I had absolutely no idea, until stepping foot in Palm Springs, that this city is the modern contemporary capital of the world! I was super focused on the main reason I was landing in this beautiful town (ALT Summit,) so I didn’t get to explore much, but I did hear chatter about some of the top sites, so in this post, I will share my experience with ALT Summit, my stay at the, very retro, Saguaro Hotel, and I’ll share my Palm Springs bucket list for next year when I touch down in this sunny oasis.
Palm Springs Airport PSP
I normally don’t review airports in my travel journals, but I have to say, I had no idea that this airport is almost completely outdoors! It is quite fabulous I must admit. I felt like I had stepped back into an episode of Madmen. We deplaned via steps onto the tarmac and instantly I scrambled to find my camera. I was in awe of the view. Surrounded by palm trees and mountains in the middle of the desert. Sounds like it would be hot and miserable, but far from it. It was heaven.
Ok, so this isn’t really what is unique about Palm Springs Airport PSP. First, it is like any other airport. You enter the building where all the gates are, but shortly after entering the building, you are back outside! The airport concourse is almost completely outdoors! It was such a lovely experience when waiting to board my plane on the way home. I sat outside at one of their retro wine bars and enjoyed a refreshing glass of vino. I found this image on Reddit below. This is literally what the concourse looks like.
Image: Found on Reddit
Retro Hotels in Palm Springs
The Saguaro Palm Springs
Retro is definitely the theme in this quaint town. I plan on building this post by adding to it every time I go to Palm Springs so the retro hotel list will grow over time, but first, I will showcase The Saguaro Palm Springs.
The lobby was very colorful and ALT themed for the event with lots of great spaces for conversation and meetings. The staff was exceptional. I have to be honest, I really didn’t love Cali because of the reputation that Los Angeles instilled on me. I have been to LA a handful of times and didn’t get the warm and fuzzies with the people who lived there. (No shade on LA. I know some great people who live there. Just seems to be more introverted than what I am used to.) Palm Springs on the other hand, they seemed like the southerners of the west! Everyone smiled and greeted you in passing and would engage in conversation effortlessly. I met so many locals who openly shared stories about their life in Palm Springs and seemed equally curious about life in Tennessee. Just really great people and the staff at this resort was no different.
I know this is pretty strange, but you know I love the weird stuff. In the lobby of the hotel, they have a Barbie diagram display. Think, school project in middle school where you had to make historical diagrams, except this one seemed to be retro themes of times passed at The Saguaro. I spent time analyzing each theme and even imagining myself as a throw back 60s gal lounging at The Saguaro pool.
Just like the pops of color in the lobby, the rooms were each color themed. Obviously, I stayed in a yellow room. While called a hotel, the architecture is really that of an old motel. You enter your room from the outside, with each room having a sliding glass door and patio space that opens to the pool.
Photo Courtesy of Tripadvisor
ALT Summit Creative Convention
Talk about life changing experience. I have been applying to speak at ALT Summit for quit sometime and they get over 900 applications, so no surprise that it is ultra hard to get the gig. This year, I was happy to get an email from the ALT Summit team that, while I had not been chosen for a speaker spot, I was chosen as a runner up! Even though I didn’t get the speaking spot initially, I was so thrilled and super excited to be invited to the event as backup. A few weeks before the event, I received an email asking if I would host a workshop. I guess the first choice wasn’t able to make it. I was OVER THE MOON! I prepared for weeks on my presentation. It was so very important to me that it was informative and jam packed with lots of action items for my audience to be able to implement immediately for business growth. I didn’t expect a huge turn out, hell, I was just excited to get the job. Little did I know, not only would my room be jam packed, but there would be ladies piled out the door and into the lobby waiting to hear what I had to say. I held back tears as I looked around the room. Not nervous tears, but the overwhelming excitement kind. I have to say, I have been to many creator conventions and ALT Summit is truly a supportive, judge-free zone. Every single woman who attended truly wanted to help each other.
After my workshop, I headed on over to the ALT Summit bookstore and signed books for those ladies in the audience who purchased. My favorite part was getting to sit and chat with each and every one of them. I didn’t meant one woman who didn’t have an incredible journey up to this point. I left thinking, “These are my people.” I always felt like I wasn’t really understood by most people, but at ALT Summit, I felt seen. Not once did I have the anxious, intrusive thought of, “Did I say the right thing. I hope I didn’t offend anybody. Do they like me?” It’s weird. It felt like family. It just felt right.
Each day was jam packed full of incredible speakers from top brands and creators just like me. I really liked the balance. I wanted to hear what was new with Yahoo, URLGenius, Planoly, and Shop Your Likes (to name a few), but also wanted to learn what other creators were doing in their business. There were no gatekeepers. Everyone was willing to share best practices, what works, and what doesn’t work.
I also liked how they had little “get to know the brand” activations where you could walk up and chat one-on-one with brand representatives. Pitches were being made and wheeling and dealing was going on! Several of my fellow creatives celebrated possible brand collaboration deals over dinner in the evenings as we discussed the highlights of our day.
Not to mention, there were TONS of photo ops and fun crafting activities to keep the creative juices flowing. All in all, I see why everyone raves about how magical ALT Summit is. I will definitely be attending next year whether I get another speaking gig, or not!
Where to Eat in Palm Springs
El Jefe
El Jefe is at The Saguaro hotel and as a lady who loves a fresh marg, the El Jefe Margarita has to be the freshest margarita I have ever tasted, sorry Mr. Greg (my husband.) We joined them for happy hour on Tuesday, Taco Tuesday that is, and El Jefe did not disappoint. The food was fresh and light, but filling, and the margaritas were OUT OF THIS WORLD! I ate several times at El Jefe and loved the ceviche, tacos, and guacamole!
Minerva’s
The Royal Palms Life House hotel has a very quaint, plant-forward bar and restaurant called, Minervas. I popped in for a quiet breakfast and enjoyed a mimosa with a smoked salmon, homemade cream cheese topped bagel drizzled with a balsamic reduction and fresh heirloom tomatoes on top. I fell in love with the mid-century modern decor, especially the wallpaper and art.
What To Do in Palm Springs
Joshua Tree National Park
Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park about 50 minutes from Palm Springs. A fascinating variety of plants and animals make their homes in this land sculpted by strong winds and occasional torrents of rain. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California. While I didn’t get to visit this time, I am recording Joshua Tree here, in this journal to remind myself to plan a day when I come back.
Midcentury Modern Home Tour
I heard some of the women talking about the Mid-Century Modern Home tour and how incredible it was. I am a home decor and mid-century modern buff so I was bummed I didn’t have time for this tour. With homes like Elvis’ Honeymoon Hideaway (aka the “House of Tomorrow”), Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms Estate (known for its piano-shaped swimming pool), Albert Frey House II (built into the side of a massive boulder), and The Kaufmann House (site of the famous Slim Aarons “Poolside Gossip”) I can imagine this tour is a must when visiting.
Well there you have it. I am currently on the plane back to Memphis, reminiscing about my wonderful time in the retro desert oasis they call Palm Springs. My heart is full and I can proudly say, that I have added a new favorite United States city to my top 3, even taking the #2 spot, Miami, Palm Springs, and Chicago.
If you enjoyed my review, please pin the image below to your favorite travel Pinterest board. If you have been to or are from Palm Springs, leave a comment below on what I should do next year when I’m back!
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