travel / Drinking Travel / Booze Travel / Brunch / Food Travel / → All Tags

Your First and Last Stop in Palm Springs Should Be Pinocchio's

Tis the season to head for sunnier, warmer climes. For many this means the Caribbean and Mexico while for others, they're keeping it closer to home in Palm Springs, CA. Since we know many who'll head to the desert on Virgin America's new route to Palm Springs, we're thinking it's time to let you in on a few of our own personal favorite PS secrets.

There's nothing quite like driving into Palm Springs, or flying in for that matter. From every which way, the scenery is beyond stunning. This is truly a desert paradise, and a playground all the same. It's not too difficult to understand the way we feel about the city, if you watch the bodacious Ann-Margret do her thing from 0:55-1:45 in this scene from The Who's Tommy.

"Today it rains champagne," indeed, and nowhere more so than at Pinocchio's, a restaurant in "downtown" PS that specializes in monster brunches washed down with $3.95 bottomless champagne.

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How To Get Tickets To / Film Festivals / George Clooney / Events / Palm Springs Travel / → All Tags

How To Get Tickets To The Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala

How most of Palm Springs looks

This week the Palms Springs International Film Festival announced George Clooney will be the Chairman Award winner, for his work in The Descendents, during their 2012 festival which takes place between January 5-16, 2012.

Along with Clooney, Michelle Williams, whose role as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn is generating some serious Oscar buzz, will also be honored with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award, while Glenn Close will receive the Career Achievement Award.

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Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Palm Springs Travel / California Travel / Photo Gallery / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: Date Shakes a la Palm Springs

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Did you know that 90% of America's dates are produced in the Coachella Valley? We didn't...until we visit Palm Springs, CA and indulged in one of the city's specialties: a Date Shake. It sounds weird at first, right? All great unique foods usually do (sound weird), but a date shake is both quenching in the 90+ heat of a late spring day in the desert and tasty enough to nearly fill you up. We highly recommend them, especially if you're as big a fan of bacon-wrapped dates as we are.

The Taste: The shakes, made of dates and vanilla ice cream, are mixed old-school style in metal tumblers. They don't come out frothy, but nicely creamy and chock full of the little date bits (which are lovely to bit onto for a teensy flavor burst). Because of the ice cream, the date isn't as intense as we had hoped it'd be; you get more date flavor from eating one of course, but the date shake is a great way for those who've maybe never tried date to get acquainted with its yumminess.

The one size is not too little and not too much; the shake isn't so rich that you'll get tired of drinking it halfway through, either. Basically, we loved it and would like another soon, please.

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Restaurant Week / Restaurants / Palm Springs Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Join 25,000 Eager Foodies for June's Palm Springs Restaurant Week

Get ready to chow down in Palm Springs. More than 100 eateries will take part in Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week from June 4 to 13.

Restaurants all over Coachella Valley, from Palm Springs to Indio, will offer special discounted prix fixe menus to diners. All you have to do is show up to the restaurant of your choice and bring an appetite. Though if you have your heart set on dining at certain spots, be sure to make a reservation, since last year 25,000 people ate out during the 10-day event.

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Palm Springs Kicks It Mid-Century Style With Modernism Week

This goes out to all you Atomic Ranch readers and melamine fiends: set your George Nelson starburst clocks for 2pm on Friday, February 13, as Palm Springs is due to kick off its annual Modernism Week, celebrating all things mid-century (yes, even avocado-color appliances).

With a week solid of vintage shows, exhibitions, and even double-decker bus tours, Palm Springs is pulling out all the stops to attract everyone from the hardcore retro collectors to the curious.

$75 will get you access to everything, including highlights such as the screening of two films about designers Charles and Ray Eames, a vintage car show, and all-day house tours of some masterpieces of modernist design that will easily put the Brady Bunch's swinging pad to shame.

Even if you've never before considered a multicolor mobile to be a necessary living room element, Modernism Week is sure to delight. After all, you're out in the California sun getting sneak peeks into people's eclectic homes and observing the icons of mid-century design in their natural elements. We guarantee that it will only take you a few A-frame houses before you're obsessing over plastic tables and Osterizer blenders with the best of them.

Related Stories:
· Palm Springs' Modernism Week [Official Site]
· A Palm Springs Event Chock-full of Minimalism [NYT]
· Design Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: NYT]

Back of the Envelope Guides / Film Festival Travel / Palm Springs International Film Festival / → All Tags

The 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has been hiding in the shadows of another famous January fest for nearly 20 years but it looks like some star wattage is helping it come into its own. Tonight the festival officially opens with a screening of "Last Chance Harvey", starring Dustin Hoffman, and ends Jan. 19 with a "best of the fest" star-studded event.

Tuesday night, the PSIFF annual gala honored Sean Penn, Dustin Hoffman, the cast of "Revolutionary Road," and director Gus Van Sant. The gala also drew A-Listers Anne Hathaway, Dakota Fanning, and Amy Adams. But be prepared, if you are going to be surrounded by celebrities, you may be tempted to live like one.

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Fall-TV-2008-Map / Television Premiere Travel / Fall TV 2008 / Palm Springs Travel / → All Tags

Fall TV 2008: "The Mentalist" Isn't Psychic, He Just Plays One on TV

Jaunted is planning our fall travel with some help from the networks. Check out our Fall TV 2008 Map to go where your new favorite characters go.

If the heroine of "The Ex List" had gone to former celebrity psychic Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), she might have gotten an answer she was looking for. The hero of "The Mentalist" (CBS, Sept. 23, 9 pm) has come clean that he was never really psychic, but is using his seemingly paranormal powers of observation to help the California Bureau of Investigation solve grisly crimes. It's just like "Psych," but not intentionally funny!

Jane's methods are unorthodox--he skulks around crime scenes without an escort and fearlessly lies to suspects--and put him at odds with no-nonsense agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney, above left) and very religious newbie Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti).

In the pilot, Jane and the team take on a double murder in Palm Springs that looks to be the work of a nasty serial killer--but is it really? You don't need to be clairvoyant to know this is more than an open-and-shut case.

Related Stories:
· We Predict Psychic Museum Will Fail [Jaunted]
· Fall TV 2008: "The Ex List" Peeks Into The Past [Jaunted]
· Fall TV 2008 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Seat42F.com]

Celeb Travel / Film Festivals / Drew Barrymore / Zac Efron / Vanessa Hudgens / → All Tags

Drew Hearts "Juno" In Palm Springs

Drew Barrymore presented an award to the cast of Juno at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Saturday. Did you make it this year? Halle Berry took her pregnant self there to receive an award for "Things We Lost in the Fire." Zac Efron hit the red carpet along with "High School Musical" costar and possible girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens, before joining his "Hairspray" costars for a sing-along screening of the movie musical.

Juno, this year's Little Indie That Could about a Minneapolis teen's unplanned pregnancy, finished third at the box office this weekend and picked up three Golden Globe nominations. Don't worry, we'll still cover next week's Golden Globes ceremony even if the stars don't attend--and even though our invite got lost in the mail.

Related Stories:
· Back of the Envelope Guide: Palm Springs FF [Jaunted]
· Film Festivals coverage [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: BusyBeeBlogger]

Film Festivals / Palm Springs International Film Festival / → All Tags

Back of the Envelope Travel Guide: Palm Springs International Film Festival

Palm Springs: So Retro...

As most of us struggle through frozen winter weather, a trip to the Palm Springs International Film Festival from January 3-14 sounds just lovely. High temperatures aside, though, the festival also offers 11 days of films from a variety of genres, made by filmmakers from around the globe.

And with the city's close proximity to Los Angeles, selections are more likely to not suck. To wit: Not only did the Palm Springs Film Society screen No Country For Old Men this November; they also brought along its star James Brolin to the premiere. Be prepared to pony up some cash, though, if you plan on staying in a hotel or going out to eat on a regular basis: this is, after all, Hollywood's playground.

OUR BACK OF THE ENVELOPE GUIDE

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Television Travel / California Travel / Hidden Palms / Kimberly Pierceall / → All Tags

Hidden Palms Gives Old Resort Town A Teen Makeover

Between the hipification of the Dinah Shore Weekend and the dehydrated hipsters of Coachella, Palm Springs looks poised to give The O.C. a run for its money as an oasis of California cool. (Hey, if our favorite world travelers have stayed there...) The mystique can only grow with last night's premiere of soapy CW teen drama "Hidden Palms," whose website proclaims, "Scandal. Suicide. Murder. Some towns get all the fun." The summer leftover even boasts two former featured guests on "The O.C." who apparently have been forced to move inland by the ghost of Marissa Cooper.

While the show is actually filmed on a soundstage in Phoenix, Arizona, Kimberly Pierceall of the SoCal-based paper the Press-Enterprise notes on PE.com's tourism blog that the reviews of "Hidden Palms" have so far reflected the popular conception of Palm Springs as a place past its prime, while local residents are concerned that audiences will take the fictional seamy underbelly of the show for plain truth.

Still, with Kevin "Dawson's Creek" Williamson at the helm of the show, maybe a new generation of partiers will make like Paris Hilton's granny and flock to the desert instead of the ocean. The New York Times has already tantalizingly described the show as "a sick world, but one for which you wouldn't mind having the swatches."

[Photo: No Control]

Related Stories:
· Palm Springs Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]
· Un-Hiding Hidden Palms [beloblog]