Yesterday John’s and my activities focused on the cultural offerings of Palm Springs. This morning we visited the Palm Springs Art Museum (PSAM); for free thanks to passes offered by our resort. The building is of modern styling with lots of long horizontal lines. However natural stone was used on the facade, complementing the mountains to the west under which the museum is nestled. Current special exhibitions included exhibits such as one of art glass and another of Andrew Wyeth paintings.
The Wyeth show was a pleasure as I usually enjoy his work. Works ranged from small prepatory sketches to watercolors to rich tempera on panel paintings. A short film also played in the gallery further illuminating his work. In addition to the special exhibitions John and I perused PSAM’s permanent collections. Their modern and contemporary collection was especially well presented, arranged by thematic groups on the third floor. Parts of the collection were displayed with less finesse, but this may be remedied when the museum undergoes a planned expansion in the next few years.
In the afternoon we visited another Palm Springs cultural hallmark, the Palm Springs International Film Festival. When we made our vacation plans we had no idea the festival would be going on. Though we looked for tickets only the day before we were able to get into a movie we were interested in seeing; Love in the Medina. It was the story of a young Moroccan man, his struggle against his highly religious father, and his love for a forbidden woman. The film was quite good and from what we saw the festival organization was a first class affair.
It may be the frivolity, decadence, and resort environment that draws one to Palm Springs, but it is good to know it is home to cultural gems such as these should the mood strike you.
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Palm Springs: Full Circle
Well, John and I are now waiting in the airport for our return flight home. Yesterday was much more mellow than the previous few, packing less in. After a leisurely morning we went for hike in Andreas Canyon, a natural palm grove and oasis owned and maintained by the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians. Having grown up in a land-locked state this was a real treat. It was a refreshing hike along a trail enveloped in palms and canyon walls. The trail we took was just about a mile in length, but there are many others in the area operated by the Indians, each of varying length and difficulty. Another great outdoor opportunity in the area is Joshua Tree National Park.
In the afternoon we lazed in our resort’s pool area for the first time for any significant length of time. It was a great afternoon for it and gave us an opportunity to visit with other guests.
That’s it on the trip for now. However, over the next few days I plan to reflect a little more on the trip with new posts and to update this and the previous posts that I’ve been writing on the fly. It has been a fun experiment live blogging this vacation, I hope it informs others about the pleasures of Palm Springs.
Filed under: Commentary, Personal Narrative | Tagged: hiking, Palm Springs, resort, restaurant, travel, vacation | Leave a Comment »