Sweet Willie

Besides lounging at the pool, shopping or golf.

Any other activities to do inside the Valley?

Craig6z

One of my favorite zoos is in the area:

http://www.livingdesert.org/home.html

Of course there is the famous tram. If you take it, bring warm clothes:

http://www.pstramway.com/



[This message has been edited by Craig6z (edited 02-01-2003).]

Craig6z

Willie,

No I haven't.

Sweet Willie

a fellow FT'er emailed me w/the following suggestions. I got permission to post their email suggestions here on FT.

quote:

"This is the recreation angle:

There is so much to do here, hiking trails abound.

1. Indian Canyons, absolutely incredible, it is like a totally different world, and literally just 2.5mi south of my place. It is a must! Andreas Canyon, Murray Canyon, Palm Canyon, and the newest reopened area, Tahquitz Canyon. The hikes aren't really very strenuous, but include sights of all sorts of desert dwellers of the non-human persuasion, and all of the flora and fauna, with waterfalls throughout with palm tree groves, rock formations, and the mountains enveloping you.

2. P.S. Aerial Tramway - A Must, even though very touristy. 50+ miles of hiking trails up there, and there are pine trees everywhere up there, it too is another world, and offers spectacular views of our valley 1.75mi below.

3. There are miles and miles of bike trails around here. It can be a great time to just rent a couple bikes and go for a ride around town, or around the valley. I think Palm Springs is the best equipped city to bike around out here, both because it is relatively flat and because there are more neighborhoods you can ride through that are not behind gates like in so many of our other cities.

4. Desert Adventures Jeep Tour - to see the areas back in the San Jacinto Mountains that you would never otherwise experience. The guides are very knowledgeable about the history of the area and the tours give you another perspective on the valley and what makes it a rather unique place. See the San Andreas Fault up close!

5. The Living Desert - A more than 1,000 acre wildlife nature preserve. Much more than a zoo, and you can walk throughout. I should talk, having never been there, but have heard incredible things about it. Think it would be worth a couple hours or so of your time, and you get to spend time outdoors which is one of the best things about being here, the weather, especially during March.

6. Check The Desert Guide online to see if there are any festivals or art fairs going on in the valley when you are here. Seems to always be some outdoorsy event going on out here during winter/spring. Can be fun to just stroll along and check out the artisans and their respective crafts on display.

7. Joshua Tree National Park - up Hwy 62 about 45min from Palm Springs. It has some incredible rock formations, and is a popular place for rock climbing enthusiasts. Can spend a couple of hours or a day up there, easy, and there is a lookout point that offers an awesome view of our valley to the south. And of course there are countless numbers of that quirky looking thing called, what else, the Joshua Tree." endquote

Having been to Joshua Tree Nat Park, I agree. I was amazed at how beutiful the park was, I honestly was not expecting much.

cblaisd

And if you get to Twenty Nine Palms when going to Joshua Tree, there is a steak house on the western edge of town on the south side of the highway that had one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life, along with an excellent salad with made-right-then croutons. Sorry, I don't remember the name, but I remember arriving at dusk and they had a couple of big grills going outside that you could see from the road.

Sweet Willie

Of course, we just get back from Joshua Tree National Park (never fails to amaze), and NOW I see this post. Oh well, C'est la Vie, I'll use this info for next time.

just got back from another trip to PSP. Did numerous hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, (mastadon peak, barker dam to name a few)

FYI, there is a south entrance to Joshua Tree off of 10, EVERY concierge has always urged me to use the northern entrances. The south entrance was very easy and not at all crowded like the northern entrances can be. ^ ^

We did exit the park from one of the northern entrances and as we drove back towards PSP we spied a food joint called John's Place, located at 56249 29 Palms Hwy in Yucca Valley, CA. They had some decent pastrami, of course not NYC quality but much better than the average junk that is out there. Mrs Sweet Willie actually ordered the pastrami burger, a hamburger with sliced pastrami on it. I'll be darned but it actually was quite good.^

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jtkauai

Oasis date farm in Thermal. Yum.

biggestbopper

The tram is a very popular thing, people love the ride and the area at the top. But, beware, the food at the top is reputed to be really, really bad. And, under no circumstances buy the meal included with the tram ticket. It is even worse. Eat below, or bring a picnic.

And don't forget the giant outlet mall at Cabizon. Upscale and a lot of fun (if you like high fashion deals).

dhammer53

I'll be in La Quinta next week and want to head over to Joshua Tree.

Should I head east on the 10 and enter via the southern entrance; or, head west and enter the park at Joshua Tree/Twenty Nine Palms?

Our plan is to spend 3/4 of a day at the park.

One more question, should we pack a lunch? Does the park offer any services.

Thanks.

biggestbopper

There is a nice visitors' center at 29 Palms. I would go into the Park there. I would also try to stop for a snack or meal in 29 Palms just to take a look at the Marines and Marine families there. A little contact with these folks will give you an added appreciation for them.

Keep in mind that the distances are huge. You may not be able to see the whole thing in one day. Check the mileage before you start driving. You may be surprized. I know I was.

mattkorey

We just got back from Palm Springs last night. We spent a good deal of the time at the Indian Wells tennis tournament, but also went to the Living Desert Zoo and up the tram. The tram was so cool and highly, highly recommended, not many people there either, I'd recommend doing it on a week day if possible, way better and no lines or crowds. I had been to the Living Desert about 15 years ago and remembered it being great, but truth be told it really wasn't. Maybe I just hadn't been to many zoos before or something, I don't know. It might also have been because it was really hot, but a lot of the animals were out of view and many "off exhibit". Like many of the main attraction were just not there that day. Strange. If I had it to do over I would definitely not have done it and won't again.

One of my favorite things was just eating outside at night, since we can't do that here in San Francisco. So much fun. We went to Matchbox, Copley's and a great Mexican food place I cannot remember the name of at the moment, but all brilliant.

christianj

I am so jealous! We had tickets for the Monday and Tuesday sessions plus a room at the La Quinta via the Priceline deal and we had to cancel the entire trip!! Sometimes I really hate that work comes first but then again it does pay the bills. Hope you had a great time and the weather looked really good in the forecast I saw. Oh...how was Copley's? We ate there when they first opened and it was pretty good. Have been back to PS numerous times since then but we didn't eat there again. Will be back in the area over Halloween for 10 days.

mattkorey

It was delicious, but I really think the best part was just eating outside on a warm night. So great. And the ambience there is nice as well. A bit pricey, but really fun.

The tourney was great, even with everyone losing. Upsets everywhere you look.

Sweet Willie

We are heading back for our annual PSP area trip. I had read that Oasis was closing, anyone know offhand?

Edited to add: Their website still shows them as open, so yes, a date shake is in our future.
http://www.oasisdate.com/

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D1andonlyDman

[QUOTE=Sweet Willie;7270586]Sherman's Deli (one in Palm Springs, one in Palm Desert) has Pastrami that is the equal of better NY Delis. It's actually one of the top Delicatessens in all of Southern California.