Travel Buzz
by Leslie A. Westbrook
A Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel reporter, Westbrook has been skipping around the globe since she took her first solo train ride from L.A.’s Union Station at age seven. Follow her on Facebook at Travel Gal (@WestbrookLeslieA) and @travelgal_dispatches on Instagram
Some Like it Hot! Water. Food. Sun. Art… Not Necessarily in That Order A travel dispatch from greater Palm Springs
A beautiful dinner was provided at the end of the San Andreas Fault Red Jeep Tour A delectable cocktail at Boozehounds
ity art available to purchase. What a joy to absorb great art again! More obvious soaking was front and center in the mineral waters in funky Desert Hot Springs, as well as in resort swimming pools, where human interaction, once again, was as refreshing as the water. The greater Palm Springs area is showing signs of recovery from the multiple pandemic lockdowns (Photos by Leslie A. Westbrook)
I
recently fled the post-COVID couldn’t-wait-to-travel-againMay-gray blues for a five-day escape to the Coachella “sink.” It’s not really a valley (this is a misnomer), but a geological basin, I learned on a lively San Andreas Fault Red Jeep Tour. I went to visit a few friends, have a little R&R with pool time, learn more about the area, and get into a little hot water, literally, not figuratively (I left that up to my traveling companion, but that’s another story!). About a four-hour drive from our area (or book a quick charter flight, connecting flights out of SBA take just as long), it’s no secret that summer temperatures soar in the Coachella desert and that some do like it… HOT! The thermometer hit 99 during the mid-May four-night escape, yet humans — whether local desert rats or visitors — have learned how to
adapt. Thank goodness for air conditioning, ceiling fans, cooling misters, and, most importantly, swimming pools. The highlight of my trip – and there were many – had to do with soaking. Soaking in the art, soaking in the sights, and soaking, of course, in water. A visit to the lovely Palm Springs Art Museum is always de rigueur to “soak in” the fine art. I was excited to view two excellent exhibitions: transcendental paintings by Agnes Pelton (through September 6) that have a fascinating Santa Barbara connection, and a one-man show of activist artist Gerald Clarke (now replaced with Helen Lundeberg). In Palm Desert, a visit to the impressive Heather James Gallery (time to visit their Montecito outpost!) also nurtured my soul with museum-qual-
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What Would Marilyn Think?
There’s been a lot of hubbub about a kitschy ginormous Marilyn Monroe statue being installed in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum (Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times rightfully slayed it; so did The Guardian in London); but her fate remains to be seen. The potential installation of the super controversial 26-foot statue is “up in the air” just like Marilyn’s skirt that exposes her panties to gawking tourists and potentially also to school children departing the fabulous Palm Springs Art Museum. One has to wonder what the Hollywood icon would think in today’s atmosphere of the #MeToo movement, or as my friend Divya in Connecticut (where the same statue appeared) noted, “Marilyn would be appalled. Especially as she aspired to be a poet and be accepted by the local literati.” In other news, the sink is abuzz with Larry Ellison’s new project Sensei, a Four Seasons Resort scheduled to open sometime in 2022. Rumors abound about the “six-star” retreat that was just approved by Indian Wells City Council. Reports to come, on the former Porcupine Ranch which has a nefarious history, when I know more. They are looking for a GM.
“no rez” was necessary for lunch, the joys of unexpected travel discoveries prevailed. My friend searched for a “super charging” station; I ambled through downtown Riverside and discovered a killer Ensenada-style fish taco piled with guac for $4 at a hole-in-the-wall called Doña Timos La Cascada. Back on the road, we landed at the historic and lovely La Quinta Resort & Club (a Waldorf Astoria Resort) by late afternoon. If you think “old school is cool” — and I do, then La Quinta Resort is hard to beat. It’s sort of the Santa Barbara Biltmore of the desert, with red-tiled roof cottages, great history, and a refined ambiance. Despite a rowdy group of Floridian ex-military pals smoking cigars and drinking Budweiser beers at “our pool” (one of 44 on the resort – so no problem finding quieter ones), the spacious air-conditioned room was a welcome retreat from the heat. A light supper of shared tapas at a popular little spot called Cork & Fork in La Quinta with great wines-by-theglass list and we were “in the zone.” The next morning, my travel pal and I took a nice hike in “The Cove.” I explored La Quinta’s grounds and decided a cottage or “villa” is definitely the way to go. Then, I spent the good part of the morning “all wet” in one of the many pools trading family “war stories” with a Pasadena couple who visit regularly, which made me seriously think about coming back and/or renting a place for a longer period of time. La Quinta villas are for sale as well as for three-day or longer rentals.
Got Kids?
On the Road Again
Despite a doomed stop for Tesla charging and lunch at the historic Mission Inn in Riverside (founded by Montecito’s J’Amy Brown’s stepdad Frank Miller) due to the hotel operator telling me that on the drive in that
Our next stop, the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort and Spa, is very family friendly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was at a Hawaiian resort, sans the beach. We stayed in
Travel Buzz Page 274 3 – 10 June 2021