Leslie’s List Traveler: Finding Old Hollywood In Palm Springs

         Want to dine in Cary Grant’s guesthouse, sleep in the same villa where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon or attend a Sunday service at the church where Frank Sinatra prayed?

         In the desert resort city of Palm Springs, in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley, you’ll get to mix and mingle with the ghosts of Old Hollywood and play in the playgrounds first made famous in the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s by the same legendary actors that now have their names immortalized in the city’s “Walk of Stars.”

         Like New Orleans, tourism plays the leading role in the Palm Springs economy with more than a million visitors a year visiting its more than 130 hotels and resorts and more than 100 restaurants.

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         Back in the day when celebrities like Rudolf Valentino, Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley were under contract with major movie studios, they were required to be available within two hours in case they were needed for impromptu film or photo shoots. The desert oasis of Palm Springs fit the bill, being located just 107 miles away.

         Whether you fly, drive or take the Sunset Limited Amtrak train from New Orleans, Palm Springs is where you’ll get to relax in privacy and party like Hollywood royalty.

 

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         Where To Stay

         The likes of the famed El Mirador and the Racquet Club are long gone, but try The Hyatt Palm Springs for an overnight stay.

         This all-suite hotel is located along the happening downtown Palm Springs Strip on 285 N. Palm Canyon Dr. Each room comes with double beds and a sofa bed, a balcony, separate living room, two 42” TVs and great views from every angle. There are also cabana guestrooms with exclusive patio access to the outdoor pool.

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         The hotel’s courtesy shuttle takes you anywhere you want within a three-mile radius, and they host a Sunset Reception nightly from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. with complimentary beverages and small bites.

         If your stay includes a Thursday night, this hotel puts you right in the middle of VillageFest, a popular twilight street fair featuring arts, crafts, food and entertainment. The street is closed to vehicular traffic and is transformed into a festive, pedestrian street scene. Many stores on Palm Canyon Drive keep their doors open late that night.

         At the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, 888 Tahquitz Canyon Way, a junior suite comes with a king size bed and a sofa bed and the living area is separated from the bedroom by a privacy wall. This hotel is located just a little further from all the action, and that’s why its courtesy shuttle operates within a five-mile radius. The hotel’s Spa Del Sol is a popular spot for massages.

          The Triada Palm Springs, an Autograph Collection hotel, located at 640 N. Indian Canyon Dr., is a colorful choice that offers pet friendly rooms, full gourmet kitchens and two outdoor heated pools and a hot tub. From Classic Queens to Grand Casitas, the hotel’s 56 rooms and 21 suites are full of throwback charm and modern amenities and some come with intimate balconies.

 

         Where To Dine

         Breakfast is a see and be seen event as practically every dining destination in Palm Springs has an outdoor patio with misters where passerbys like to stare at who’s eating what and where.

         Pinocchio in the Desert, 134 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, is described as a European style bistro, but throw in some raffia patio umbrellas and suspended plush flamingos and you’ll get a more accurate picture of what this fun restaurant looks like and has to offer. We’re talking big egg platters and bottomless champagne specials. There’s also a full “Mexican Menu” featuring egg chorizo burritos and a Mexican schnitzel including a breaded pork cutlet topped with tomato, Ranchero sauce and melted Swiss cheese, served with Pinocchio’ breakfast potatoes and two eggs any style with toast or tortillas.

         It’s worth getting into the car and driving about 20 minutes from Downtown to eat at Elmer’s Restaurant, 1030 E. Palm Canyon Dr. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the line wraps around the restaurant in the mornings with hungry patrons waiting to feast on Elmer’s specialty, the German pancakes. These huge pancakes that spill off your plate are made with farm-fresh AA eggs, milk and flour baked to a golden brown and served with lemon wedges, whipped butter and powdered sugar. You can add fruit toppings including Northwest triple-berry, strawberry, maple-caramel apple or lingonberry butter.

         Going out to dinner at Palm Springs is like attending a Hollywood premiere. Every fine-dining restaurant has the recipe to recreate the glitz and glamour of the golden years of cinema.

         My favorite is Copley’s on Palm Canyon at 621 N. Palm Canyon Dr. It’s an award-winning restaurant serving upscale American cuisine infused with traces of tropical and European flavors located in part of the former Cary Grant estate. Back in the day, stars were smart. They maintained a home in Palm Springs and owned multiple other properties for guests who came to crash. Copley’s used to be Grant’s crash pad that housed four apartments and a big pool. Today, Copley’s main dining room has taken the place of the guest homes and the pool has been replaced by a fountain and outdoor patio dining.


(Copley’s on Palm Canyon is located in part on the former Cary Grant estate.)

         The views of the local palm trees and mountains in the distance are as breathtaking as Executive Chef Andrew Copley’s entrees are enticing. Try the three cheese and truffle tortellini, the poached Maine lobster and chilled baby leek and potato soup appetizers, and roasted Scottish salmon and garlic shrimp, seared Moscovy duck breast and pan roasted Australian barramundi entrees. I’ve never had room for dessert at Copley’s, but I hear the lemon lavender scented pound cake and the basil ice cream are standouts.

         Melvyn’s Restaurant & Lounge is located at The Ingleside Inn, 200 W. Ramon Rd., where all the old time glitterati stayed and played including Howard Hughes, Greta Garbo, Salvador Dali, John Wayne, and Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

         Book the villa near the pool, and you’ll get to canoodle where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard pitched some woo during their honeymoon.

         When Mel Haber took over the property in 1975 he added Melvyn’s, a restaurant know for its romantic ambiance, its tableside cooking of dishes like Sinatra’s favorite Steak Diane and its potent martinis. All the members of The Rat Pack were fans and were spotted there often.

         For dinner, try the lobster cocktail, the Chateaubriand Bouquetiére for two, with roasted tenderloin of beef, carved tableside with Bordelaise sauce and a bouquetiére of fresh vegetables and the Cherries Jubilee.

         In nearby Rancho Mirage stands Wally’s Desert Turtle at 71775 Highway 111. Don’t let the unusual name fool you – it’s a super fancy fine linen, heavy silver service type of place with mirrored ceilings, sparkling chandeliers and ancient Peruvian artifacts. Opened in 1978 by Wally Botello, founder of the fine-dining Velvet Turtle chain, the restaurant is now owned and operated by Wally’s charming son Michael, who is often at the maître d’ stand greeting guests.

         Every dish is a signature dish at Wally’s, but try the French onion soup, the sautéed imported Dover sole meunière, and any of the soufflés – Valrhona chocolate, Grand Marnier, cappuccino, bananas Foster apricot and blueberry.

 

         Where To Shop

         You’ll never know you’re two hours away from Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles when you’re taking the mile long walk down the tony promenade known as the El Paseo Shopping Center in Palm Desert.

         Located at 73061 El Paseo, this world famous shopping district features more than 300 world-class shops, clothing boutiques, art galleries, jewelers and restaurants, including Bottega Veneta, Escada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Coin Jewelers, St. John, Saks Fifth Avenue, Stuart Weitzman, Tesla Motors Showroom, Tiffany & Co. and Wolfgang Puck Kitchen + Bar, all along a beautifully maintained and statue-filled mile.

  

         What To Do 

         Get the lay of the land with the Palm Springs Celebrity Tour. You’ll get chauffeured through The Movie Colony and Las Palmas neighborhoods and drive right up to the doors and driveways that once belonged to Sonny and Cher, Ann Miller, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Liberace, Loretta Young, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Nat King Cole and Dinah Shore among many others.

         You’ll also see prime examples of the area’s Spanish style, midcentury modern and California ranch style architecture.

         Mid-tour there’s a stop at The Windmill Market where you’ll sample a local delicacy – a Date Shake made with Thrifty ice cream, milk and juicy Medjool dates.

         One cool destination on the tour is sculptor’s Kenny Irwin, Jr.’s house at 1077 E. Granvia Valmonte. His whole 2-acre compound is filled with giant colorful sculptures and about a million LED lights. Last year he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his annual Robolights art and light display during the winter holidays.


(Located in The Movie Colony of Palm Springs, Kenny Irwin, Jr.’s 2-acre sculpture garden features giant robot creations and about a millions LED lights.)

         The Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N. Museum Dr., is a delightful surprise. Who would think in the middle of the desert you could find a sophisticated assortment of art treasures by Jean Hans Arp, Marc Chagall, Dale Chihuly, Donald Judd, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera.

         Spread over 150,000 square feet, the museum boasts major collections of modern and contemporary art, glass, photography, architecture and design, Native American and Western art and two outdoor sculpture gardens.

         Definitely set aside half a day to take a 8,516-foot ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up the side of the San Jacinto mountains at 2901 N. Palm Canyon Dr. to 1 Tram Way. The ride itself, on the world’s largest rotating tram car, takes about 10 minutes and you travel more than two miles up along the breathtaking cliffs of Chino Canyon and are transported to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. But, once up there, you can spend hours walking along 50 miles of hiking trails, taking photos from the multiple observation decks, watching movies in two documentary theaters and having picnics or sharing a meal inside two restaurants.

         In nearby Cathedral City you can visit St. Louis Catholic Church, 68633 C St., where Frank Sinatra used to worship with his mom Dolly, who was a devout Catholic. It became known as “The House That Dolly Built” because of Dolly’s many financial contributions to the small church. It’s also where Sinatra’s daughter Nancy “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” Sinatra held her second wedding in 1970.

         At the Desert Memorial Park, 69-920 Ramon Rd., also in Cathedral City, you’ll find the final resting place of Sonny Bono, Betty Hutton, William Powell and Sinatra, who’s buried in a family plot next to his parents. Hundreds of die-hard fans come every year to pay their respect to Ol’ Blue Eyes and leave packs of cigarettes and bottles of Jack Daniels behind.

         Sinatra’s headstone epitaph sums up the sentiment of every forthcoming trip out west to Palm Springs: “The Best is Yet to Come.”

 

 

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