Architecture With Elephant and Hummingbird

The one downside of Lucy and Ricky's Getaway is that the Internet connection is dicey. I can write a blog post -- especially now, in the middle of the night, when no one else is online -- but browsing is a challenge. So if I'm scarce elsewhere in blogland at the moment, that's why.

Yesterday was the busiest Valentine's Day I've had in a while! Dave wanted to rest in the morning, but I was eager to get out and get some exercise, so I left him lounging in the room while I took a long walk. I headed south through downtown and then back north again on the two main streets, Palm Canyon and Indian Canyon. I imagine I walked a couple of miles.

Palm Springs is known for its mid-century modern architecture, so I was paying special attention to the buildings and lines. Once I got away from the stucco-and-barrel-tile-roof section of downtown, everything was more as I remember it -- sleek, low and white. I like this look and this time period, and of course the desert light was beautiful, so I had fun taking pictures.

Of course, the problems of the world have not bypassed Palm Springs.

In late morning I went back to the room, and Dave and I set out for lunch. He really wanted to go to In-N-Out Burger, and there wasn't one in our immediate vicinity. We had to drive several miles south to Rancho Mirage, and on the way we passed a Goodwill in Cathedral City. Woo hoo! I bought a shirt and Dave, to my surprise, bought THREE!

Lunch was fantastic. In-N-Out seems like a well-run place with well-trained employees, who seem cheerful and attentive. We both marveled at how good the food was, how polite and friendly the staff. Apparently Anthony Bourdain was a fan, which put it on Dave's radar, and I understand why -- the food is really made there, not frozen and packaged somewhere else and simply re-heated. I watched a guy making fries from whole potatoes, and the meat was grilled right in front of us. Fast food the way it was meant to be.

As we were walking to the car, Dave exclaimed "Look!" He pointed to a low bush in the parking lot...

...where this little hummingbird was feeding on nectar. Amazing! I think it's a Costa's hummingbird, though I am no expert and my slow Internet connection is making it hard to do very comprehensive identification.

Oh, and remember how I wrote about the Elephant Super Car Wash sign in Seattle? Well, they have one in Rancho Mirage, too!

We headed back to Palm Springs, to buy a map of the modernist houses there and do a little self-guided architecture tour. It started before we even got the map, when we passed Bob Hope's former home, sitting like a spaceship on a mountaintop above the city:

We picked up a map at the visitor's center and it was very comprehensive. There were about a hundred buildings listed. We got a helpful flier with an abbreviated "must-see" list, so we followed that instead.

These steel houses -- which are literally made of metal -- were built in the north end of town in the late '50s. I love the design! It seems like steel might get hot but maybe with insulation they work well in the desert.

We also saw several grander structures, like this house formerly owned by Dinah Shore. I think I read that Leonardo DiCaprio owns it now. (Dave quipped that it "looks like a funeral home.")

Anyway, I'm glad we didn't try to do the whole tour. We saw enough to get a sampling and that was enough for me.

In the evening we had VERY STRONG drinks at a bar recommended by a friend of ours -- if there was any tonic in my gin & tonic I sure couldn't taste it -- before going to dinner in yet another rooftop restaurant, this one overlooking the mountains. I had scallops but to tell you the truth the whole meal was a blur!

Today it's back to L.A. for one more night.