Shopping, Dining & Sights Downtown

Forget about the congestion and traffic of most tourist destinations – you’ve arrived in sunny Palm Springs. Anchored by the celebrity hip The Rowan hotel, Palm Canyon Drive is the new pedestrian hot spot – perfect for an afternoon stroll of shopping, dining and sight-seeing.

I began my stroll of discovery in the heart of downtown with a gourmet “Nicaragua Maracaturra Coffee Latte” at the beautiful and airy Starbucks Reserve.

Turning left along Palm Canyon, I browsed the trendy clothes at H&M, and the stylish, modern furniture and home décor at West Elm . I couldn’t resist the silver “rabbit” table lamp, cleverly designed with a rabbit ears finial for an amusing, yet chic look. West Elm’s collection has a mid-century vibe, making it perfect for Palm Springs mid-century mindset. If you’ve worked up an appetite by now, neighboring Blaze Pizza  serves up healthful, artisanal pizzas in the blink of an eye, in a casual outdoor setting.

Crossing the street, there’s a bevy of boutiques brimming with new finds. Frenchy’s Palm Springs has fun and colorful women’s resort wear, as does the Paper Dolls Boutique. While Crazy Shirts may sound – well, crazy – it’s not. I was impressed with its wide array of top-quality t-shirts, shorts, and sports clothing. “We’re the only ones who use wine and key lime as the dye in our apparel,” the cheery salesperson told me. “That’s appropriate,” I thought, eyeing the wine-dyed (reddish and pink tones) apparel touting California, which is, of course, a major wine region. Crazy Shirts also exclusively features apparel with the Kliban cat. You’re sure to find new hip sunglasses at Sunglasses of Palm Springs, and at Ooh La La De Paris Eyewear.

Entering Destination PSP, it’s filled with everything I love about Palm Springs – gorgeous and sophisticated products for the Palm Springs lifestyle – all with a mid-century modern flair. From dinner and barware to clocks, jewelry and among my favorites, the killer PSP sunglasses cases and best-selling tissue box covers in the likeness of the Coachella Valley Bank building, one of Palm Springs’ mid-century modern architectural icons; you’re sure to find the perfect gift for others – and yourself. Destination PSP also makes the official merchandise for Modernism Week, the Palm Springs International Film Festival and other valley events, so it’s the go-to for these unique and collectable mementos in apparel and home décor.

Then, delighting in the big colors and bold themes of stylish contemporary art, I wandered through the Elena Bulatova Fine Art gallery. From whimsical elephant likenesses to larger-than-life portraits, the gallery focuses on mixed-media painting and sculpture by Elena, Efraim Mashiah and other international artists.

Who knew downtown Palm Springs has classic records? Yes, collectors will find the best in vintage vinyl and knowledgeable sales folks at Palm Springs Vinyl Records and Collectibles.

By now it was happy hour. No worries. I’d passed so many fun spots, the only choice was where to rest my feet.  The Tonga Hut Restaurant & Tiki Bar offers a hip Polynesian vibe and views of town and the mountains from its upstairs location. HooDoo Restaurant & Bar is a hip outdoor cocktail scene right on Palm Canyon at the Hyatt Palm Springs.

Palm Springs has reclaimed its’ reputation not only for fun in the sun, but for a sophisticated, yet casual vibe.