Is the Movie Colony a preferred area to rent a home? If so, why? And is it fun to be so close to DT Palm Springs to walk to it?

The Movie Colony is great. The feel is old time Palm Springs and many of the homes were owned by celebs of the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's.

I guess it is fun to walk to downtown because the sights are interesting and it is nice to be able to have a large selection of shopping and dining without getting in the car.

Hi PSLocal--I took into consideration many posts from you on PS. We ended up renting a home on Christina Way that seems to be in the right location. I heard it was 90 yesterday when I spoke to the rental agent.Yippee. We are a family that enjoys good-interesting food but not high end or formal in feeling. Outdoor eating has huge appeal--we come from a long winter--any thoughts? We also love to buy California produce like artichokes that are in season and selling at $.88 each which is a huge bargain--any suggestions of good farmers markets for fruit and vegetables?

Hi---I am happy to make any suggestions that might help your visit. Christina Way looks like it is off South Palm Canyon---should be wind-free plus you are very nearby the entry to the Indian Canyons. There is so much water flowing there now and lots of waterfalls.

The weather has been great. We had a few days that were unseasonably warm but it is back to mid-70's to mid-80's.

Here a few thoughts on food:

- Elmer's Pancake House in PS for breakfast

- Thai Smile in PS for lunch or dinner. Try the tom yum kai (chicken lemongrass) soup and the red chicken curry, among others. We really like this spot.

- The Deck for a good upstairs view of Palm Canyon Drive and a cold drink and appetizer.

- Native Foods in PS for lunch if you like creative vegetarian.

- Cafe Italia in Indian Wells, corner of Cook and Hwy 111. If you go after 6 pm make sure you have reservations.

- Tyler's, a burger place in PS near Tahquitz and Indian Canyon.

- Fisherman's Market on Indian Canyon

- Al Dente Pasta

- Spencer's, PS.

Other good outdoor places to take in the scene are Kaiser Grill, Village Pub, Ruby's, Las Casuelas Terraza (margaritas ok, food not recommended)---lots of places you will see along Palm Canyon Drive.

One of my favorite things is to go to Trader Joe's in Cathedral City, just outside PS on Hwy 111 and buy emmenthaler cheese, crusty bread, dry salami, dried bing cherries, chocolate and frozen mango and take it on a hike in the Indian Canyons.

For fresh vegetables, the Village Fest Thursday nights in PS has a farmer's market. Also good is the CCOD street fair on Saturdays and Sundays in Palm Desert. Lots of produce there too. A stand I like in Indio is at Madison Street and Highway 111.

LA Times has been doing a lot of articles on wildflowers and the desert. I saw a great article about the San Andreas fault tours, link below.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-...ck=1&cset=true

I hope you enjoy your stay and get warm!

PSL

PSLocal--I so appreciate all the info--I just have not figured how to get it printed from this forum so I can have the notes with me when I am in PS. What do you think about Desert Hot Springs..the naturally hot water sounds intriguing to me...I am think about going the Hotel with the 8 different pools--I have read that it is "funky" and not posh, but I am still intrigued to check out the pools there....

It would not be my recommendation to stay in DHS for a few reasons.

The hotels, with the exception of Two Bunch Palms, are not so great. The thermal mineral springs are nice to visit and if you are talking about visiting the pools there are several resorts that offer a day pass. It would not be a bad way to spend a few hours, but I don't know that you would want to devote much more time to it than that.

The town is off the beaten path of the rest of the valley cities. Most of what you will want to do will not be in DHS. Dining options are very slim as well.

DHS is also known for being sort of a counterculture repository. While that sounds interesting, there are aspects that I don't think are very good for tourism.

Wow, this is making me want to take a trip to Palm Springs