what to do in Palm Springs??...HELP!!

my friends and i (4 30something Scotsmen)are staying in the area for 3 nts on March 19th as part of a West Coast tour,we visited for 2 days in 2005 but did nothing but relax..however this time we would really like to explore the place and see and do whatever P.S. has to offer..please help! any tips on sightseeing, bars,clubs, and eateries would be most welcome..thanks.

what to do in Palm Springs??...HELP!!

Palm Springs is a small city and there isn%26#39;t a great deal of nightlife. Best clubs for 30 somethings would be Red 74 on El Paseo in Palm Desert and the Key Club at Casino Morongo in Cabazon (you have to drive to these). There%26#39;s also the Spa casino in downtown Palm Springs if you like to gamble.

Sightseeing

Palm Springs Tram for outstanding views over the desert valley.

Restaurants

Search on www.chowhound.com in the California board

Calendar for concerts etc

search the calendar section of www.thedesertsun.com

what to do in Palm Springs??...HELP!!

Check out the post just below ';HELP! travelling to palm springs from LA'; or something like that.

There are some good sightseeing suggestions there.

In terms of eateries, what kind of food do you like?

Are you staying in Palm Springs or one of the other desert cities?

Great golf here. World class courses. Check out the Red jeep tours at www.red-jeep.com. Always fun and you get to see a bit of the desert.

Beautiful view from the Palm Springs Tramway. (Athough I always get a bit bored after too long) Check out the Polo matches in Indio.

Taking the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is a great idea! Make sure to take along warm clothes to wear when you reach to top. It%26#39;s a lot colder up there.

Here are some links with good information to help you out. The first one is a list of restaurants with pictures.

http://www.palmsprings.com/dine.html

palmspringslife.com/media/鈥?/a>

http://www.palm-springs.org/

http://www.10best.com/Palm_Springs/

http://www.celebrity-tours.com/tour_b.aspx

鈥iator.com/brochure/product_show.jsp鈥?/a>

I would suggest going to this restaurant. Frank Sinatra and Elvis loved the food.

palmsprings.com/dine/lotzamozza/index.html

Here is a restaurant with lots of celebrity history. Celebrity photos are on walls.

calendarlive.com/dining/94173,0,7272316.venue

www.palmsprings.com/dine/melvyns/index.html

And here is information on another Sinatra favorite:

Sorrentino%26#39;s Sea Food House, a favorite of the late Frank Sinatra, offers exquisite seafood in Palm Springs with an Italian flair. The Sorrentino family is in their 54th year of business serving seafood. Their restaurant has been a favorite in Palm Springs since the family moved here 36 years ago. Bill Sorrentino recommends the seafood special, an assortment of crustaceans on a bed of linguini with a white creamy garlic sauce. Entr茅es are $10-$35. Reservations are recommended. Open daily 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. 1032 N. Palm Canyon Drive. (760) 325-2944.

RedlandsRedhead.

LotzaMozza has been open for less than 2 years, so Sinatra and Elvis obviously never ate there. The Gattusos sold the business and there is nothing even remotely the same as it was when they owned it, including the food or the ambience.

Oh, boy, I feel for the hype they put out! Thanks for setting me straight. Is Melyvn%26#39;s as good as it sounds? The review that I read made me want to visit. It said that there are celebrity sittings there and, of course, the food is supposedly to be fabulous. Thanks.

I need to correct my post. It should read celebrity sightings!

Also, I have always liked Los Camponeros (don%26#39;t know if I spelled that correctly) on Palm Canyon Drive. Is that restaurant still there and do they still have mariachis playing at times? I think I would like to plan a visit!

Sorry Ive never heard of that ?? Do you mean Las Casuelas Terraza?

As for Melvyns there is a recent post today on here that talks about Melvyns. Its not really a fun hip place anymore, and any celebrities you%26#39;d see there would be the older crowd.

Usually if you set out to see a celeb you will be disppointed- we see them at Trader Joes or some small store on El Paseo but locals leave them alone as they are also part time residents here.

Yes, that is the Mexican restaurant I meant! Thanks for figuring it out. Is it still there and still nice? Last time I ate there was over 10 years ago. I really liked their margaritas and the little patio on the street.

Who would be celebs in the older crowd? I like old movies and TV and also some of the popular singers of yesteryear, so that would be good. I%26#39;m not a very hip person! Today%26#39;s celebrities don%26#39;t appeal much to me. Although most people might want to see them. From the photos of Melvyn%26#39;s I have the impression it is classy and somewhat sophisicated. Is that true?

Yeah, I know what you mean about seeing celebrities - they are just regular people after all. I once saw a play in Hollywood that was a benefit and saw a well known actress in the rest room and a couple of well known actors in the lobby during intermission. Everyone left them alone. Of course, it was a little disconcerting to check my make up in the mirror next to a movie actress!

acne

Palm Canyon

We are renting a car from the airport. Could someone give me the exact directions to Palm Canyon if we are heading down Palm Canyon Drive? Is Palm Canyon enough or are the other canyons worth the drive? Looks like they collect toll. How much? Thanks so much.

Palm Canyon

Palm Canyon is at the Southernmost end of Palm Canyon Drive, so just head south as far as you can go. To get to Palm Canyon Drive from PSP just go straight out of the airport onto Tahquitz ( you can only go west ) and go about 3 miles and turn left on Palm Canyon, you really can%26#39;t miss it or get lost.

Toll? You mean admission? yes there is a small fee that you pay at the entrance. I dont think you%26#39;d need to see more than one canyon . But the drive is the same as they are all in the same area.

Palm Canyon

$8 adults

$4 children

If you only have 1 day Palm Canyon is enough. take the Seven Sister%26#39;s trail, you will not be dissapointed. the website (indian-canyons.com) seems to be down today, but has more information on all of the trails etc... Also, if you only have the time energy for one hike do the 7 sister%26#39;s and then go to the entrance of Palm Canyon, the entrance is probably on of the best views of this canyon.

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Short Term Furnished Apartments

I will be going up to SF later this year for about 1-2 months and would like to find a furnished apartment to rent. I have done some research on the web and found a few like CitiSuites, but they are way too luxurious and expensive (2500 and up)

I%26#39;m just looking for a studio w/a kitchenette. It doesn%26#39;t have to be fancy, but must be clean and in a decent part of town. Would not like to spend more than 2000/month. Is this unrealistic.

I did fine one w/in my price range called the Trinity Apts, but reviews have not been very good. Has anyone stayed there recently? How was it? Also heard they were gonna tear it down...does anyone know when?

Thanks in advance

Short Term Furnished Apartments

have you checked www.craigslist.com?

Short Term Furnished Apartments

I have, but for some reason, I just don%26#39;t feel comfortable with craigslist. I have heard about lots of scams.

I just want to deal with an actually company where I can book on line and get confirmation # etc. Guess it all boils down to peace of mine :)

nyla818, check out http://yelp.com/ Go to thier SF talk boards and post your question there. I%26#39;m sure you will get some good responses.

I agree that I wouldn%26#39;t send money in advance to a private individual. or an unknown company. When we needed temp housing in another city, we checked craigslist just before leaving (many of the listings are for immediate vacancies anyway). Booked a motel for a few nights while we checked out the most promising listings. You are taking a big chance booking an apartment sight unseen, even if you think the company is realiable.

You may want to check this place out:

http://www.amsires.com/

Crazy4Cali--thanks for the yelp link.

FromDelMar--thanks for your suggestion. That%26#39;s a good idea about getting a motel for a few days while checking out the apartments in person. Never even crossed my mind to do that.

Trinity%26#39;s teardown might be slowed down a bit. Hard to say what is going to happen just yet but there%26#39;s some political wrangling going on:

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi鈥?/a>

Is Oakwood apartments an option, do not know the cost, they have a website.

Oakwood Geary Courtyard (I think that%26#39;s the name.)

The Nob Hill Chateau (I think these are more than you may want to spend though. )

Check out

www.VRBO.com

You rent from the owner and when I was looking for our vacation rental I noticed lots of Monthly only rentals

location matters

I have 2 girls, 7 %26amp; 5 years old.

The end of the days, they are really tired of walking....

I want to stay somewhere very close from the gate, walking deistance so that any time during the day, we can stop by the room to rest.

I also want to have dinner at Mimi%26#39;s or Millie%26#39;s and get the thicker jackets for night time show.

Any recommendations? Please.

I don%26#39;t like the Park Vue Inn.

location matters

Mimi%26#39;s and Millie%26#39;s are next to the Howard Johnson%26#39;s.

And it is on the ART shuttle system

I would stay at HoJo%26#39;s!

location matters

You know, you can rent lockers at the park for those jackets etc for the evening. I think it%26#39;s 6.00 for the day. They%26#39;re large enough to fit jackets/stuff for our family of 5

The monerail goes to the Disnyland Hotel and Paradise Pier hotels...I believe.If the price is affordable to you maybe you should check into them. Just a thought.

Suika, I have a 4 %26amp; 7 year old, and by the end of a full day in the parks, the walk to HoJo%26#39;s was just a bit much for the little one (I ended up carrying him the last bit - not what I really wanted!) As we walked, we were saying ';next time, maybe Fairfield Inn or Carousel';. We chose the HoJo because we always eat at Mimi%26#39;s, but Mimi%26#39;s is just as close to the Fairfield. If you%26#39;re looking to go back to your room mid-day, I%26#39;d consider one of the places close to the crosswalk (Carousel, BW Park Place Inn...) - you can always walk up to Mimi%26#39;s for dinner, but your room will be a lot closer for those afternoon breaks!

viceroy or shutters on the beach?

Hi, my husband and I are ending our California trip with 3/4 nights in Santa Monica for my birthday. We are looking for somewhere boutique-y and trendy but not more than $500 a night preferably with a nice pool, close to restaurants/bars. Are the Viceroy and Shutters worth the money? Is one better than the other?

viceroy or shutters on the beach?

Here%26#39;s a vote for Shutters. The restaurant inside (think it%26#39;s called One Pico) is to die for and one of the most romantic restaurants in the area.

viceroy or shutters on the beach?

If you want ';boutique-y %26amp; trendy'; then it has to be the Viceroy ... Shutters is a beautiful hotel but it%26#39;s neither ... Whist restaurant at the Viceroy is pretty good, still relatively %26#39;hip%26#39; ... considering how quickly places go out of style in this city ...

Do you want uber-hip with hot, happening bar? Then, book Viceroy. Note that Viceroy has one of the best restaurants in LA, but that it%26#39;s not on the beach, it%26#39;s a block away.

Do you want the most romantic hotel you can imagine, with cozy rooms, right on the beach? Then, book Shutters.

There%26#39;s also Casa del Mar, an old fashioned, stately, gorgeous hotel, next door to Shutters, and also on the beach.

These hotels are steps from each other.

The Dana at Mission Bay

We are in the process of planning a trip to San Diego in October. One of the hotel options is The Dana. Would it be ok to bring kids there (boys 10 and 15)? Is it hard to drive from their to the Zoo or Sea world, or USS Midway?

Any other hotel suggestions?

The Dana at Mission Bay

Definitely a good choice, definitely a nice hotel for kids. It is a very quick drive to Seaworld from the Dana, in fact you could even walk if you are walkers. To the USS Midway downtown it%26#39;s about 8 miles - 15-20 minutes. To the Zoo, it%26#39;s about 10 miles - again 15-20 minues. Other hotel suggestions would depend on what you%26#39;re looking for, price range, what amenities you want, if you want to be near the beach or bay (as the Dana) or closer to downtown or to the zoo..... lots of choices.

The Dana at Mission Bay

We are in the process of planning a trip to San Diego in October. One of the hotel options is The Dana. Would it be ok to bring kids there (boys 10 and 15)? Is it hard to drive from their to the Zoo or Sea world, or USS Midway?

Any other hotel suggestions?

The Dana at Mission Bay

It is a perfectly fine hotel for a family. there will be no problem driving form there to any of the tourist sites. It is about 5min from SeaWorld and about15min to downtown and the Midway and perhaps 18 to the zoo.

October is along way off for planning a trip. What are you looking for in a hotel and how much do you want to s pend?

The higher priced (I think) ';sister'; to the Dana is Th eCatamaran.

These hotels are located in thearea we call missionBay and the Catamaran is across the street from theocean as well.

Coronado is a city across the bay from downtown SanDiego ,reached by a short bridge just south of downtown. It has a small town feel with a Mariott there as well as the GloriettaBay Inn%26amp;suites and the historic Hotle Del Coronado. All different prices.

The Dana at Mission Bay

Hey Mom, the sister hotel to the Cat is the Bahia...just so you know.

Thanks for giving me a few more options to look at.

I know I am kind of early, but I like to just have things booked, then sit and wait. I wonder if I would be smarter waiting a bit though for better rates? I don%26#39;t think its that bad now since I am looking so far out. I would just hate to wait and everything get higher.

What is the Hotel cirlce I have been hearing about? Is that just like a bunch of hotels all on one road?

I have not totally set a price limit yet, I just know if at all possible, I would like to stay away from Days Inn, Comfort Inn, etc. because we stay at enough of those with my sons baseball teams for tournaments!

Hotel Circle is just as you suspect - a bunch of hotels around Interstate 8 - a relatively congested area traffic-wise. You would probably enjoy the beach areas, downtown, Old Town, or Balboa Park areas more.

YIkes !!!pb mea culpa you are right ! Oh well sister or no sister it is still a nice hotel.

I don%26#39;t believe rates will go up because October is not our busiest season. If you book something directly with thehotel you won%26#39;t pay for anything until you actually get here and then you can keep looking.

You still hav e lots of time as people now are booking for the summer.

acne

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