No Place Like Home...except maybe Palm Springs

The Boy and I were happy to call Palm Springs home for the long weekend. We stayed at the Ace Hotel (thanks to a great deal scored through a Tablet Private Sale last month). We loved the aesthetic of the hotel (as we do with everything that Commune Design is involved with--like the Heath Ceramics store in Los Angeles). The hotel was very hip which unfortunately means that it attracts a lot of yuppie jerks mas o menos my age, so I can't say I recommend hitting it on a weekend unless you're feeling extremely tolerant. However, other than the clientele, it was fabulous. There are so many great places to stay in Palm Springs--I noticed a couple spots that are less publicized that I'd like to check out in the future. Both are mid-century modern properties (as is Ace): Desert Star Bungalows and Horizon Hotel.

For Valentine's Day dinner we went to Mister Parker's at the Parker Palm Springs. I've been wanting to go to the Parker ever since the multimillion dollar renovation it went through a few years ago with Jonathan Adler. (Seeing blog posts about things like Parker-inspired wedding invitations helped to fuel my interest as well.) All I can say is that I'm glad I got a taste of the experience before recommending the hotel to say, my boss, because it is very camp (which I never picked up on in any of the readings I've done). From the pink pants the valet boys sport to the vintage pin up posters in the dining room and the 8 foot "DRUGS" sign in the lobby...it was both fabulous Adler design and an unexpected Valentine's date experience.

The remainder of our weekend was fairly mellow, made special by a visit to my grandparents' home on Sunday morning and for lunch. Modernism Week kicked off on Friday, but we ended up not participating in any events. I would have loved one of the double decker architecture tours, but $75/person was a bit steep.

We made the rounds to a few vintage/modern design stores--here are a few I recommend in Cathedral City (just outside of Palm Springs):

• Hedge
• Spaces
• Hom (at Home Palm Springs)
• JP Denmark

And in Palm Springs:

• The Estate Sale Company (new and old pieces, thrift store-esque, fabulous prices)
• A La Mod
• Trina Turk Residential
• Modern Way

King's Highway

Since we stayed poolside at the hotel as much as possible (to relax) we didn't eat out much, but I do recommend Tyler's Burgers (which I first heard about in a "best burgers of CA" round-up by C Magazine) and of course, Las Casuelas. The Ace Hotel has a great diner, King's Highway--we loved the breakfast there.

On our way out of town, we drove through El Rancho Vista Estates, the original mid-century modern neighborhood. It is fairly run down, but still cool to see. We grabbed some flyers...only $325k. So cheap! (We've obviously been house hunting in Orange County for too long!)

Our time was too short to make it to the Palm Springs Art Museum which I was hoping to do. We'll have to go back sometime soon--especially since The Boy has never been to the Living Desert Museum or on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

A few of our photos here. Postcard image from 123 Posters.