Friday April 12th – Tuesday April 15th, 2019

JP and I had 6 days at Desert Hot Springs. It’s not so much a destination, but it’s close to Palm Springs and the cities around it.   JP drove me to all kinds of shopping and that in turn took us to see more of the area. I was happy to have some retail therapy! 

We were in Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Palm Springs. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was going on while we were here, so we didn’t venture out that direction.  According to  Goldenvoice attendance is 99,000 per-day during the six days of Coachella. That’s two 3 day weekends. The revenue is over 115 million! It’s fun to watch on TV but I can’t imagine the crowds, the heat, the lines! Plus its a little spendy – General admission passes are $429 and the Festival Pass/Shuttle Combo is $509. The only effect the Festival had on us was the high price of gas and our RV spot cost jumped up on the festival days.    

Harry and Suzanne told us to try our new favorite restaurant in Palm Desert – Sherman’s Deli and Bakery. It was SO good! We split a pastrami sandwich and fries and had the best key lime pie ever! 

Even though marijuana is legal in lots of states, some of the dispensaries around Palm Springs look much like spas. The billboards are clever and funny too. No sign of Grateful Dead tees or crazy paraphernalia, instead very modern, tasteful, professional and high end businesses! 

Palm Springs has a large LGBTQ population. Palm Springs has the highest per capita gay population in the US. As a matter of fact – this year voters elected the nation’s first city council consisting entirely of members of the LGBTQ community. Palm Springs also has one of the first LGBTQ Radio Stations. 103.1 is “Q” Radio and the funniest billboards we’ve seen!