Palm Springs Gears Up for Busy Fall

During a trip to Palm Springs last week, I toured California's largest lake, visited a desert ghost town, and had a meal in Mexico, all in the same afternoon. While it was not exactly the stereotypical tourist trip to Palm Springs, the city is the perfect jumping off point to explore the desert attractions in and out of the city, all within a reasonable driving distance.

As the state's largest body of water, the Salton Sea is 376 square miles or about eight times the size of San Francisco. It was created by accident in 1905 after an agricultural canal overflowed. The northern end of the Salton Sea is about a 50-minute drive south of Palm Springs. The incongruity of a huge lake in the desert is part of what makes it so unique. But you may smell it before you see it. Algae blooms in the lake often cause a strong sulfur smell. And because of the water's increasing salinity, more and more of the lake's fresh water fish are dying.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Bombay Beach was a thriving resort town. But all that changed as the water became saltier and most of the fish died. The carcasses of dead fish line the lake now, which is saltier than the ocean. You can see only remnants of beachfront resort structures now. The town has the distinction of being the lowest community in the U.S.: 223 feet below sea level. The sign on the town's bar proclaims it as the world's lowest bar in the Western Hemisphere. Bombay Beach would be a complete ghost town except that about 300 people still live there among buildings and rubble that is left to decay.

The desert town of Niland (pop. 1,006) is about 20 minutes south of Bombay Beach and is best known for Salvation Mountain, a candy-colored man-made hill and caverns with painted Christian messages of love and salvation. The nearby Slab City is known for its eclectic collection of people who live off the grid, without basic utilities, including running water.

The Mexican border town of Mexicali is about a 45-minute drive south of Niland. I wasn't sure my rental car was insured to travel out of the state, let alone Mexico, so I just left my car on the street on the California side, in the city of Calexico, and walked through a couple of metal turnstiles into Mexico. After eating a couple of tamales I bought from a street vender and water from a convenience store, I walked around for about a half hour and returned to the U.S. Fortunately there was no line. Before crossing, I had asked a border patrol agent if I needed a passport to return and if there was a long return line. He assured me that my driver's license would be sufficient and that the line was short.

There isn't much to see on either side of the border but it was an interesting cultural lesson on the kind of stuff people cross the border to buy. There were a lot of American souvenirs and cheap dollar-store stuff on the U.S. side. The Mexican side had a lot of pharmacies where prescription drugs are cheaper and you don't need a prescription to buy most of them. Before driving back to Palm Springs, I filled up my car's gas tank for $2.25 a gallon at the USA Gasoline station. Despite the weak peso, gas is still about 50 cents a gallon cheaper on the U.S. side of the border, but most things are much cheaper in Mexico.

With temperatures up to 116 degrees last week, it was not the most comfortable time to visit the Palm Springs area, but relief in Palm Springs is a four-letter word: fall. And the city is already gearing up for a busy autumn. Some of the gay fall events include Leather Pride October 27-30, followed by Halloween, and then Palm Springs Pride the first weekend in November. Unlike San Francisco's banished Castro Halloween, locals and visitors welcome October 31 with a downtown street party on E. Arenas Road, the Castro Street of Palm Springs. Pride includes a weekend festival and a parade down Palm Canyon Drive, the city's main drag, Sunday, November 6.

Year-Round Fun

But there is plenty to keep LGBTs content in Palm Springs all year round. As one of the world's gayest cities, it is fitting that Palm Springs also has more gay resorts than anywhere else. Although three gay resorts have closed this year, the desert city still boasts 20; one is lesbian oriented and the other 19 are for gay men. By the way, the closed gay resorts are Helios, Pura Vida, and Desert Eclipse. The Desert Eclipse is now the Avance Hotel, making it the only non-gay hotel in Warm Sands.

For the uninitiated, Warm Sands has the city's largest cluster of gay resorts ranging from the more couple oriented to a few that are more cruisy. The second-largest cluster of gay resorts is nearby on San Lorenzo Road. Palm Springs' neighbor, Cathedral City, also has a large gay population. "Cat City," as it's known, has three gay bars and a gay resort, the Cathedral City Boys Club, or CCBC, which is open 24/7 for night and day passes.

On my recent trip, I had the pleasure of staying at the Hacienda and the Century Palm Springs. Both properties are first rate and deservedly have a large repeat clientele who return regularly.

The Hacienda provides an expanded continental breakfast and a gourmet deli lunch to guests and it makes the tipping process simple. Employees are not allowed to accept gratuities. Instead an 8 percent service charge is added to the room rate. You will feel very pampered there. The boutique property even provides a pillow menu.

Century Palm Springs is a stunning property that showcases mid-century modern design and the best mountain view of any of the Warm Sands properties. The rooms have all the 21st century conveniences with 1950s-era design for which Palm Springs is famous. This luxury property provides a continental breakfast and a complimentary cocktail hour for guests.

Like the many aging Hollywood stars and starlets who have a second home in the city, Palm Springs is constantly having work done. Downtown is undergoing a facelift right now that will undoubtedly bring even more visitors to the city and keep regulars coming back for more.

The massive project along S. Palm Canyon Drive between W. Tahquitz Canyon Way and E. Armado Road will open up Palm Canyon Drive to the city's art museum, which was often missed by visitors because it is a block behind the city's main street. The block-long stroll to the museum from Palm Canyon Drive will be flanked with restaurants and shops. San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group Inc. will open up a new property there this fall and the giant statue of Marilyn Monroe will return to that block, kitty corner from where it used to be. Plans are also in the works to build a Virgin Hotel on the block. One of Palm Springs largest restaurants, Grand Central Station, is also scheduled to open this fall, at 160 La Plaza, off Palm Canyon Drive, just a few steps from the downtown project.

A guided tour is one of the best ways to see some of Palm Springs' iconic landmarks without getting lost. Desert Adventures is among the best. The company runs a tour focused on the city's LGBT heritage as well as tours of celebrity houses and excursions to the stunning Indian Canyons and the Joshua Tree National Monument, in the high desert, about a hour outside the city.

One of the biggest attractions is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which whisks riders up Mt. San Jacinto, through four seasons in 10 minutes. In the winter, you could be basking by the pool and playing in the snow in the same afternoon. In the summer, it is a cool break from the desert heat.

Nightlife

Most of the gay Palm Springs area nightlife is on E. Arenas Road in downtown Palm Springs. That is where you will find Hunters, Score, Streetbar, SpurLine, and Chill. Tryst is just around the corner on Indian Canyon, near Arenas.

The popular LGBT bar, Toucans Tiki Lounge, is in the north end of town, next to the great gay gym, the WorkOut Gym. The Tool Shed is in Warm Sands and, as you might have guessed, is leather/bear oriented. Neighboring Cathedral City has three bars, Digs, Studio One 11, and Barracks. Cathedral City bars tend to draw more residents and fewer tourists, so it is a good place to mix it up with the locals.

Very popular gay weekly events include a Sunday tea dance at Oscar's Cafe and Bar and a legendary Friday happy hour at Wang's in the Desert.

Since Delilah's closed years ago (where Studio One 11 is now) there are no full time lesbian bars in Palm Springs. But Toucans, Hunters, and Tryst are popular with women. Toucans regularly hosts early evening lesbian socials that are organized by Desert Dyners. For more information on those and other lesbian-focused events check out www.desertdyners.com.

Palm Springs official tourism website is http://www.VisitPalmSprings.com; look for the LGBT tab on the top of the page.