Fun, Friendships Keep Gays Returning to Palm Springs

A man I met at the gay Desert Paradise resort in Palm Springs last month best summarized why so many LGBTs return to the desert city every year and sometimes several times a year.

"I've met people here, made friends and I go back to see them in their hometown," he said. "It's rare that you don't meet someone here and not get invited out to dinner. I met someone today and we've been talking nonstop for hours. This wouldn't happen in a straight resort. And no one is here for the bathhouse scene, which is what I really like."

Earlier in the week, while staying at the Bearfoot Inn, I met a man from Long Beach, California and another guy from Washington, D.C. and we spent over an hour talking as we were wading in the pool. Unlike most of our everyday lives, the resorts provide an environment where you can assume everyone is gay unless they tell you otherwise.

Palm Springs has two-dozen gay resorts, more than any other place in the world. The hotels run the range from ones that are very cruisy to others that are more couple oriented and one, Casitas Laquita, that is marketed to lesbians.

Palm Springs' biggest gay weekend is this weekend. White Party Palm Springs runs through Monday and justifiably calls itself the world's premier gay dance festival. Lesbians had their turn last weekend with The Dinah, the largest "girl party" music festival in the world.

This is the busiest time of year for Palm Springs, but summers are becoming increasingly popular. The city's gay business organization, Desert Gay Tourism Guild, runs the Summer Splash program (http://palmspringssummersplash.com) every year, offering discounts on hotels, restaurants, and attractions from June to September.

And visitors shouldn't be afraid of the heat. The resorts have misting systems, making sunbathing tolerable even in the 100-plus temperatures. Palm Springs also enjoys an early sunset when the sun sinks below the mountains to the west, leaving the city in cooling shade for about 90 minutes before the sun finally dips below the horizon.

The Sights

Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours and Events (http://red-jeep.com/) offers a number of tours of Palm Springs and the surrounding area and one of the best is an LGBT-focused tour that covers the standard things you will find on a mainstream tour plus the LGBT stuff that you won't find on the other tours, including the city's early lesbian pioneers and the relatively recent evolution of the city's gayborhood on Arenas Road.

To visit Palm Springs without riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (http://www.pstramway.com) is a little like visiting Egypt and not seeing the pyramids. It is deservedly one of the area's biggest attractions. The rotating tram whisks riders through four seasons in just 10 minutes. It allows winter visitors to sun themselves in 80-degree weather by the pool and play in the snow all in the same afternoon. During the summer, while it could be over 110 degrees in city, the summit will be in the comfortable low-80s.
Palm Springs lesbian City Councilwoman Ginny Foat hands out free cupcakes during the 25th anniversary celebration of the VillageFest street fair March 17. Photo: Ed Walsh

The Joshua Tree National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/jotr) is about a 45-minute drive outside Palm Springs and is a stunning collection of rock formations, wildflowers and Joshua trees. Among the world's oldest living things, Joshua trees can survive for up to 1,000 years, although the typical tree lives for 150 to 200 years. You won't see the trees in Palm Springs itself. The tortuously twisted, spiky trees grow only in the high desert and grow by only about a half-inch a year.

The Indian Canyons (http://www.indian-canyons.com) are about 20 minutes outside downtown Palm Springs and showcase groves of palm trees along a desert oasis. Murray Canyon is the most popular of the Indian Canyons and it offers a good history lesson on the lives of Native Americans. Be sure to check out the grinding holes to the right of the parking lot, they are evidence of the generations of the first human inhabitants of the area.

If you are in town on a Thursday night, be sure to check out the city's weekly street fair, Villagefest ( http://villagefest.org/), which takes over Palm Canyon Drive in the heart of downtown. The street is packed with local artisans peddling their work, food, and street musicians. The Thursday night event celebrated its 25th anniversary last month with a cupcake giveaway and a concert by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The city is in the midst of a makeover in its downtown along Palm Canyon Drive that will show off the Palm Springs Art Museum (http://www.psmuseum.org). Palm Canyon Drive is downtown's main drag, but the museum right now is somewhat hidden a block to the west, so many of the tourists who walk up and down the street miss it. The Museum Plaza development will feature an open plaza from Palm Canyon Drive to the museum that will be lined with shops and restaurants. A brand new 155-room Kimpton Hotel is scheduled to open there by the end of this year and Virgin Hotels announced earlier this year that it will built a 150-room hotel on the plaza that would open in 2018.

It's very easy to get around Palm Springs. The city has no parking meters and traffic jams are rare. It got even easier a little over a year ago when the city inaugurated a free bus service, Palm Springs Buzz (http://new.buzzps.com), which runs every 15 minutes, Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. The service runs from Via Escuela, north of downtown where Toucans and the WorkOUT (http://www.workoutgymps.com/) gym are located, south to the Smoke Tree Shopping Center.

Accommodations

The biggest concentration of gay resorts is in the Warm Sands neighborhood, about a half-mile from downtown. There is another small cluster of gay resorts south of Warm Sands along San Lorenzo Road and a few more north of downtown. There is just one gay resort left in neighboring Cathedral City and it is also the largest of the gay resorts, sitting on 3.5 acres. The Cathedral City Boys Club (http://www.ccbcresorthotel.com) is open 24 hours for day and night passes.

Almost all of the resorts include a free continental breakfast (the exception is All Worlds) and all have free Wi-Fi. Some have a free cocktail hour social and a few offer a free lunch. All are clothing-optional except for the East Canyon Hotel and Spa and Casitas Laquita. Three of the resorts - Vista Grande, InnDulge, and Bearfoot Inn - offer free passes to the WorkOUT Gym, a small but well-appointed facility that unabashedly promotes itself as a gay men's gym.

The aforementioned Desert Paradise Resort (http://www.desertparadise.com) is a good example of a property that keeps people coming back to Palm Springs year after year. Known for its signature outdoor candelabra that hangs between two palm trees, each of the rooms in the 12-unit property is themed for gay icons from the Madonna room to the Liz Taylor bridal suite. The impeccably maintained landscaping in the hotel is like a work of art dotted with fountains and a couple of koi ponds. It also has wet and dry saunas.

The Bearfoot Inn ( http://bearfootinn.com/) is Palm Springs' newest gay hotel. As its name implies, it markets itself to bears but everyone is welcome. Many of the rooms have kitchens and private back patios. The hotel owners spared no expense when they renovated the hotel after purchasing it three years ago. It used to be the straight clothing-optional resort. The hotel is within easy walking distance of downtown and a block from Palm Canyon Drive. Guests get a welcoming gift of snacks in the room on the first night.

The lesbian resort, Casitas Laquita (http://www.casitaslaquita.com) is an upscale resort with a Southwestern theme. All the rooms have kitchens. One of the hotel's suites has a private backyard and hot tub. The hotel hosts a number of women-focused events and has a wine cellar basement that is used for special events and as an entertainment venue.

The Hacienda at Warm Sands (http://www.thehacienda.com/) is one of Palm Springs' most luxurious properties, providing guests with a number of high-end amenities including a pillow menu and a free catered lunch. The resort is popular with couples and anyone who appreciates being pampered.

Nightlife

The biggest concentration of gay nightclubs is in downtown Palm Springs on Arenas Road, just east of Indian Canyon Drive. The newest club there, Chill (http://chillbarpalmsprings.com/), has only been open for a little more than a year but has already drawn a loyal following. The spacious bar connects with a second bar, the Scorpion Room, that is popular with the weekend dance crowd.

Hunters Palm Springs (http://hunterspalmsprings.com/) is the other big bar on Arenas Road. Like Chill, it has a second room that is open weekends for dancing. Score (http://www.facebook.com/ScorePalmSprings) is Arenas Road's friendly dive bar that opens up at 6 a.m. every day with a very down-to-earth crowd. Streetbar ( http://www.psstreetbar.com/) is famous for its karaoke and patio that always seems to be overflowing. Spurline (http://www.spurline.com) is Arenas Road's video bar, showing classic and new videos nightly with show tunes Monday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The new bar, Tryst (http://www.facebook.com/Trystpalmsprings/), is around the corner from Arenas Road on Indian Canyon Drive, next to the Hard Rock Hotel, and is known for its live music.

The Polynesian-themed Toucans Tiki Lounge (http://toucanstikilounge.com/) is the lone gay bar on the north end of town. It has a popular dance floor and outdoor smoking patio. The Tool Shed ( http://www.toolshed-ps.com/) in Warm Sands is Palm Springs' Levi/leather/bear bar.

There are three gay bars in Cathedral City, just south of Palm Springs. The bars tend to attract more of a local crowd than the Palm Springs establishments. Barracks ( http://www.thebarracksbarps.com/) is the Levi/leather bar on E. Palm Canyon Drive and includes a spacious outdoor patio area. For first timers, Barracks is difficult to find. It is set back off E. Palm Canyon Drive, behind the Arco station. The lounge bar Studio One 11 (http://www.studio-one-11.com/) has nightly entertainment and draws a loyal mature crowd. Digs (http://www.digsbar.com/) is Cathedral City's friendly neighborhood bar well-known for karaoke and Sunday late afternoon barbecue.

Since the closing of Delilah's nearly nine years ago, there are no full-time lesbian bars in Palm Springs, but Toucans, Chill, and Hunters are popular with women.

Wangs in the Desert (http://www.wangsinthedesert.com) hosts a wildly popular Friday night happy hour gay party. Oscar's Cafe and Bar (http://oscarspalmsprings.com/) hosts a very popular Sunday tea dance 4 to 9 p.m.

Eating Out

Palm Springs has some of California's finest restaurants and also has good cheap eats if you are on a budget or in a hurry. Pinocchio in the Desert (http://www.pinocchiops.com/) in downtown Palm Springs is one of the gayest and quirkiest in the city, known for its bottomless mimosas and huge portions. Trio (http://www.triopalmsprings.com) continues to draw a big crowd nightly. Sherman's Deli and Bakery (http://www.shermansdeli.com/) is known for its delicious cakes and equally tasty food. Bongo Johnny's Patio Bar and Grille (http://www.bongojohnnys.com/) is a surfer-themed casual restaurant on Arenas Road specializing in delicious American and Mexican comfort food.

For more information, visit Palm Springs' official website at http://www.visitpalmsprings.com