Palm Springs getaway

Palm Springs sunrise - click any photo to "embiggen"

Celebrating both the Thanksgiving holiday and my birthday, we took a little trip to Palm Springs. [The Man I Love] made all the arrangements, including booking us into a dog-friendly hotel that had a little outdoor enclosed patio we could leave Jack in if we left the room without him.

Although we knew it was an insane choice, we drove out on Wednesday afternoon.

Predictably, traffic was horrendous. We took surface streets from the Westside to East LA, before we got on the freeway, which was moving at 10 miles per hour until Rosemead.

No trip through East LA can happen without stopping off for a couple of tacos, to fortify for the road ahead. We stopped at King Taco on Olympic.

We pulled into the hotel entry four and a half hours later.

Hotel restaurant, poolside

Thanksgiving dawned crisp and clear. When [The Man I Love] woke from a well-deserved sleep we took breakfast poolside at the hotel, then ventured out into the town, with Jack, to explore North Palm Canyon Drive, the main shopping drag just a block from our hotel.

Psychic shop

The northern part of the shopping district runs to antique and vintage shops, high end boutiques, and restaurants and coffee shops for locals. Palm Springs is known for its Mid-century Modern architectural treasures; a demographic that runs to affluent gay retirees, and a stylish, resort-like culture. This is reflected in the northern part of downtown, where couples enjoy morning coffee or walk their dogs together. Further south, it gets more touristy - with tee-shirt shops, cheap bling, bars and chain restaurants.

Weird mannikins in a vintage shop - Jack and me reflected

There's a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe, in the famous skirt-blowing-up pose from "The Seven Year Itch," on the most touristy corner in town. It's 26 feet tall, and, to my mind, absolutely hideous. Giving tourists the opportunity to have their photos taken while looking up her dress is not what I would consider a tribute to a woman whose personal tragedy was rooted in the sexual exploitation that complicated her life and impacted her sense of self-worth.

Even so, it's a perfect symbol for this cheerfully camp, superficial, and glamorous town. Turkey and trimmings, anyone?