Big Bear Lake, California
I went to Big Bear and all I got was this lousy cold.
Well, actually I also picked up some postcards and some nice scenic shots of the lake and had a good time playing games with friends. Some germs I picked up while in Big Bear just came back to haunt me the following weekend when I was in Palm Springs for an archivist conference. Super drag!
In Palm Springs I managed to lead a pretty awesomesauce panel on privacy issues in archives (yay panel), and then came back to LA Saturday night and spent the rest of the weekend flopping between the living room couch and my bed. I’ve been doing my best to not hack up my lungs, but only with moderate success.
So while I’m confined to spreading my germs within the limited square footage of my apartment I thought it would be a great time to think about not being caged by illness and to relive the past two out of town weekends.
The view from my hotel room balcony, Palm Springs
When I think about Palm Springs it’s really tough for me to not call it Poodle Springs, since my knowledge of the area was very recently limited to little more than Raymond Chandler’s mocking pseudonym for the city and an awareness of the existence of a crapload of midcentury modern architecture.
I’ve driven by the town on the way to Arizona and Texas. It’s an easy 2 hour drive from my corner of the LA metropolitan region, but for whatever reason I’d not made my way out there yet. Now that I’ve been I’d say it’s worth a revisit. Between getting as much out of the conference as possible and then becoming miserably sick I didn’t get to see as much of the town as I’d hoped, but I saw enough that I now know I want to go back.
The conference hotel was ridiculously expensive so I looked for alternatives. My inner hipster really wanted to stay at the ACE hotel, but it was even more expensive than the conference hotel! Instead I ended up three hotels down at the Curve, which despite lukewarm Yelp and tripadvisor reviews is actually a pretty nifty little hotel.
The Curve has the bones of an old motel, but an updated outer appearance. I got an upgrade from a standard peasant room to a a mountain and pool view room. I was a little worried that the noise from the pool would be bothersome, but I wasn’t in the room much during the day and they were good about shutting down music and controlling noise after 10pm.
The hotel was great and I’d stay there again. I had lunch and evening drinks at the ACE, and though the ambience in the diner was retro-fun, the hotel itself didn’t seem all that fancy. I didn’t see the inside of any hotel rooms there, so I can’t speak to that, but the hotel bar, pool area, and corridors weren’t much swankier than the place I stayed at.
I should probably frame my hotel reviews with the statement that I’m not too picky of a hotel goer. Sometimes I read hotel reviews and feel like the reviewers’ expectations are way too grand. I once stayed in a motel in Monterey that my traveling companion said was the type of place where hookers take their clients. I really didn’t see it that way, but I’m a pretty easy going traveler.
Mostly when I look for hotels I like to find non-chain locations in older well maintained buildings that retain some old timey charm. Not everyone I know appreciates this aesthetic, but that’s what you’re going to end up with if I’m left organizing the travel plans.
Balcony at the Curve hotel, Palm Springs
So the Curve was perfect for my requirements. I had some mediocre food at Lulu’s Bistro in downtown Palm Springs, but had a pretty exciting blueberry lemon lavender shake at Great Shakes around the corner. Mixed reviews on other food I also ate there, but there are so many restaurants I think I’ll have to go back and try out a few other places.
I got a little peek at opulent midcentury design with the chance to visit Sunnylands for the conference reception. I’m not really sure which architectural style is my favorite, but I’ve got an ever growing appreciation of midcentury modern design. All those strong clean lines and industrial materials are pretty sexy.
Sunnylands, Palm Springs
Being out in the desert means seeing stars! I didn’t drive far enough outside of town in the dark to really appreciate the night sky, but that is definitely at the top of my list of reasons to drive back out into the desert. I probably should try desert camping one of these weekends to really get to see the universe.
Now, if I could just kick this cold I think I could call last weekend a smashing success.
Illuminated Past 