Palm Springs Trip Report - Nov. 16 - 24, 2015

Three of us rented a house in Palm Springs to get away and relax.  Shortly before leaving, one cancelled leaving me and my usual travel friend on our own.  The place we rented was called "The Largo Ranch".  It had its own backyard pool and hot tub which was our selling point.  We paid extra to have the pool heated to 85 F/ 29 C daily.

This is going to be different from usual trip reports.  I'm not going to go day by day, just go over some highlights.  Honestly, I didn't write anything while I was there...it wasn't one of those trips with a daily itinerary, it was just supposed to be R&R.  Below is house pictures and it really was exactly as advertised as in the link I included above.

First home cooked dinner (below) at the house was BBQ Pork Chops, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus and Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions.  We were less than a ten minute walk to a huge Joe Albertson's supermarket.  It supplied us with all we needed including alcohol and wine of every variety. A cab was less than $5.  If we would have known Palm Springs Airport didn't have a duty free, we could have shopped there before returning home...

Amazing view walking back from Albertson's.

We took cabs everywhere we went.  We were about a $12 fare to downtown Palm Springs.  For my birthday we went out to Trio Restaurant.  Service was nice.  The food was pretty good though the Scallop dish was excellent and I also liked the Ahi Poke a lot.  They brought me a complimentary carrot cake.  One waiter also gave us some suggestions of bars/clubs to check out while in town.

Ahi Tuna Poke $10

Mandarin Oranges, Toasted White Sesame Seeds, Onion, Soy, Sesame Oil, Tortilla Chips

Fried Artichoke Hearts $8

Caper Aioli Dipping Sauce

Yankee Pot Roast $21

Slow Roasted, Carrots, Pearl Onions, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Scallops Pan Seared Rare $26

Cantaloupe Habanero Sauce, Israeli Couscous, Seasonal Vegetables

Our waiter suggested we go to the "Gay Strip" in town tonight, so we did to check out the "Men's Underwear Contest" at a place called "Hunters".  It was so much fun and we had a good time.

Thursdays in Palm Springs have the "Night Market".  A bunch of streets downtown are closed off and become a local flea market.  So we checked it out.  We were really hungry and I unfortunately made the choice of a Tiki Bar.  While the drinks were good, the food was not.  Very disappointing.  They did throw in a free a dessert though...

My Boozy Mai Tai 

Boozy Coconut Drink

The PuPu Platter (aptly named, I might add)

Complimentary Chocolate Cake, Ice Cream & Whip Cream

We ended the night at what the waiter had told us was a "locals dive bar" called Hair of the Dog.

Temps were pretty good during our stay.  Some nights got cool but I wouldn't complain.  Vegas was colder the previous week when I was there.  I really enjoyed the pool time and the backyard was my favorite spot at the house.

Backyard Lemon Tree

I cooked a couple of more meals, my most memorable would be the Bone-In Ribeye steak that was as good as anything you'd get in a Steakhouse.  Another time, I made some Twice Stuffed Baked Potatoes and BBQ Baby Back Ribs and my friend made Tiramisu.  

The last night we went out was for all day Sunday Happy Hour at Shanghai Red's.  In the day it's a Fisherman's Market type place, then they have a bar in the evening.  The cab driver who took us there said to remember it's as good as a seafood place is as a desert has.  There was no live music while we were here though they have the stage for it.  I was happy to watch Sunday night N.F.L. football.

The best HH deal was probably the infamous "Baha Taco" with Alaskan Cod for $3.95.  I really enjoyed it.  I also liked a dish, not on the HH menu called Campechana.  It was my first time to have it and I want to try making it home now.  Really, really good.  Both are below.  The night ended up being a drink fest that ended up back at the Hair of the Dog bar.  I paid dearly for this night the next day, unfortunately...

(Mexican Seafood Cocktail) Chilled shrimp and scallops with cucumber, pico de gallo, and avocado in a zesty tomato sauce.

So, that pretty much sums up the trip.  I'm undecided what I think of Palm Springs.  I don't think I got to really know it enough to judge it, this visit.   To be honest, the whole trip felt a little "off" since our third person cancelled.  

I will say that every single local I met there was polite, nice and friendly.  The neighborhood felt safe.  I enjoyed the sun, and the beautiful views I managed to sneak.  I didn't enjoy the house and feeling so isolated.  I never slept well at all and was always nervous and uncomfortable there, but that is just my character - I'm a city girl.  I prefer to be in the "middle of things".  Of the four houses in our "circle" there, only one was occupied by locals, the other two were also rentals that were unoccupied.  That being said, I did enjoy the private pool and landscaping very much during the day.  I was edgy in the evenings because of the silence and darkness.  

At this point, I'm not sure if I will return...there are still so many "warm" places I can visit in California when it's winter here at home that I haven't been fortunate enough to see yet, but I'll never say never...