What's it like living in Palm Springs?

It's heaven. New and affordable soulmates keep arriving every day on the Greyhound bus from LA!

You can still get an architecturally significant home there, an Alexander, a Krisel, possibly an Eichler, for $ 250,000- $350,000. (Ten years ago , these same houses were $ 500,00 -$700,000). Palm Springs has the largest concentration of mid-century modern homes, in the world.Gay couples have been scooping these properties up, as retirement homes, or if you live in San Fran, or especially L.A. , or San Diego, as weekend retreats. Whole neighborhoods have been taken over, with the result being that we , the 'creative' ones, have restored, and brought these homes back to glory.

It's 110 degrees in the summer. If you like golf and tennis it's a good place.otherwise not much to do there...

The area outside of palm springs proper is very very Hispanic.

The pool water gets hot, and there are these really long, flying cockroaches at night. Or there used to be.

Do you like dates?

OP - Housing prices are still dropping slightly. People do stay all summer, but many get out of town in Aug. - up to the mountains, to Laguna, or LA. Don't worry about being on the fault . Nothing's tall in PS, so no buildings to fall on you. Lots of great restaurants, cafes,bars. Great hotels too. Easy living, with beautiful weather, large gay community,

[quote]are these really long, flying cockroaches at night. Or there used to be.

[quote]Do you like dates?

I don't live in Palm Springs but we have those things here too and I cannot eat dates anymore because they bear a striking resemblance to those roaches. Now that winter is over we will be having lots of those flying suckers around.

The year just wouldn't be right without groggily staggering to the shower only to be confronted by a dog wearing an insect costume sitting on the shower wall.

What r2 said. I just had my offer on a house accepted yesterday. Prices are back to what they were ten years ago. I sold my house ten years ago for $390,000 and moved to a condo. Sold that about five years ago before everything crashed and moved back to the Chicago area to take care of my ailing parents. The person who bought the house sold it for $700,000 in 2006, and just sold it again in January for $390,000. Ouch.

One thing to know are terms about property. Land is either fee land (you rent the land from the tribe) or fee simple, where you own the land. Something like every other square mile is either fee or fee simple land.

Anyway, I love it here and thrilled to be moving back. Paradise most of the year, and I happen to like the summers as well.

I was loking into buying a condo in Palm Springs. A local real estate agent didn't have much encouraging to say though. He said the market is practically a seller's market again where only cash offers succeed. Is that right?

I moved here last spring after being in La for 25 years. Coming from a big city, it's quite an adjustment. It's gorgeous here, but a bit dull at times. The pace is very slow, but that's something I was looking forward to after the rat race.

I'm retired. so it seems to suit me. If you're young, you might be bored. LA is only and hour and 45 minutes away, though.

We're right in the middle of Modernism week...so there are lots of people in town for tours and such. Fun.

All I did today is hang by the pool and read. Bliss.

You can have a lot of sex there, I hear.

You have to drive everywhere. Otherwise I'd be there.

I love to drive, just not all the time to get anywhere.

RE 9 - Yes , there's something about the air there, and the heat, not only do you feel horny all the time, everyone looks great, tan and buff-cause you usually walk around with just a T-shirt, and shorts. I love it- but then I live in Chicago, and its 39 right now -75 in PS. Can't wait to go back. I would love to live there.

isn't a lot of gay pron made there? lot of pron boys around at the gay bars? are there gay bars?

There is a lot of pron filmed in the gay hotels. (There's a lot of gay hotels) There's a lot of bareback pron in Palm Springs. Remember, ladies, this is a retirement community. Other than tourism, there's very little industry here to support a healthy middle class, so most of the gays you see here will be the DL dreaded eldergays. And also the pron actors you see here will be the grizzled old poz actors you see in the hardcore pron. On weekends, when the tourists from LA, San Diego, SF etc show up, the bars get populated and the crowds get a little younger.

Lots of gay bars, but they really only get packed on some weekends and holidays.

Other nice things about Palm Springs...A GREAT little airport, look for the bust of Sonny Bono..A wonderful art museum, surprising for a city of this size...because of the all of the showbiz gays who retire there, there is a thriving arts community...The gay gym (Golds) will inspire you. There you will see hundreds of Tom Bianchis, 70 year olds with the bodies of porn stars...NO TRAFFIC EVER!!!...good shopping, very good restaurants.

In the summer, if you are not used to 110 degrees plus days, you will never leave your house.

My favorite thing about it is the lovely smell of the desert and especially so after it rains.

There is no there there.

Um, r7. It's a BUYERS market. Your agent is a ninny. Get a different agent.

It first goes over 100 degrees in April. It is over 100 every month thru October. In July/Aug/Sept it is over 110 and HUMID! It sucks. And yes, I've done it. For over 5 years. And I'm over it!

And the average age is over 100 also.

True -BUYERS market there now. So many amazing houses, almost all with pools. Look in south P.S. however - north is considered less fashionable, and the wind whips up there unbelieveably. North also gets the noise from jets taking off, at airport. And stores are much nicer in south P.S.

RE 12

Are there gay bars there ? P.S. is like 75 % gay ! Toucans is fun-has strippers. Arenas Rd. has several bars in 1 blk. Hunter's is the best. And tons of gay hotel /motels. Many are clothing optional...at least around the pool.Good gay restaurants too - Trio, Tropicale, are 2. Friday & Sat., El Mirasol is packed - great margaritas. Also , depending on your budget, great shopping. Huge outlet mall, just outside of town, with all the high end brands. And Palm Desert has El Paseo - just like Rodeo Dr. , with luxe sores, and prices. Gucci, Cartier, Saks Fifth Ave., etc.

I would imagine that if you're well off, you could live a very nice life in Palm Springs.

[quote]A wonderful art museum, surprising for a city of this size.

Gee, now I know where to head to first when I get to Palm Springs.

I'm saving up my pennies, hoping to have enough to retire and spend my winters in PS, but my summers in P-town. I'm sick of living with so many heterosexuals. They assume that I give a shit about their children and their boring activities.

May I suggest you rent first? It's not for everybody.

Thanks for all the info so far...one other question: How is the air quality? Being east of LA, does all of their nasty air end up in PS? I could never live in LA because the air is caustic to my throat and eyes.

Also, how rat-racey is it? Are the people snobby/elitist at all? I felt a hint of that when I visited but perhaps I'm wrong. I saw a lot of Ralph Lauren polo shirts and wealthy-looking older people.

RE 4 You will have your share of 'attitude' , but many of them are from LA, and bring it with them. The people who live there are very friendly usually. Like anywhere, you have 'cliques' - old money gays live in Las Palmas area, younger hipper live in south PS (Deepwell, Twin Palms), and many who want a neighborhood almost exclusively gay, & a mid century modern home, live in Racquet Club Rd estates, & El Rancho Vista estates. You must remember, there are lots of people there with money, but there are lots there who choose it for the weather, the inexpensive housing, and yes, because of the large gay population.

Lots of very old queens in PS. I would love to open a caftan shop out there. I bet I'd make a mint.

But you can't make a profit if you're taking all the inventory home and wearing it, r26.

Well the positives outweigh the negatives by a wide margin.

Although it's easy enough to hook up for a sloppy bareback fisting session to move right over into the positive column.

Born and raised in LA. My folks would often take us there for weekend get-aways. What kid would not love spending all day and night in the pool?!

Fortunately, I have been able to keep the tradition alive. There is something about Palm Springs that is so absolutely relaxing. Maybe it the slow pace, the scenic mountains and the live and let live attitude. Even though it's a small town, the bars can be fun on weekends. Little attitude because everyone is there to have a good time. Living is very casual. Except for winter nights, Tshirts and shorts are appropriate everywhere.

I'm not sure I want to live there full time, but housing prices are so low, I think I might be able to afford a condo as weekend and vacation place.

Not true anymore, R18. The North Design District along Palm Canyon is now booming with high-end furniture stores and boutiques, and restaurants.

can anyone suggest a good clothing optional resort with lots of daddies?

I'm 28, but just now realizing the appeal/attraction

is CCBC the place to go?

There appears to be a cluster of towns in the area, each with its own culture and personality. There are Palms Springs, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, La Quinta...

Love the Comeback episode shot there.

No need to be a smart arse R21. Whoever mentioned the art museum was right. It's a really excellent gallery and some of us like a bit if culture.

OP - rent before you buy.

Seniors Day at Walmart.

[quote]And the average age is over 100 also.

Funny.

And true.

RE 30 - We we speaking of the neighborhoods / houses - places to live.

Yes, the north end of town is full of great furniture stores, mostly high priced mid -century / 60's-70's merchandise, some with real rare finds, and some excellent restaurants. (Still struggles a bit though. DWR , had a beautiful store there, with a large patio, and abruptly closed, several months ago).

Anyway, anyone will tell you, the south end of town is much more coveted, for several reasons, including being wind free. North end has had lots of new cookie cutter subdivisions, higher crime, and jet noise, from being at the runway's end.

And most of the gay resorts are clustered in the south part of town, in the Warm Sands neighborhood, as are The Ace, Horizon,Viceroy, & Parker Hotels - all considered the best in town.

I'm thinking of a temporary (4-6 month) stay in Palm Springs.

Does anyone have any advice on short term rentals? I'd like a small single family house with a pool and a fenced in (preferably walled-in) yard in a decent location.

I know summer isn't the season people flock to PS; any ideas of the best place to look? Craigslist isn't producing much, mostly a bunch of shitty condos out in Indio or Cathedral City. Recommendations as to cool locations that aren't all oldster?

I like this on in Palm Springs (araby cove)

We keep a house in Old Las Palmas. We're there, all in all, about three and a half months every year. I don't think I'd want to be there year round, but it's great to slip to when we get tired of the cold in New York in late January and February, or for weekends when we're working in L.A. other times.

You just have to find the right people, like everywhere. Regular visitors, as opposed to new tourists, are more fun, usually, except for the old-and-too-much-money types. We also like to mix it up with the old TV/movie people, and the year-rounders, because they have that whacko Palm Springs mentality and is part throw-back to the 50's jet set and part "We're just plain folks who like golf" types.

RE 41 - Who are you ........Michael Feinstein ???

What is Rancho Mirage like? Is it livable if you're not an octogenarian? Any areas that should specifically be avoided?

Most of Rancho Mirage is very nice- its the community past Palm Springs, and Catherdral City (where you don't want to live) - more adjacent to Palm Desert, which is an older community. If you don't mind the short commute to P.S., where all the action is, it's not bad.

Isn't Palm Springs mostly for eldergays now?

Is Cathedral City the really sketchy-seeming part?

What about La Quinta?

Sarah Silverman's dad tweets about life in I think it's Palm Springs, but maybe it's Boca.

Probably applicable no matter what.

RE - 46 Yes - car lots, and mini-malls. Its a place you drive thru, to get to R.M., and Palm Desert, and La Quinta.

La Quinta is the last town, in the chain. Nice, but almost all eldergay golfers.

I love Palm Springs- the cool hotels, the heat, the men. Sure there's lots of old queens there - but there are also alot of elder daddy's who , for their age, are in amazing shape. Think Tom Bianchi. I can only wish, when I get their age, to have the guns, and abs, they do. And the clothing optional places are another place to meet the younger hot guys. Something about the air, seems to make everybody sexed out.

The Ace Hotel has a very cool vibe. Love their pool parties. Great mix of gay & gay friendly people there. And Koffi is right across the street- good place to meet guys in a.m. Palm Springs is fun. Someday, hope to be able to have a plce there.

Love PS- going out in April to visit an X who lives there now- I love to play tennis and there are wonderful "clubs"/settings (Mission Hills Country Club is my favorite). Very gay friendly of course- yes a bit older- but always have been plenty of younger men around. There is something about the place, dessert, mountains, the artificiality of the irrigation, the dry air. I am very likely to have a place out there some day not too far off- or whenever I stop working full time.

Everyone is always tan there, which I love. You can take a corn-fed mid westerner, whos cute, but pale, and that tan transforms them into hotness . You notice it alot during week of the White Party- they show up on Monday, and by the time they leave , after the big weekend, they're buffed up, and bronzed. Something special about the sun there.

Some people think the summer's there are just too hot - but if you're laying on a raft, in a pool all day, drinking several margaritas,. it's heaven. Never feels like 105-110. You just dunk in the water for a second, and you're refreshed. And yes, you get the most amazing tan there.

It just seems like a boring cliche, where old gay geezers go to die. And nothing flatlines like being around a bunch of old gay men. Good lord.

You can literally feel your T-Cells plummet as you enter the city limits.

When it's 115 - 118 degrees which is can be in the summer, the pool water is too hot to even be refreshing.

While more people do live there now year 'round, Palm Springs has always been seasonal.

To be there in December for the parade, January or February is fun and exciting.

In June, July August, like being in Sahara Desert. It can literally fry your brain just walking from air conditioned car across parking lot to air conditioned restaurant or home.

RE 57 - I don't get your comment - please explain. Are you saying it's good, or bad ?

RE 58 I've been in Miami, or for that matter, anywhere in Florida , in the summer, and I'd much prefer the dry desert heat, than the misery of that damn humidity down there. Plus the trashy peeps that gather there. Yuck- Florida, unless your on Star Island, is a sweaty cesspool.

I moved to Palm Springs from Seattle and I'm ready to move back. ....miserasble from June till October. ...really not much to do here and it's 2-2 1/2 hours to LA, which is a long ass drive with noting in between to see.

Nothing in between to see!? What about the world's largest roadside dinosaurs!?

And the date orchard - where you can get a fresh date shake ! You also pass near Hemet, where Scientology built Tom Cruise an exclusive compound. Wonder if he ever slipped into P.S. for a little late night nude spa action, at one of the clothing optional resorts, in Warm Sands ?

What are your electric bills like in the summer? Must be $400 month.

Do they also have Drive-Thru skin cancer treatment centers?

R61, What promted the move from Seattle to begin with? Living in L.A. I have thought about moving to Seattle. The biggest reason not to is the rain, fog and drizzle. I think it would be depressing. I know Seattle has high suicide rate also.

That being said, there is no place in U.S.more beatiful than Seattle on a sunny day.

So thats what, 3 or 4 days a year

Have to live somewhere with lots of sun - probably have SAD (seasonal affective disorder). If too many days go by, where it's overcast / cloudy, rainy, or snowy, get very depressed. It's like my body is craving sunshine, and blue skies. So Seattle, Portland, anyplace in mid-west, and most north-eastern cities, are out for me. Leaning towards L.A., San Diego, or Palm Springs area at this point. P.S. seems like you get more house for the money. Those mid-century , light filled homes look very tempting.

Friends with money live there. That's what I always think of when I think of Palm Springs. I love those mid-century modern homes. But I could never live there. The desert creeps me out. I'll be visiting in a few weeks. Friends live in the Old Tennis Club area. They're in their early 50s. They love it there and stay year round. Like they say about NYC -- A nice place to visit, blah blah blah

Palm Springs looks and feels great when it's not 110 degrees or 115 degrees or higher for weeks on end.

Other issue is too far to get to beaches, other cities without being on freeways and not nice areas in between.

It's the perfect L.A. get away with someone nice.

Any sex parties?

R71, if you're looking for sex parties, try Malibu on the weekends.

There is nothing worse for you than sunshine.

For your skin - yes. But I have to have it to make me feel good. SADS is not a joke. It's been proven, scientifically, that light filled days will improve the condition. It's like being in a dark, depressing room, and suddenly the light is turned on, and you see the beauty of things.Doesn't mean you have to be outside baking in the sun.

I moved from Seattle to Palm Springs in 1995 when it was pretty much a ghost town. My friends were convinced I was moving into a nursing home. But I knew things were going to change for the better, which turned out to be true.

I truly love it there, and left in late 2005 to care for my dying father and elderly mother. He died about a year ago and so now am moving back in early April with my mother. My folks spent six months of the year there for about 20 years. She is thrilled to be going back.

SAD is nothing to be dismissed. Maybe it's because I'm a Leo, but sunshine energizes me. As for being in the sun, I always baked when I was visiting but never did when I lived there. You get enough sun just going to the grocery store (providing you're generous with the sunscreen.) My only addiction was being in the pool as much as possible. My Sundays were spent submerged (like the noble manatee), clinging to the side of the pool reading the New York Times, the LA Times and perhaps a book. There was a tree that provided enough shade so I was like a little sundial, following the shade.

As for the hi-larious geezeer, meth, poz jokesters, I'm pretty sure you're the ones who never left Warm Sands when you were visiting.

RE 71 - or Almost any hotel/motel in Warm Sands area of P.S.

Very racist. Like the 1950s.

Who's racist ? What are you referring to ?

Befriend people who have a condo/house down there. I did that, with an older couple, from LA, who had a weekend house there. Really stunning. Could use it whenever they weren't there - as long as I 'took care of it'.It was all good till I met some guys at a bar, and had them over for a mini party. One got really drunk, and sat , their vintage Van der Rohe Barcelona table. It shattered.

They haven't invited me back since.

Ouch. I love that table. Don't abuse friends kindness/generousity

OMG, this thread is so inspiring to me.

Do people smoke pot out there.

I'd just love to sit out on the porch at night to the sound of the crickets, smoking pot.

Floating round in the pool all day.

Do people have westies in PS? Wouldn't they get too hot in that weather? That could be a problem. I'd love to breed dogs in my old age.

r81, that's what air conditioning is for.

We have a Westie (used to be two) here in Alaska and judging from the way our little guy will park himself three inches from any intense heat source (fireplaces, space heaters, the oven) I think they dislike cold more than heat.

That said any dog would not live well without AC in Palm Springs' summer. I have a Pug I might move there, but not without constant access to A/C (not swamp cooler) and lots of shady spots in the yard.

RE 81 It's like anywhre else. They smoke pot, drink,do drugs,have sex- only more so, and in pools, & more glamourous homes.

[quote]it's 2-2 1/2 hours to LA, which is a long ass drive

You must drive really slow. It never takes me much more than one hour 45 minutes to downtown.

Me too - without much traffic, I just zip there in 1 & half hours , and I live in Westwood.

Don't the rich gays have vacation homes in Laguna Beach or Santa Barbara?

Did the Alexander Inn up on Soledad close down? That was a fantastic gay-operated little hotel.

The man who broke my young heart lives there, used and abused me...left me a wreck for years. Stay away from tall, dark, handsome, federally-employed sociopaths with political ambitions.

Some in Laguna, very few in SB.That requires big bucks P.S. is favored, I believe, because of the opportunity to buy affordable, architecturally significant homes, has a big gay population, and while it may be foggy, and cold, in LA, LB & SB , it is sunny, and 75-80 in P.S. That way, its speedo, or naked, all the time.

The city gov't is mostly gay and mostly horrible and useless including the mayor/realtor. Until recently they employed a rabidly homophobic police chief who only left after being taped using "faggot" repeatedly in a gay vice sting. He retired with a humongous golden parachute courtesy of the gay citizens he so despised. The lame gay mayor and the useless lesbian councilwoman never spoke out against him. Truly a sad living-in-the-past little town.

More about that (now) lesbian city councilwoman's 2 murder trials...

[quote]Was Ginny Foat truly "innocent" in the 1965 bludgeoning death of an Argentine businessman visiting New Orleans or was she found "not guilty" simply because there was too much reasonable doubt in the minds of a sympathetic jury?

Where do the SF gays own vacation homes?

Russian River, R91.

What the he'll does any of that have to do with anything ? All cities seem to have trouble with their council people / police chiefs / mayor. PS is no different . Sonny Bono used to be mayor, for God sake. I've lived there, and overall, think they do a good job keeping the city clean, gay friendly, and welcoming to all visitors. It's a better gay Mecca than San Fran., which is now filthy, with homeless people defacating everywhere, drug pushers ruling neighborhoods, and lousy weather, 300 days out of the year. Loved that city, but it's the place that has really lost it's way - the inmates have really taken over the asylum.

If a gay city government that hires and defends a gay bashing police chief is something that you like R93 then you are in the right place. Congrats.

Plus, LA's only 100 miles from PS. San Fran is 600 . Flying from SF is best, but then you have to rent a car. LA. - PS is a breeze.......and if you have a convertable Beemer, like me, you get your base tan on the way down !

That police prick is gone. Cruising / sex in bushes & cars lives on !

Have any of you seen Kyle, Mauricio or Kim Richards in Palm Springs?

Or Suzanne Somers!? Is she a bitch IRL?

[quote]We have a Westie (used to be two) here in Alaska and judging from the way our little guy will park himself three inches from any intense heat source (fireplaces, space heaters, the oven) I think they dislike cold more than heat.

R82 your post is useless without pics.

(Adorable) link, please.

& talking of TWO westies...have you ever seen this?

They couldn't have choreographed it better.

Ground Zero for Skin Cancer clinics?

[quote] I'd love to breed dogs in my old age.

Which brings us to the venerable "laugh or cry" question.

There's no better place than Palm Springs.

RE 97 They have a home in Palm Desert, which in many ways, is nicer than Palm Springs - has the Rodeo Dr. like El Paseo, with Saks, Gucci, etc. And though it doesn't have the history of P.S., it has better shops, restaurants, and south P.D. has some beautiful homes / estates.

I am moving back to Palm Springs next month, after a dreary exile of six years in Minsk, Illinois.

Can. Not. Wait!

As R104 says Palm Desert does have some good shopping. It's a little more "white bread" in flavor to me, though. It's figuratively and literally in the middle of the Coachella Valley.

Palm Springs has more charm, more gays. It seems to me after living here for two years that it attracts the more liberal citizens of the valley.

If I wanted a country club sort of lifestyle I would pick Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage which to my mind are both more upscale than Palm Desert (especially Indian Wells).

If you're gay you'll have more fun in PS.

That's the truth ! Palm Springs has a funky vibe - S. Palm Desert, especially El Paseo, screams $$$. Have lunch along that street, and it's Bentleys, Jags, Mercedes, and lots of blonde haired older ladies, that look like John McCain's wife. N . Palm Desert, they all look like trashy Sarah Palin moms.

Do gays live in Palm Desert, too?

Yes, but certainly Palm Springs is where the majority live/visit. My partner, and I live in south P.D. , in a lovely home, on a 17,000 ft. lot. We have a joke that once our gay friends see how much more home /lot you get here, they'll discover this area, and begin buying. Our friends in P.S. have these little mini pools - we have 16 x 32 ft. beauty, and large front & backyards, and gardens. We visit P.S. all the time, but love our Palm Desert life, and home.

Don't forget if you are going to Palm Springs and want to have some homosex, bring some condoms with you, because they don't seem to have any out there.

R39 I have a friend that lives in LA but leases out her house in PS...really nice with pool and all the amenities

RE 109 I have said for a long time, that the Palm Springs gays will expand eventually into Palm Desert. South P.D. does have big lots, and homes, for less than the (now desired) gay hoods in P.S., like Deepwell, and Twin Palms. The properties there can feel cramped. P.D. does offer those beautiful big lots , 13,000 - 20,000 sq. ft., with wider streets, and a more robust business district. We'll see what happens in the next 10 years.

Is Big Horn in P.S., or P.D. ? Saw a TV show , where they visited producer Jerry Weintraub's house, and it was amazing ! Up on the side of a hill, with pool that came into his bedroom. They said it was in area called Big Horn.

Big Horn is in Palm Desert. Seriously insane money. I managed an art gallery on El Paseo, and it was not uncommon to have clients spend 12k or more for art in the powder room.

I saw the Weintraub house on some show, and believe me, it's somewhat modest compared to some of the others.

But what's mind bending is that these homes are second or third homes, almost like roughing it in the wild.

Having never been there, I'm confused. If Palm Springs is the place to be, why does everyone say Palm Desert has the great stores & shopping ? Are there no good stores in P.S ? I know I've read P.S. has good furniture stores, but HELLO, I'm a 25 year old gay man - I want clothes. Nice clothes. Where do I go ?

It's a beautiful place but nothong can be done on foot.

I was at a batthouse next to a palm tree grove in Palm Springs once. I was kinda toasted, sitting outside, looking up at the trees. I didn't really feel the six point earthquake but all of a sudden all these queens caming running through the doors stark naked, out into the courtyard. It was like The Running of the Twinks.

To get an idea of Palm Springs, picture a little white maltese, with a desperate expression, flinging itself against the rear window of a hermetically-sealed, white-on-white Coupe de Ville, while the 95-year-old Eldergay behind the wheel rips across three lanes of traffic to get to an Early Bird Special.

RE: and if you have a convertable Beemer, like me, you get your base tan on the way down !

MARY!

On the other hand, two of my best friends live there and are totally cool people. They don't compete in the car Olympics, they're low-key athletic/artsy types with warm, fun personalities and a lot of old money in the bank. I just don't care for the desert, personally. I always wantto be near water, all my vacation are on or near water, etc. Palm Springs is very nice on a cool evening when they close down the Boulevard and you can take a stroll with friends. It's unique because usually you drive everywhere. If I lived there, I'd get a cool car to take out into the desert at night. Everything in SoCal is better at night, I think.

It's guys like that who come in on the weekends, and say things like I heard last week , at El Mirasol " Where am I staying ? Honey, I have a second home here". Pre tensch ous !!!

I always thought Wang's Friday Happy Hour was the pretty fun socially. What would be another night that compares?

Wangs crowd is usually a bit older- but Fri. / Sat. is always a look-see crowd , as is El Mirasol, especially Fri. nights, when a lot of the LA'ers have driven in, and are dying for a margarita, food, and then sex later, after hitting more bars. Trio is a bit more expensive, but popular Fri./Sat. as is Tropicale, and Copleys - sit outside-lovely patio. A hunky waiter there used to do porno......you'll know him.

Palm Springs sounds fun. Thinking about coming for a visit. Anyone stay at The Ace ? Looks trippy in the pics. Is it walking distance to bars, restaurants ?

R13 nailed it.

I have friends who've been there and they said how it's very hot all the time, their neighbors have nonstop parties, and if you don't have lots of money don't try to live there.

I thought it was relatively chep to live there. Housing seems reasonable. Wheres the expense ?

RE: Wheres the expense?

Utility bills in summer and gas year round to go away to avoid heat or boredom of desert living.

After visiting Palm Desert Mall and Paseo, walk down Palm Canyon, there is no there there.

It is like anyplace - there are high end places, and cheap ones. There is snob appeal.' A' gays have restored mid - century homes, with authentic vintage furniture, less well off live in apartments, and gather around the common area pool. A gays usually live in south P.S , others in north end , or middle. A's eat at Copleys, Viceroy, Spencers, or Parker - others at El Mirasol, Ace, etc. Cause it's Cali , and so close to LA, your car Is important. Convertible anything, or if you want to appear cool, if you want to look like an 'A' gay, Benz, BMW, or Range Rover, are a must ! Don't be driving an old beat up Nissan around - it screams " I live here, but I'm a waiter". Sounds harsh, but that's the way we roll in the Springs.

Lord wont you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsche's I must make ammends.

Have any of you run into Miss Bianchi there? What part of PS does his live in?

Yes - Tom Bianchi lives in Warm Sands area, where all the clothes optional gay resorts are. Are you surprised ? He's 2 blocks from it all. Lives on Vista Oro.

bump

What about the Ace ? Good place to stay ?

Ace is a hipster-ish mixed crowd. Tattoos are a major fashion statement. The pool area is a fun party place. Lots of hotties, often with girlfriends. Youngish crowd, painfully hip. Great people watching if you can stomach them. Dog friendly. Twenty-somethingish women with those low, loud droning voices. Titties.

[quote]your car Is important. Convertible anything, or if you want to appear cool, if you want to look like an 'A' gay, Benz, BMW, or Range Rover, are a must ! Don't be driving an old beat up Nissan around - it screams " I live here, but I'm a waiter."

This made me think about my wealthy friend who lives there. Even though he's the richest guy I know, he drives a 10 year old RAV-4, I think. But that's just not where his intersts lie, cars. Mine do, though. I would have the coolest car if I lived in Palm Springs. Something I could take out into the desert at night, put the top down, crank the stereo, and fly.

Do lesbians live in Palm Springs?

Yes, lots of them. And on Dinah weekend every year, they take over the town.

Shit. I was a neighbor and didn't know. Now I'm hurt that I wasn't a soulmate. I had everything except looks, charm and money.

But it seems that money is not a prerequisite for soulmate.

Huh ???

I hear that like Hell's Kitchen, it's overrun with whores.

Of course darlin

RE 140 The hustlers are more subtle there. When their used up date hits them in LA, they head to PS to be bartenders, waiters, AND to find a sugardaddy in the desert, the older, the better, who'll be their security, and leve their home, and cars. Then they age, and the cycle starts all over again.

But it's a dry heat...

RE 142 I think you meant " and leave them their home, and cars". To meet anyone, you'd have to leave your home, or car.

How long to get to San Diego, from PS ? That's probably the closest beach, right ?

Remember, your in the desert- closest beaches are Oceanside, in San Diego, and Newport, in Orange County. Both about 1 hr., 45 min. away.Or go to Lake Arrowhead- only about an hour away.

If the heat gets too much for you, you can take the tram up to Mount San Jacinto. The temperature drops 40 degrees as you travel up to 10,830 ft at the top.

I've done that before. It's like 80 in P.S. , you get on the tram, get to the top, and its all snowy. Beautiful. Pine trees, trails. A different world.

I think the White Party is next week. Whats it like when you live in PS and the whoreds (don't correct sp) invade ? Always imagined it as an all boy version of " Where The Boys Are", in the desert .

bump

Isn't it carpet munching weekend?

R146, it is:

you're in the desert

or

you are in the the desert

NOT 'your in the desert'

you're is short for 'you are'

If you're of retirement age or in the witness protection program, then Palm Springs is great. If you're young and still interested in having an active social life, clubbing, etc. then it's a fun place to visit but it's not time to move to Palm Springs.

I'm here now - the girls have been unleashed this weekend, Bikes, dykes,dykes with tykes. Moss munchers, Dinah dolls - I'm waiting for next week. The estrogen level is overwhelming now - need my big, butch,testosterone muscle heads to clear out the Lez factor, and have the town overtaken by MEN,MEN,MEN !!!

They're on their way into town now - tomorrow night's the first parties, and they are decending on PS like flies. Big, muscular, tan flies ! Yippie !

Just got back. Where do these queens get all that money? Stayed in the historic tennis district and some of these places are like something out of a fantasy. Nice place to visit. Very eldergay.

White Party this weekend with Mary J headlining.

I wonder how many stretched out holes there will be on Monday? Lots of clapping when walking around PS.

Any suggestions for someone looking for a little house with a pool in the fenced backyard and allowing pets for a couple of months or so? PS seems like a good place to just reset yourself.

Okay, I had a great time, I have to admit. I was saying I didn't like Palm Springs, could never live there, etc., but when I got out there I immediately relaxed and had a good time.

The weather was perfect, my hosts magnificent, the atmosphere mellow. For a New Yorker, it's weird since everyone's in cars. But you can walk down Palm Canyon Drive and you'll see plenty of people around.

I love the al fresco dining and the mountain hikes.

I highly recommend it for a visit, just to check it out.

Like a lot of places, there is a big difference between visiting there and living there. Palm Springs is a lovely place to visit, but a horrible, horrible place to live.

I spent 18 months there for a work project. I just couldn't get over how bored I was whenever I wasn't working. There is NOTHING to do. I was 33 at the time, and the only people anywhere near my age were younger guys in their 20s who tended to be hustlers and tweaked out hot messes. I did have a couple of hot hookups with visitors (never a local), but they were too few and far between to make up for the long stretches of phenomenal boredom.

The only thing it was good for was my workout routine. I had no life to speak of so I worked out pretty much every day. I got in shape in Palm Springs! I did enjoy being on the treadmill at Gold's Gym, with its gorgeous view of the valley and the mountains.

By the way, I found the overpraised constant sun felt oppressive-- like if I was under interrogation lamps.

I was so happy to end that project and get the hell out of there and back to New York.

It's all a matter of choice. Some people love Vegas, some hate it. Same with P.S. It does have perfect weather 10 months of the year- some want seasonal change, some don't. I would never want to LIVE in NYC, but I sure like to visit. Same with P.S. i visit often, but don't think I'd like to live there, year round. Same with Chicago, or D.C. With it's close proximity to L.A. though, it's a great getaway, for a 2nd home, or weekends. I do think soon, it will be considered the gayest city, in the US.

Are there any gay hotels that would charge me a fee to let me use the pool for a day without staying overnight?

[quote]It does have perfect weather 10 months of the year-

ROFLMFAO

PS is hot as hell from May thru Sept. 110 degrees is not unusual. And it is humid also.

Many of the gay resorts do Have day passes, R162. Ace Hotel is pretty mixed, but they definitely have the nicest pool for hanging out.

What the hell is going on in Dowtown Palm Springs? I was there this last summer and the burnt out building and closed down shops made it feel like a ghetto.

The far right-wing Palm Springs local newspaper just endorsed Rmoney for president and they are catching hell from their online commentors. How a town that is allegedly so gay can have such a nazi newspaper is baffling.

Allison Janney loses the William Holden estate to foreclosure:

A sprawling two-story, multimillion-dollar steel-and-glass house designed by Modernist architect Hugh Kaptur appears to have been sold after Emmy-award-winning actress Allison Janney and a co-owner lost it to foreclosure.

Since the nearly 8,000-square-foot, five-bedroom house at 2433 Southridge Drive was priced at $2.25 million, it has received multiple offers despite the need for considerable renovation, said Steve Enlow, broker associate with Keller Williams Realty in Rancho Mirage.

“We’ve got a potential buyer, and an offer was accepted for them,” said Enlow, who handled the listing for the bank. “It’s just a beautiful home with unobstructed views.”

At $2.2 million, the buyer will pay a little more than half of the $3.9 million price that Janney and restaurant consultant Gregg Rapp paid in 2006, according to Desert Area Multiple Listing Service records.

Janney may be best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the TV series “The West Wing,” but she has also appeared in many films such as “American Beauty,” “The Ice Storm” and “The Hours.”

Architect Kaptur designed the house, which was built in 1977 for the late actor William Holden. The famed actor died just four years after the home was completed.

The property has been listed, de-listed and re-listed several times over the past several years, with an asking price as high as $5.5 million in March 2010.

The assessed value of the land and house was $3.6 million, according to the latest figures from the Riverside County assessor’s office.

Louise Hampton, a broker associate who has handled many high-end homes in Palm Springs over the past three decades for Prudential California Realty, said homes in the prestigious Southridge Drive area in Palm Springs are known for offering some of the best views in the valley.

Renowned architects such as William Cody and John Lautner are among those who’ve designed houses in the enclave.

The house that Janney and Rapp owned for about six years before it was repossessed is on nearly four acres. There are some 19 estates there that have been home to celebrities such as Steve McQueen and Bob Hope, as well as famous businessmen such as Chicago inventor Stanley Goldberg.

The house includes a spacious master suite with a two-way fireplace, 36-foot-long walk-in closet and dressing room, a large foyer leading to a living and dining room area and long expanses of floor-to-ceiling windows and sliders.

It has a fully paneled library, a separate Balinese-themed media room, an eat-in kitchen and a gigantic lower level entertainment room with built-in wet bar.

The golden years of Palm Springs is over, it's a dump now

Dump? why do you say that?

They made a big deal of the "design district" in the desolate north part of PS. Several of the high end stores that opened closed within a year. It is dead and dangerous in that windswept part of town and always will be.

Bump for Palm Springs

Can anyone update us on how Downtown is looking? Has the development started?

BORING. The queens get up and start drinking and have a bbq, then go to bed early after getting wasted. Water will be in very short supply in the coming years and Palm Springs is going to dry up.

I thought Palm Springs had it's own underground supply?

I always thought I'd like to spend half the year in PS when I retire. After reading this thread I'm starting to think that I might get bored with PS after a year or two.

Palm Springs was so beautifully featured in the 1985 Stephen Geoffreys comedy "Fraternity Vacation". I've always loved that movie, and it always made me want to visit PS. The Casa Verde condos, which is where most of the movie was shot, are still standing, and they are gorgeous.

I am looking to buy but may be priced out of PS. Any thoughts about the surrounding cities like Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City?

Boring boring boring!

It's where old ugly gay men go to die!

Nightlife sucks, music sucks, cruising sucks!

I think Desert Hot Springs is considered pretty trashy. Cathedral City is also a little lower on the quality scale than the other desert cities (but not as low as DHS or those and the eastern end like Coachella and Indio.) But there are good and bad areas in most cities.

It seems lots of the gay guys I knew way back in San Francisco are now retiring and moving to Palm Springs. They can't afford to work and be in San Francisco at the same time. They seem to enjoy the place. I guess it is better for older gay men than younger ones.

Wasn't PS historically quite cheap? Bubble, bubble, bubble!

I saw a documentary on The Salton Sea awhile back. There is a HUGE ecological disaster there, and the winds are increasingly blowing crap towards the PS area. Good luck with that.

Lots and lots of grey/white hair!

Average waist size is 38 (not including Tom Bianchi, if you can get past his awful body odor)

Boring retail experience. You have to go more than 6 miles out of Palm Springs (Palm Desert's Westfield Mall) for anything remotely okay.

Night life, a total joke with folks addicted to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson silly remixes and also lots of uncool retro crap. House Music of any kind? NON existent!

Fashion? Go to El Paseo in Palm Desert. LMAO………..the desert's laughable version of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. There are more art galleries than actual stores. Hardly any young type of retailers there and lots of very old people stumbling along.

Apartment complexes to rent? No new construction in many many decades. Good luck on this one.

Gay life is a joke unless you enjoy getting intoxicated on liquid Geritol. There is no more "gay cruising" at all, period!

There is no bath house. The clothing optional resorts are run down, dirty, many of them rude. Lots of ugly, fat, small genitals hanging around.

Mid Century architecture is INCREDIBLE!

Great weather 8 months out of the year!

Once in a while young people visit on the weekends.

Holiday weekends are sometimes okay (actually it's good since any other time is awful, relatively speaking).

Highlight of the year? The White Party (the only highlight of the year)

No more spring break fun (Sonny Bono, dead deceased former Mayor, eradicated the famous Palm Springs Spring Break known world wide).

The city of Palm Springs is populated by a plethora of business and development OBSTRUCTIONISTS. They block every conceivable plan for progress that is brought forward. They want this very sleepy behind the times town where they can live their last days in peace. Of course they don't understand that that position does not provide for a vital tax base, as we know "rich conservative folks" find ways of diminishing their contribution. ;-)

Stay away, it's not worth it. Even if you are older but still have a vital, youthful forward thinking mind, stay away.

Average age is more than 6 years older than California average. Most young people here are Mexican.

Tom bias hi has body odor? :O

R183, thanks for the scoop on Palm Springs and taking the time to write it up!

excellent post

r183 yes, thanks for the PS update.

For the past few years we've been looking into buying a second home for retirement. I must say, I was more impressed with Palm Springs than I was with Ft. Lauderdale/Wilton Manors. PS has better weather and the neighborhoods looked nicer, too. I'm thinking we may not want to still maintain a residence up North after all, since it will be so much more expensive to pay taxes, etc. on 2 properties. We've done well, but we're not super rich. Maybe if we rent a place somewhere else during July & August, we can have a place to escape without the huge expense or hastle.

Oh yeah!

Has anyone here ever taken the cable car up the mountain?

Wish I'd done it when I was there.

humid? How? It's a desert.

The view from the top of the cable car isn't all that great - you can't see LA or even the Inland Empire, just east.

The ride itself is fun-scary, the cabin rotates as it goes up and when you pass the towers holding the cable, the whole things swings gently. I loved it, but then I love roller coasters.

Someone say hi to Jay Spadafore for me, I miss him incredibly.

My partner and I keep talking about it.

The pluses are the 8-9 months of lovely weather, the fantastic homes at affordable prices, a somewhat gay friendly area, and being a few hours from LA.

The negatives are the extreme heat, the fact that almost everyone is over 60, the huge community of working poor and homeless there, and the hideous, shitty nouveau riche taste everyone has there.

When you go in that cable car, bring some WARM clothing. I went up in my shorts and tee-shirt like a moron and there was snow on the ground and it was too cold for me to stay up there very long.

Also a really horrible restaurant up there.

More negs than pos's there R192. I suggest you look elsewhere.

[quote]there was snow on the ground

I just think that's the coolest thing to go from desert heat to snow like that.

[quote]Also a really horrible restaurant up there.

I can imagine.

I once saw a reality show and they went up there and took riding lessons-the hot teacher wore incredibly tight jeans that I remember to this day.

Kinda what I'm thinking, R194.

We've also been thinking Carmel/Monterey, Portland (too much rain), Seattle (ditto).....

You either love it or hate it. One friend tried it out before buying, decided he couldn't stand the heat and the gay scene, and bought a place in Austin instead. I know I couldn't live there but I'm partial to water and green mountains. I have other friends who live there year round. They live in a beautiful home at the base of this giant black mountain. I'd advise taking a nice long vacation there as part of your decision.

I'm saving aggressively for a vacation home somewhere down south. Must be a gay friendly place, so naturally PS is right at the top of the list. But now I'm wondering if I should look into other possibilities. I'm even considering checking out Puerto Vallarta. Does anyone know anybody who has purchased a vacation home in PV?

There's nothing wrong with the restaurant at the top of the tram ride, R193. I had a terrific little lunch.

Update:

I checked out the new Copa Lounge in Palm Springs.

Gorgeous place!

Awful music, the same old tired remixes of Michael Jackson junk. Do these DJs even know about the wonderful variations of hot dance House Music? NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!

The crowd? LMAO!

Fugly…………tired old out of shape grey haired men who can't dance, straight women rudely pushing their way around, angry masculine lesbians, a few unattractive Mexican boys, unfriendly un-attentive bartenders, etc.

What a waist of a beautiful venue!!!!!!!

[quote] What a waist of a beautiful venue!!!!!!!

Oh, dear.

Outside of all this..... Is it a good place to live ?

Somebody on this thread doesn't like Mexicans.

Way too hot in Palm Springs half the year. If you can afford to, live in Palm Springs from November through April, and then in Guerneville from May through October.

Palm Springs trannies seem happy with the place.

How do you define "good place to live?"

I find Palm Springs a tony biit dull, not that I'm really seeking big-city excitement or anything. It seems like a resort but without any underlying reason for it to be there; the immediate surroundings of it are flat, uninteresting desert. However there are scenicand interesting places nearby: Idyllwild, Mt. San Jacinto State Park, San Bernardino National Forest, Big Bear Lake, Joshua Tree National Park, Whitewater Preserve, the Colorado River, Julian, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are all within an hour, some a 2-hour drive. Los Angeles or San Diego, basically 2 hours away. Plenty of recreation, and a great area if you're a golfer. But the city of Palm Springs itself seems very much like a quiet small town to me, in fact something of a retirement town. This in spite of its Hollywood celebrity history, its gay-friendliness and gay population. There are a few gay bars and those clothing-optional gay resorts, and a handful of art and culture shops that cater to the gay tastes, with all the art books, gay-oriented books and all that. But I think it still has a limited appeal, mainly to people seeking a quieter, more suburban style of daily life. The constant heat for half the year is the deal-killer for me.

I'll be actually moving there myself in a couple years,I'm moving from Minneapolis so I'll be trading 5 months of brutal cold for 5 months of blazing heat,Sounds like a good trade to me !

It's like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy

[quote] The pluses are the 8-9 months of lovely weather, the fantastic homes at affordable prices, a somewhat gay friendly area, and being a few hours from LA. The negatives are the extreme heat, the fact that almost everyone is over 60, the huge community of working poor and homeless there, and the hideous, shitty nouveau riche taste everyone has there.

R192, my partner and I are debating almost exactly the same points.

The affordability of a house is pretty amazing here, especially if you are a big fan (as we are) of midcentury modern or modern houses - generally they are between 400K and 600K here, where in most other cities they are closer to 800K - 1 mill.

But the four solid months of roasting heat is a minus. Everyone here seems to have hideous "island" taste - went to a men's store on Palm Springs Drive (or whatever that main drag is) and it was all shirts that looked like the upholstery from the Golden Girls' couch. And I am not a fan of Mexican siding/roofs on homes (though I understand why it's done - for heat minimizing purposes).

You have to really love heat in order to live there year-round. Even with air conditioning or evaporative coolers, misters and swimmimg pools, the heat is still a significant factor. Many people leave for the summer.

not sure about all the weather concern...in the east (DC, NYC, Philly, Boston), the summers are horribly humid with heat indexes that exceed 100. And the winter chill index is frequently in the single digits. In the east we run, dripping wet in 100+ degree heat, from a/c home to a/c car to a/c work etc. How is that any better than PS?

I agree with the heat trade-off. Last winter in the Midwest was unbearable. I spent collective months indoors. How could the heat be worse?

It does feel a bit like an oven, I'll admit, but that's better than a fucking icebox.

My wife and I moved to S. Palm Springs 12+ years ago. The wife wondered if she would be happy here in the summer heat. I promised we would move somewhere else if the heat made her unhappy. The result -- we both love it here and we have concluded that summer is our favorite time of year. Traffic is never really bad here most of the year but in the summer it thins out quite a bit with the "snowbirders" having left. It's great and we love it. Regarding gays. If you choose to live here come with an open mind. We have made many good friends here. Some are "straight", some are gay, some are young and many are older. If you come here to live -- get involved in the community in some way -- and I think you will find people are mostly like people everywhere else. We are very happy with our friends and they seem to be with us. So please keep an open mind about everything. We make trips to Seattle to visit family and friend -- but are always glad to get back "home" which is Palm Springs "forever". Signed -- Anonymous.

Great post.

You make it what you make it. Altho in the 2 months that I am here in a vacation rental and having lived here for 5 years in the early 90 s, I do agree it can be boring and there isn't that much to do. The bar/sex/drug scene is pretty heavy. Maybe for people from san Francisco or LA moving here home prices may be less, but its gotten way overpriced in my view. Also the mid century homes are not well built, and generally most of the properties here need rehabbing. Palm springs stores are generally tourist tshirt type and el paseo in palm desert is a lesser version of Rodeo Drive.........there is an H and M in the mall in palm Desert. I think living in a more mixed place/city that isn't openly homophobic is the best answer. To me, there is an unhealthy and destructive vibe about the gay scene in palm springs. Often it is gays that are the most judgmental and brutal with fellow gays.

I am in Phoenix not Palm Springs but am thinking of making the switch to living there. Funny all the concerns about the heat. That is my attraction to the place. I love the heat. Give me that over a 5 month Chicago winter anytime.

Which is a better place for gay men aged 40+ to live: Palm Springs or Santa Fe?

The heat really is something else - we live in Vegas and still when we visit PS it just wears you down after awhile. It's kind of a walking city on the "strip," so by mid afternoon everybody is wilting and gasping for air by 3p.

[quote]That is my attraction to the place. I love the heat. Give me that over a 5 month Chicago winter anytime.

Me too. Prefer that to the dank winters followed by the dank muggy summers in London (incl. the half-arsed air-conditioning ).

Real heat to me is exotic. I even liked August in New York when I lived there...but I was stoned all the time, which helped.

The desert, any desert, is not for everyone. But some of these posts are really uninformed or lack perspective. My husband and I have travelled to PS many times, we were even married there. We have spent weeks and months there in many different parts of the valley and at different times of the year. Like others on this post we are seriously considering moving there. We are in our early and mid 40’s and hope to be out there in the next few years. We won’t be retiring just relocating. We currently live in DC. The weather here is horrible most of the year. It is not conducive to outside living. It is either too hot, too cold, too wet, too cloudy or just too nasty. You adapt and learn to live with it. You learn to jog in 98% humidity for a quarter of the year, and bike when its 35 and windy and cloudy for the other quarter of the year. You can’t open up your house for more than a few months each year unless you like air conditioning or heating the outside. And the sun makes only a minor appearance for another quarter of the year. Really, there are only a few months each year that can be described as ideal weather. That is not true in PS or for sure most of Cali. People in Cali can’t comprehend any of this, no matter what part of Cali they are from. East Coast weather sucks. Months of gray cloudy wet weather for most of Fall and Winter followed by a few nice months like May and June. Then sweltering heat followed by a nice few months in October and a little of November. And DC isn’t anywhere near as cold as NY or Boston. They suck even more. And having been born in Boston those endless gray cold winters are totally for the birds. In comparison the Southern Cali desert is a paradise. About 7 months a year the weather is fine for outside living. And the nice thing about summer is the lack of people around the valley. Yes, its incredibly hot during the summer months and humidity does creep in sometimes from the monsoons. And that makes 110 degree heat even worse. But as the sun goes down the temps drop quickly in the desert. Even during the summer months, as long as the monsoon wasn’t in place, we found being outside at night very nice. Temps in the evening in the high 80’s to low 90’s feel very comfortable to us. That could be just us though. We are used to 98% humidity and 95 degrees of temp in the summer. When you spend two minutes outside your clothes are soaked, the air is so heavy it’s like breathing molasses, and at night the temps barley budge from their daytime highs. The valley couldn’t be more different. Maybe someone who is used to the moderate coastal climates of Cali might find it way too hot but for us it was awesome. We don’t mind the 100+ dry hot days and as long as we hydrate we are much more active in the valley than back in DC. And traveling around Cali we found Northern Cali way to cold and damp. And even Santa Barbara was too cold and chilly for us. As for the people in the valley, like most of Cali they are from everywhere. You take them as they come. We have thought about many other places and the valley was perfect in all the things at the top of our list. It was the only place that was close to several major urban areas, close to other climate zones for a change of scenery, and had a slower pace of life. We are done with the rat race. Yes it’s got some issues for sure. Electricity costs are high but get a solar system and that takes care of that. There is the problem of water in the desert, which could get worse. And the Sultan Sea’s ongoing issues and sometimes nasty smell are putrid. But that is not too often. There is higher than normal property crime in the valley because of its large number of vacant rental properties and high number of transient people. And Palm Springs does have a seedier trashy side where homelessness is an issue and drug abuse and street crime are real problems. Palm Springs is not Sedona that is for sure. But violent crime is below national and state levels in most of the valley communities. And it’s certainly a slower pace of life. It’s not some mini-Hollywood as some

Such frail flowers to think that Palm Springs is too unbearable in the summer--bah!

It's fucking dry, and the nights are gorgeous.

What the fuck is wrong with you people?

Gee whiz, summers get hot in the desert, ummm.. whoopdy-dooo.

Sure beats the hellholes of 100+ in Chicago where old people die because of humidity.

Fuck, Palm Springs has beautiful weather in summer, fall, spring, winter--year round.

If you are such a weenie that you can't be in a hot summer, then where in the hell do you live now?

After all the snow we've been getting up in the Northeast, I've been thinking more about our eventual retirement and move to Palm Springs. I wish I could make the move sooner, but I'm afraid I'll never be able to find a decent job in PS.

How much do your electric bills run during the summer months?

[quote]Sultan Sea’s

Oh, dear. And true Californians do not say "Cali."

R222,

If you have retail experience or hotel or spa experience you may have a shot, if not you may have to commute to Riverside or something.

You will not be able to commute to L.A. for work, I've been told that it simply is not feasible.

Best of luck to you.

Hire Body By Sean. A LI girl who still goes to circuit parties.

Hmm. It's about 85 and sunny right now in Rancho Mirage. Whats it like in NY today?

R221, I live in Las Vegas. I am hardly a frail flower.

Palm Springs in the summer is ridiculous. Yeah, you get used to it - but you don't ever actually enjoy it.

When I lived in Hollywood in the late 1980s visiting Palm Springs "to get away" for the weekend was one thing BUT actually moving there later in life in my mid-fifties was completely another.! I can only suggest, rent first before you buy. I would suggest this for any place you first move to. Please, please remember life is what you make it BUT your surrounding can make or break YOU over time!

OK NOW hear this Palm Springs is really pretty tiny, just like P-Town on the Cape but without the freezing winters. YES there are GAY MEN there.....the old kind for the most part and when they aren't old they are the drifting kind that somehow always end up draining you, if not from your money then emotionally.

Palm Springs is NOT for the young or for individuals who need to remained employed. Living there can be very limited. The senior men I met there might have money BUT they led very dull lives. In general everyday become the same......alcohol ruled from dawn to dusk and then there were the male prostitutes who were usually hooked on drugs.

I ask YOU is this how you want to spend your "golden years". Drinking yourself to an early grave, watching TMC in the evening and working out a price for the locate 35 year old hustler to sit on your face?

PLEASE read what other's have stated again and again - Palm Springs is a lovely place to visit, but a horrible, horrible place to live.

There is truly NOTHING to do. There is NO walking, it's always the car here and there and then on to the gym. Oh ya the gym, a place no gay man can live without! Well in Palm Springs some gay men do work out BUT a lot don't they "pretend to workout" and then after a few minutes it's straight to the sauna or steam room to "pray for some action". Many of our population spend their whole afternoon waiting and hoping for unknowing youth to enter the sauna and allow the elders to feast on his young naked body. It never happens. Once anything attractive finally enters the steam room or sauna they look around and see these reptiles perched to bound and they quickly leave and the next day - if they are smart - take a one way bus ticket back to L.A. - It's sad really.

By the way,I found the overpraised constant sun felt oppressive. Give me the four seasons any day NOW.

Beware............

[quote]I ask YOU is this how you want to spend your "golden years". Drinking yourself to an early grave, watching TMC in the evening and working out a price for the locate 35 year old hustler to sit on your face?

I believe you have described the ultimate Datalounge aspiration

No gay men under 65 live there.

HIV dominates the manscape.

NO good restaurants in the entire town.

Economically declining since the Great Recession — lots of empty storefronts and a gutted mall.

But very pleasant weather in the wintertime.

I live in the LA area and am retired. I have been going there for short trips off and on for the past twenty years, and while I always enjoy it there, I really never imagined trying to live there, at least not year round.

However, in the past five years or so, I've gotten really fed up with the traffic and congestion in LA. I thought when I retired I'd be doing more things, but I find that most days I can't bring myself to deal with the traffic.

The one nice thing about Palm Springs is the much slower pace of life, and it's so much more pleasant to drive. Unfortunately, as has been mentioned, there isn't a whole lot to see and do.

PS for Pure Shithole. The white people are nuts. One has to be indoors from May to November, while racking up astronomical electric bills. One must drive everywhere for the most part. The heat is unbearable and when the humidity comes in (yes, it gets very humid there when a hurricane is hitting Baja) it stays for weeks on end. Then comes the stench rising from the Salton Sea. Worst 5 years of my life spent there with my cheating, lying ex. Thank God we didn't get married.

I was there yesterday. I loved it.

R220

MARY!

I live in Palm Springs and, yes, I'm one of the old retirees. These comments are generally right on: summers are HOT, you must have a car, lots of Gay resorts, sometimes it's too quiet. The restaurants are usually very good but not top notch. People go to movies a lot, maybe to cool off, and we have lots of movie theaters. The Palm Springs Museum is really worth a visit even if you're not into Art. It's a spectacular building totally unexpected in such a small town out in a desert. If you're Gay, Palm Springs is really the only place to live in the Valley. I don't find it much more expensive than most towns. The biggest expense is the price of CA real estate. The winters are usually sunny and warm and cool at night. As soon as the sun dips behind the mountains, though the temp. drops a lot and the furnace might be needed. I enjoy the contrast. Bar life is so so. I've been in much nicer Gay bars around the world but ours are crowded on weekends, for sure. Music is loud and Hunters on Arenas is the biggest and best dance bar. There seems to be something in the air out here that makes all the negatives of living here OK. Maybe it's the spectacular view of the mountains that come right into downtown or maybe the easy open Gay life that means for once in my life I'm not a minority that needs to be guarded or fearful. I like it here.

[quote]Don't the rich gays have vacation homes in Laguna Beach or Santa Barbara?

Laguna and Santa Barbara used to be 2nd home vacation towns but they would now be more expensive than your primary home. Anything on or near the beach in SoCal costs a fortune now. You don't need air conditioning!

It's like living in a nursing home where the youngest person is 75, and everyone has full-blown AIDS.

Hi i wanted to ask something in this thread as myself and my wife are hopefully moving to palm springs in a few months.

We are moving from long island new york and have many gay friends and want some insight on life in palm springs? i noticed some posts about good house music and also wanted to share that i was originally from the UK and i DJ and will be hoping to DJ at some parties in PS as i do here on Long Island New York.

so any info on life at palm springs and if you want a good house DJ ( that also plays live funk guitar while i spin....) check my site..

www.djgarystewart.com

thanks everyone!

thanks

wow just read through the rest of the thread - is it really that bad?!

Planning on renting a house for 2 weeks in February. Looking at Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, and Palm Desert. I am single so will want to be convenient to Palm Springs to both host and get in to town quickly. Which has the best views?

It's the only place where they serve Truvada flavoured ice cream.

Hey guys, I came across this thread and wanted some recent information. I'm thinking about buying something now for retirement in 10 years - I currently live in LA and ALL of my friends are doing the same.

For the people who live there year round, do you enjoy it? Are you happy living there? The prices are so reasonable I'm getting pulled that way.

My only concern is the heat but I'm thinking that might be okay since I can be a nester and don't need to go out unless I really want to. Please weigh it...thanks!

My partner and I moved about 3 years ago and love it. Albeit it can get hot in the summer.

It's just so damn hot - but love the winter time.

Great for the lgbt community and the eldergays. They always seem very happy. Not sure about the lesbian community though.

I live in the Palm Springs area full time. I have gotten to the point where I appreciate the summer more than the cooler months. February was way too cold for me. Also the snowbirds thin out in the warmer months leaving the place to the brave.

[quote] It's the only place where they serve Truvada flavoured ice cream.

Okay, I LOLed.

I would love to live there for a few months a year but year round is too much.

Thanks R248 - I'm hoping that would be the case. I'm actually looking forward to paying cash for a condo or whatever and keeping my rent control apartment in WeHo. The prices are so resonable (I would even say cheap).

Are others happy there? Happy with their choices of retiring there?

I am somewhat happy with it. I only wish the air was a little cleaner. As I age I wanted to be in a smaller place that will be easy to navigate over time. It is very easy to meet new friends here and also nice that LA is still within driving distance.

That's great being able to meet people easily - everyone does seem to appear to be happy. I didn't know there was a air concern...actually surprised to hear that as there is wind. I would think that you could easily find a smaller place with the turnover. Do you find the healthcare good? I have Kaiser and would like to stay with them. Is there a Kaiser hospital there?

I use Kaiser Palm Springs. There are offices there but the big stuff is contracted out to the private hospital.

Okay - that is nice to know. I would like to have everything in the same place. You like Kaiser there?

I do like Kaiser Palm Springs. Also I have used the office in Indio too. Everything works as it should. There are some complaints about Palm Springs that I have heard. Mostly that it is both age and race segregated.

Thanks R256 - I'm actually on Zillow looking at condo's. Is there a specific are you would recommend? I would like gay, of course, older is fine and respectful (not loud) neighbors.

R238 LOL sad but true.

I'm worried about air quality too, and the options for health care.

We leave Portland, OR in mid January for a ten week stay in Palm Springs. We have become rain birds. Last winter there was more rain in PS than PDX.

I'm acquainted with a real estate agent whom I know to be well above board. If I was going to buy there, that is whom I'd approach first. But if you do move there, or even stay for more than an hour - layer sunscreen all over you like it's icing at a three year old's birthday party. You will find your skin is burnt to a crisp unless you do.

What happens if there’s a blackout, or worse the Russians or Iranians knock out the power grid? In the SUMMER? I can’t imagine PS could be inhabitable.

I really want my husband and I to retire to PS, in about 10 years (we’ll be 60 then). The main hurdle, though, has always been the hellmouth summers. Buying a condo somewhere with mild summers isn’t really an option, since we’d like to buy a nicer house in PS.

Well, this morning I had an epiphany: We can rent a whole apartment on AirBNB for the summers! Somewhere milder, too, like Buenos Aires, Ireland, Denmark. The rent would be a hell of a lot cheaper than carrying a mortgage on something. AND we’d get to experience living in a different country for a few months.

Yippee!! Can’t wait to retire!