MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I want to do one more warm weather trip to round out "my getting out of NYC as much as possible from December through March." I already have trips planned to Miami, San Juan, Rio, and LA and was looking for a new destination. AA has NYC/PSP for $258++ (which would also make a semi nice 2012 qualification MR) and Palm Spring is one location I've wanted to visit. Also, I am starting to think of places to live post NYC (Manhattan is not kind to older people unless you have major money) so its a place I want to see what kind of vibe it has and is it a good place to grow older. I'm not looking for a FLL where older men try to without any shame act 25.

Any ideas for things to do, places to go and see. Unfortunately, with all the time that I have scheduled off and will want off for the remainder of 2012 I can only spare a couple of days there.

getsaround

PS and FLL have a lot in common, but are also very different.
PS is small, yet has really good restaurants and nightlife. It is oriented to the West Coast. Many from LA,SFO, Portland and Seattle. I've even met guys from Anchorage there!

Like FLL there are many "seniors". 60's is considered "chicken" in PS (LOL). It's known as "God's Waiting Room" for good reason.

Coming, as you do, from NYC I think you'd die of boredom living full time in PS. FLL maybe a little better.

While I enjoy a few weeks in both , they really are nice places to visit but...........

98103

PS is great if you golf, like to shop, are a porn star (chaser), or tan easily.

KenCT

Various FT members have been getting together in Palm Spring annually for years. If you search this forum, you'll find lots of information on places to stay and things to do. I visit almost every year and have lots of notes, which I will send you if you PM me. But I have to agree with those that say that you'll get bored really quickly.

goteed1

Agree with other posters that the pace of PS is VERY different than NYC. It is really a full on retirement community. There's no real industry there, so it doesn't support a lot of middle class working families. BUT since it's a retirement community and a big gay community as well, you do have a lot of infrastructure that's important for you. i.e. health care for seniors, gay resources etc. It gets extremely hot in the summers, 110 degrees is not uncommon. Cost of living is pretty cheap though, compared to NY, so at least you can afford to keep the AC on all day.

The whole point of Palm Springs is not to DO anything, it's designed for relaxing. You do have easy access to some nice West Coast cities, L.A., San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas as well.

I think the desert heat would drive me crazy in the summer if I had to live there full time without a job. But for a weekend or a few days, it's a really sweet getaway. (Also VX is launching direct service from JFK to PSP in December I believe and then PSP to SFO as well).

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Since we already have a multiple page thread on gay retirement I don't want to rehash it here but PS has a lot I would want (warm weather, low cost of living, good services). What I was asking for is a good place to go in PS that would for the lack of better words give me a "feel" for the place. I've been to FLL and it seems like its a huge gathering of 55+ that still want to shop for clothes at Gaymart and go dancing every Saturday with their shirts off. I looking more for friendships, some activities such as hiking, biking, etc., a nice house, not looking to recreate my very fun filled circuit party days.

itsaboutthejourney

Agree, we should almost have a master thread on PSP as there is a lot of good info/advice in the Do threads as well as others specific to PSP. OP should really do some homework.

peteropny

To be fair though - the Do threads (as well as many of the other ones on PSP) focus on the gay resorts (and their atmosphere). Not a lot of info on what to do.

FWIW, I've often thought of the idea of Master Threads for locations for our GLBT forum but never implemented it since the scene seems to change "all the time" and the forum isn't really busy enough to discourage new threads (not that people shouldn't search for existing info and add / ask questions in them) and organize the forum in ways that busier core forums need to be organized (like "my" two other forums Hyatt and National).

malsf1

I spent a few years going to PS for the same reason. There is truth that the PS men tend to be older, but there is also a good mix of younger guys too. As a result of my travels there, I finally bought a house in July as a vacation/retirement home. I have met some great guys there, and the older men tend to act their age. Much of the gay population in PS are transplants from LA and SF, but I have met quite a few guys from the east coast as well.

PS has activities outside of the bars and clubs. The art museum has a decent art collection, there are many art galleries, and there are several parks and wildlife areas to explore.

GuysInCT

My friends in PS say this is always a great week:

Modernism Week in Palm Springs - February 16-26, 2012

KenCT

I know it's ridiculous to compare a world class city like New York to Palm Springs, and certainly the Desert Art Museum is "decent." There's also the Air Museum, the tram, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, nearby Joshua Tree National Park, a great collection of mid-century modern architecture,
Moorten Botanical Garden and the Village Fest on Thursday nights. That's pretty much it. I don't know the OP, but even with regular trips to LA or San Diego, I can't imagine not getting really, really bored after a short while.

malsf1

I was responding to the end of his post, which says he has a couple of days to spend. I do not disagree that the activities available would run out after a certain period.

jamiel

For the short-term purposes of the OP, there's plenty to do in PS for a long weekend/short week for even the most jaded New Yorker. Modernism Week is a fun event, with lots of interesting stuff to do.

We've been going for the last 5 years, and this year are starting to re-do things which we did the first year (Joshua Tree, for instance). More fun, though, are the friends we've started collecting who we get to hang out with. Some are in PS, some are in LA and come in while we're there, others travel with us/in conjunction with us.


Longer term, for a longer commitment, there are some conscious shifts you're going to have to do to down-gauge and slow down if you're making a move. The heat will enervate you...there's no doubt, but we're told you adjust. As with FLL, there is a certain amount of "alcohol fueled" life which you need to come to grips with.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Well the trip is planned for early March and I am looking forward to it. As discussed many times before finding a place to retire as a gay man is not easy and our community has not yet come to full terms about growing old. Sadly I see too many older gay men constantly trying to insert themselves in the world of youger gay men with horrific results but thats another thread for another time.

Thanks for everyone's input and info.

malsf1

Enjoy your trip and report back!