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Going to Coachella - what to do after the festival

Going to Coachella - what to do after the festival

Old Nov 1st, 2015, 01:01 PM
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Going to Coachella - what to do after the festival

Well, I can't believe that for the first time, my fiance and I are going to Coachella this year!!!

We're in our mid-fifties. My daughter (30) has gone for a number of years and has really enjoyed the experience. I've always wished I could experience it, so we bit the bullet and just went for it and now we have tickets and so we're going (yikes!)

We rented a house near the festival, but the rental was for a week so we are trying to decide what we are going to do afterwards, and whether we should extend our trip for a little longer and go somewhere else when the house rental is up, or should we just come home?

I don't want to be gone longer than 10-days or 2 weeks because of family obligations.

My best trip ever was probably to Croatia recently. I loved it for the walk-ability there.. I love a vacation where there's lots of walking.. I love to be active, and learning things when I'm on vacation. We aren't into shopping or golfing. We enjoy being outdoors and seeing things, hiking but not heavy strenous hiking (at least not me..). Easy hikes are fine.

I also love nature and animals... We do enjoy fine dining, but I love healthy food, vegetarian food and grains, innovative cooking with a nod towards healthy...

Do you think we'd be fine with Coachella followed by Joshua Tree and that's it, fly back home after the week, or are there places somewhat nearby that you'd recommend we see or do while we are this far west?

Thanks! PS I read something about Coachella sickness... from the dust there. Bandanas... is it a real thing or not?
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Old Nov 2nd, 2015, 08:11 AM
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Sounds great!

In addition to Joshua Tree, which is great for the kind of hiking you describe, there's plenty to do in the Palm Springs area to round out the trip. You might know all of this since you live in California, but we enjoyed the following:

* Ariel Tramway for a fun ride and good hiking at the top, where it is pretty cold, so dress accordingly. www.pstramway.com.

* Desert Hot Springs for a hot mineral pool soak. Some of the resorts sell day passes. deserthotsprings.com

*Estate Sale, a high-end consignment shop with a huge, eclectic collection of items from the estates of wealthy residents. Fun even for non-shoppers. www.theestatesaleco.com
* Mid-century architecture tours, something we wanted to do but could not fit into our schedule. www.palmspringsmoderntours.com
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Old Nov 2nd, 2015, 09:27 AM
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I like the Living Desert, Coachella Valley Preserve, Indian Canyons as well.

One thing that can't be predicted is weather. It actually can be quite warm (hot) that time of year. And windy.

What specific disease is associated with the festival? I imagine just being in close proximity to a zillion people and using the public restrooms exposes you to a lot of cold/virus possibilities.

Dust storms are a possibility that time of year. I don't know how common "Valley Fever" is in the CV.
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Old Nov 7th, 2015, 03:09 PM
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DH and I try to visit Desert Hot Springs once a year. It is definitely an acquired taste, but very relaxing. We don't spend the night, we just bring a beach towel, and pay a very low day-fee at this place. They have several pools, each with a different temperature. When DH was a boy he lived about 90 minutes away, and whenever he got a cold his dad took him out to the springs and he came home well.

https://www.expedia.com/Palm-Springs...el-Information

Another idea is a day trip to beautiful Anza Borrego State Park. It is lovely and quiet with distant mountain vistas. Look it up, you might like it. It has a small interpretive center. Not at all the Palm Springs vibe.

Speaking of PS, you might want to visit the Thursday night street fair. It is fun on a warm night and there are plenty of places to eat right on the street. We try to hit it once a month in the season, just to stroll holding hands and watching people having fun.

Oh, something else. If you are brave, drive up the very steep HWY 74 and go to Idyllwild. Eat at Cafe Aroma. On the way back find a safe pull-out and stop to gaze at the stars. There is a pull-out just before you get to Palm Desert if you don't find a clear spot higher up.

It can be windy at the Coachella. It can also be very hot. But it might be just perfect with beautiful blue sky and starry nights. There is no way to know.
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Old Nov 10th, 2015, 05:40 AM
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I think the hot springs hotel that chelseyd mentioned above is the same one we visited. It is very "old school" -- kind of funky, hence the "acquired taste" description. We enjoyed it very much. We went after hiking at Joshua Tree (late afternoon) and there was a band playing outside. They had a bar and we enjoyed beers while soaking. The changing rooms are funky--reminded me of swimming pool locker rooms of the 60s. It was pretty cool.
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Old Nov 29th, 2015, 04:00 PM
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Hello! I just returned from Florida, then had Thanksgiving at my house, so I was very busy unpacking, getting my house ready for guests, and now I have a moment to come here and thank you for your wonderful suggestions!
I will take notes, there are several things that interest me here! Jayne1973, all your things are right up my alley especially the Estate Sale place!!!
migb, if you google Coachella sickness is real, you can read what everyone posted. I don't know how I came across it, but it was somewhat scary...
Chelseyd - Anza Borrego State Park sounds great! And so does the street fair! I am not sure if I am very brave.. if I was the one driving, I would be, but if someone else is, well, that's a little more frightening since as you know, the passengers don't feel like they have control. I'd rather be the one driving... haha
I love "old school" "funky" 60's, 70's vibe places. The coolest place along these lines was Kupari Beach, in Croatia, which I visited this October.
Kupari Beach, is home to one of the Dubrovnik region's best beaches, and it used to be a holiday resort back in either the 60's or 70's. The hotels all along the beach were quite beautiful and ornate, but they were all significantly damaged in the 1991-95 war. Their shells, their skeletons, remain. The derelict hotels form the backdrop for this beautiful, crescent-shaped shingle of a beach. It's eerie. We heard that the hotels would be razed soon, but if you go within the next 6-months or so, who knows, you may be able to wander through them as we did. Fascinating scenery - if this happens to be your kind of thing.
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Old Nov 30th, 2015, 06:30 AM
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Hi teadrinker,

Since it seems we might have similar tastes, you might want to check out this little dive bar/restaurant called Pete's Hideaway. It was my favorite meal and drinks experience while in Palm Springs.

peteshideaways.com
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Old Jan 9th, 2016, 10:57 AM
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Hey you Guysssss,
Okay, so the day has come when we are going to map out all of your suggestions and try to come up with an itinerary and then we will get our plane tickets!
We are curious how close everything is here to Palm Springs, and whether we can do everything from the Coachella area. (I heard the line up is great for it this year!)
Thank you very much for your help and suggestions!
I'm not from CA.. I'm from MA!
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Old Jan 21st, 2016, 03:39 PM
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Have you determined where you are staying? The Coachella Valley is 15-20 miles wide x 45-50 miles long...PS at the west end and Indio/Coachella/Mecca at the east. So if you're staying in the east valley PS is an easy 45+ minutes away by car.

The line up looks pretty solid. We go every year.

As far as Coachella sickness, here's the deal. The polo grounds get very dusty cause with all the foot traffic the grass gets literally destroyed. In the Coachella Valley there is this thing called "PM-10." That is particulate matter that is smaller than 10 microns in size. The significance of the particle size is that anything smaller than 10m, the lungs have a hard time expelling. So it is a respiratory irritant that can morph into sinus infections, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. But I wouldn't say that's common. I'd definitely take a bandana and use it, dampened with water, if the wind comes up---that's the worst culprit.

This is a world-class art and music festival. You will have a great time.
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Old Jan 21st, 2016, 03:40 PM
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Also, I tried to post links to the lineups published in the local Desert Sun, but it would not let me...lame sauce!
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