A month ago I blogged about an exciting adventure I spontaneously found myself in. I had an opportunity to attend the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) Awards Gala on January 2nd, and I jumped on this unique chance to attend. This was an extended Christmas gift to myself, as well as a chance for me to visit early in the year, my future home state of California. I have visited California many times, but this was the first time I visited a desert city. I've been to San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and now, Palm Springs. Unlike the other bustling large cities of CA that I have visited, Palm Springs really is laid back, walkable, calm, and quiet. It's a place where the rich go to chill out, go to spas, eat well, or hike the mountains.
I arrived in PS at 8:30pm PST/11:30pm EST. Although I was tired, I was so excited about being in PS. It was totally dark and a little nippy outside, but no where as cold as in Detroit. I arrived at my hotel, checked in, and walked along the manicured lawn to my room. The Days Inn PS was on the budget side at $115 a night, but it was perfectly located in the northern side of town and newly renovated. The pool area was just outside my door and as I walked by, people were relaxing in the heated Jacuzzi. I was starving so I walked about 10 minutes up the road to Del Taco and devoured a burrito. I went to bed in a king size bed so excited about being in my favorite state and looking forward to the next day's event.
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| Wow, mountains! |
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| My room 324 was just straight ahead on this small path. |
I woke up early to the bright sun peeking through the side of the curtains of my sliding door window. I open the widows and wow, the mountain views almost brought tears to my eyes. That's a mountain!!! I literally walked around PS smiling at the sun, the mountains, and the palm trees. It's amazing the restorative powers a quick visit to paradise has on one's soul. While there are neighborhoods in PS that are normal looking working class streets, there are many sections of town that have homes that cost tens of millions of dollars. They were absolutely breathtaking, so much so, I got dizzy looking at them.
For my short visit to PS, I was to attend the festival awards gala, spend time with my friends, shop, walk about, and watch one movie. The select pictures after this cut will present my trip in a nutshell.
I don't think I could live in Palm Springs, but I will visit it regularly to escape from the hustle and bustle of LA. Why? It's small, a population of 45,000, and there are a lot of older people/retirees/tourists.
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| A fancy street with amazing views of the mountains |
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| The grounds of a posh hotel/spa |
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| We parked at the Lykken trail for a quick hike. |
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| A beautiful tourist shop, almost like a museum of goodies to buy |
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| The ticket holders line at the Mary Pickford theater in Cathedral City |
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| I went here to see The Revenant |
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| The pool of my friend's house |
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| My handbag and the first of many drinks at the gala. |
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| He promised to make me whatever I wanted. |
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| The reason why I'm here in PS. |
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| The beginning of the program |
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| Rooney Mara's award |
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| Matt Damon was the last guest |
I look forward to attending the PS awards gala in the future. And since I'll be living in So Cal soon, I can drive there and spend the weekend. Easy peasy. It really was nice attending an event that attracts the rich and influential in the entertainment industry. I love film festivals (attending and working at them), and this was a great opportunity to watch a high profile awards event so close to Hollywood. I'm really lucky and privileged to have been able to attend!
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| Me and Sugar |
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