life
A Perfect Mix of Peace and Partying Pride Journey : Palm Springs
by Joey Amato Guest Contributor
the Palm Springs area. We enjoyed dinner at Trio, one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I began my meal with the Roasted Beet Salad and then ordered the fish special, while Brad went for the Pesto Crusted alm Springs is my happy place. The city King Salmon served over squash and angel and the surrounding area provide me with hair pasta. Consistency is key, and you can the perfect mix of relaxation and enternever go wrong with a meal at Trio. tainment. Having been to Palm Springs numerNo visit to Palm Springs would be ous times prior to this visit, I wanted to partake complete without partying on Arenas in things that I have never tried before, most Road, the LGBTQ cultural and nightlife notably a full body massage at El Morocco Inn hub of the city. Coincidentally, the owner & Spa, but we will get to that later. of Hunter’s was in town (there is also a After checking in to Triangle Inn, a lovely Hunter’s in Wilton Manors, Fla.). Mark mid-century modern gay guesthouse located Hunter and I had met briefly in Florida just one mile from the Arenas Road district, many years ago and spent the evening I decided to unwind from my flight and take reconnecting. We had such a good time it easy by the pool. I struck up a wonderful chatting that before I knew it, midnight conversation with another guest from Los had rolled around, and it was time for bed. Angeles who was in town for the weekend. I know what you’re thinking, midnight is Apparently, Palm Springs is his happy place early, but I was still suffering from jet lag as well. Everyone I encountered at the and had a full schedule of activities to get clothing-optional resort was very friendly to the following day. and eager to give advice on the hottest spots I woke up early to visit multiple public to visit during my stay. art exhibitions around the downtown I decided to head to Cathedral City for area. The days were really starting to heat happy hour. Before Palm Springs became up, and it topped 100 degrees the day the gay mecca of today, Cathedral City was prior, so I wanted to get to the art before the epicenter of LGBTQ culture in the desert. the heat became unbearable. There are The area is home to an array of nightlife The Triangle Inn, a clothing-optional gay resort in Palm Springs. (Photo Credit: Joey Amato) many art displays and murals around establishments including The Barracks, AMP the Palm Springs Art Museum that are Sports Lounge and One Eleven Bar, a beautiworth checking out. tioner. I sampled a few products while there, and you can fully decorated space which on the evening If you happen to be in town on a Sunday evening, actually smell the freshness of the foods they use to create of my visit was celebrating female voices of the 80s. I there is no better place to be than Oscar’s for their the products. The store offers a variety of travel-size skinsipped a delicious Espresso Rum-tini while grooving to world-famous T-Dance. The iconic party takes place care kits that are perfect for those out-of-towners looking music from Whitney, Madonna and Tina. every Sunday from 4-8 p.m. and recently began again to bring home some product. The time change was hitting me hard, so I decided after almost a year-long hiatus. I was told people from My next destination was El Morocco Inn & Spa, located in to retire early to my room at Triangle Inn, and when I around the world visit Palm Springs specifically to atthe town of Desert Hot Springs, known for the mineral propsay room, I mean something closer to a one bedroom tend T-Dance at Oscar’s. erties in its water. I decided to indulge myself with a two-hour apartment. The suite contained a full living room, dining Of course, dancing will make you hungry, so for your Moroccan Mystical Ritual, which begins with dry brushing to room and kitchen, in addition to a king size bed and large final meal in the desert, head to Roly China Fusion, a multistimulate the lymphatic and circulatory system and provide walk-in shower. level space which also hosts a weekly Drag Brunch on exfoliation. My body was then covered in organic Rhassoul Triangle Inn usually offers a continental breakfast to Sunday. While there, you must try the Lobster Dumplings, clay from the Atlas Mountains. As I lay on the massage table, guests, but current COVID restrictions didn’t allow them which are served in a delicious truffle butter broth with the clay began to harden, and I felt like I was wrapped in a coto provide that during my stay, so I grabbed breakfast shitake mushrooms and napa cabbage. It was one of the coon. At times it was a bit uncomfortable, but I knew the end the next morning at a cute LGBTQ-owned restaurant best dishes I’ve had in Palm Springs. result would be wonderful. I was then asked to jump in the called Sunshine Café. I don’t normally eat a heavy breakPalm Springs Pride Festival is scheduled to take place shower to rinse the clay off my body before the Moroccan fast, but when I saw the Banana Nut Pancakes on the this year on Nov. 6-7. After a year off, I’m sure it will be a Rain massage began. This is a process of using a raindrop menu, I knew I had to at least give them a try. The extra very festive occasion. Start making plans early as reservatechnique to apply seven different essential oils along the calories were definitely worth it. tions at Palm Springs’ numerous guest houses tend to spine, which all aid in detoxification. Today was my zen day in the desert, and I heard about sell out during this time. If you have never been to Palm Feeling refreshed, I was ready to enjoy a night on the this wonderful shop creating organic skin care products Springs, I’m sure you’ll find it to be your happy place too. To town. I met up with my friend Brad Fuhr who publishes called The Body Deli. The business uses raw and organic learn more, go to visitgreaterpalmsprings.com and to book the Gay Desert Guide, a one-stop-spot for everything superfoods to create their products which range from your Palm Springs gaycation, visit Orbitz.com/pride. : : you need to know about LGBTQ culture and nightlife in facial moisturizers and scrubs to hair shampoo and condi-
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continued from previous page Not me. I like to have a plan with a destination in mind. Specifically, it’s wise to know where you’ll end up so you know where you’re staying the night. You don’t want to travel all day just to pull into a city or town that has no vacancy at its lodging choices. You’ll be forced to get back on the road and drive further, and probably out of your way in the dark, to find a safe place to sleep. That’s not ideal on any trip, and certainly not while traveling queer and solo.
Add Fun Stops Along the Way
To break up the monotony of driving (it’ll get tiresome if you’re traveling mundane highways with equally unremarkable scenery), I choose a few attractions to stop at along my route. I love taking an hour or two to explore a small town’s shops and cafes, peruse an antique mall (great for picking up meaningful mementos of your travels) or visit historic sites, national monuments and parks. I have an annual National
Parks pass, available for $80 at USParkPass.com, which grants access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites that fall under the jurisdictions of the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. Some of these sites require entry fees of $30 or more, which allows the annual pass to pay for itself in a few visits. When setting your GPS, type in national monuments to see what’s available along the way. I recently traveled to Birmingham and Montgomery, Ala. and discovered the Freedom Riders National Monument, one of the National Park Service’s newest installations. I would have driven right past it if I hadn’t done the advance research. Plus, I got a little civil rights history lesson during my stop — something we can all use in this day and age.
Make It a Little Gay
With gay bars dwindling in number across the country it can be difficult to find one in less populated areas, and it’s not the best decision to get tipsy in an unfamiliar area
when you have to hit the road the next day. In lieu of those options, I look for bathhouses, clothing-optional hot springs (I love a good naked time) and LGBTQ campgrounds for an opportunity to unwind with likeminded folx. You’ll be surprised at how many of these exist when you start searching for them. I can almost guarantee you’ll find at least one of these destinations within four hours of your home. These places are often much less expensive than mainstream destinations as well. For instance, I stayed in my van at the Oz Campground in Unadilla, Ga. for three nights this spring for around $170 total, and I popped into the El Dorado Hot Springs outside of Phoenix, Ariz. during my travels late last year for $30 a night. Day passes are even more affordable if you don’t plan to overnight. Pop in for a little R&R and be on your merry gay way. : : Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. Connect with Mikey on Instagram @mikeyroxtravels
June 11-24, 2021
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