Palm Springs/Desert Nightlife?

[fowler_966]

I just left Palm Desert because I was bored out of my mind!


Twinkle Toes i thought you loved the desert? thats why you call it "heaven".

you know i am thinking about moving there as well so everyone tell me...and be HONEST...am i really going to get bored? are there enough young people(20-30) for me to find good friends?

i wish there was some place i could find the percentage of the population that is in each age group and the percentage of gays compared to straight. that last one doesnt matter too much but i would like to know.

also, people will say things about the place that they live but it might be perceived differently from someone who doesnt live there. for example, i live in a small college town in kansas. i work a lot but when i do have free time there is not much to do besides go to the bars. theres not much of any good shopping. no good restaraunts, its all applebees, chilis, that sort of thing. so if we traded places would you all still say that the desert was boring?

one last thing. if i move there, not knowing anyone, how hard is it going to be to meet people and make actual friends?

[fowler_966]

sorry i didnt copy and paste that right

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by fowler_966

I just left Palm Desert because I was bored out of my mind!


Twinkle Toes i thought you loved the desert? thats why you call it "heaven".

you know i am thinking about moving there as well so everyone tell me...and be HONEST...am i really going to get bored? are there enough young people(20-30) for me to find good friends?

i wish there was some place i could find the percentage of the population that is in each age group and the percentage of gays compared to straight. that last one doesnt matter too much but i would like to know.

also, people will say things about the place that they live but it might be perceived differently from someone who doesnt live there. for example, i live in a small college town in kansas. i work a lot but when i do have free time there is not much to do besides go to the bars. theres not much of any good shopping. no good restaraunts, its all applebees, chilis, that sort of thing. so if we traded places would you all still say that the desert was boring?

one last thing. if i move there, not knowing anyone, how hard is it going to be to meet people and make actual friends?

Yes, I love Palm Desert! To me, being in the desert is Heaven.

I am just not a clubber, so I don't know much about that sort of thing. However, I do have a 23 year old son who does know about the clubs. See, the thing is, we (me and both my boys) are ballroom dancers. Ballroom dancers typically don't go to clubs. We go to ballrooms. The only reason I'm on here typing right now and not out at a ballroom is because I had to go to the ballroom this morning because my partner cancelled our practice yesterday. I just didn't feel like driving back over there again tonight.

Anyway, to answer your questions, if you give the desert a little more time than a weekend, you will find that there are a lot of things to do. You will meet people too. When I moved here from the Los Angeles area in 1999 I didn't know a soul out here. Neither did my husband or my boys. Now, we know so many people and on any given day at any time if we venture out of the house, we are going to run into someone we know. My kids, especially.

I don't know about the percentage of gays to straights, but I think there are probably more straight people here than gays. I think it's a pretty good mix. I get along with everyone, so I have both straight and gay friends. But in my own experience I would say I've run into more straight people than gay people.

What kinds of things do you like to do? I can tell you whether or not we have it here. We pretty much have everything everybody else has, so whatever it is you enjoy doing, chances are we have it here.

If you want to DM me, feel free and if you want perspective from someone in the 20-30 age range, I can put you in contact with my son, who is 23.

When you were in Palm Desert and you were bored out of your mind, what did you do? Where did you stay? Why were you bored?

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Fowler_966:

I read your previous posts about moving to either Palm Springs or Pasadena, if I'm not mistaken. And I was puzzled as to why you seemed so intent on moving to the desert. I agree that it is a beautiful place, though not as beautiful as it once was.

But as you are seeking an honest opinion, I will give you one. Palm Springs is NOT the kind of place that I think someone your age will find to be either interesting or entertaining for an extended period of time. It is very short on intellectual stimulation and not exactly where one goes to start a career but more likely to finish one.

I am guessing that I have at least 10 years on you age wise. I lived in Palm Springs for almost 8 years, and I found the desert to be mind numbingly dull after awhile. I had people at least twice my age telling me "The problem is, you're too young for this town". And they were right. I'm not a retiree or even close to retirement age. I'm not independently wealthy either. I still have to work for a living. Those that I knew that were in your age group had either lived in the desert all their lives and knew nothing else, or were desperately seeking a way to get out.

In another of your posts, I recall that you were sick, and were seeking reassurance that moving to Palm Springs was the right thing to do. Not to be harsh, but if you really need that, to my mind you're making a bad decision, and your gut is trying to tell you that. If you're unsure, DON'T DO IT.

Look, I'm not trying to be a wet blanket or a dream crusher. But having grown up and lived in and around Los Angeles the majority of my life and then having moved to the desert, there is absolutely no comparison. Pasadena would be far more suited to you then Palm Springs will at this point in your life. It will provide you with more opportunity and more access to people your age, the types of activities you are probably more accustomed to, and thus greatly increase the likelihood that you will make friends, fast.

I'm sorry if what I have said has offended you in any way. I'm just not the type of person that sugarcoats things, especially in a situation where it seems the opposite is called for. Ultimately, the decision is still up to you and you alone.

[fowler_966]

thankyou for you input! i am not offended at all. i understand what you are saying and i even agree with you that pasadena would be a better place for me at this point. i lived in pomona for 3 months a while ago so i already have a few friends in that area. the problem is that i am just as much worried about not being able to afford pasadena as i am about being bored in palm springs/desert. i just figured that i can take a weekend off every once in a while and stay a couple of nights in LA. i still do go back and forth sometimes about my decision but really, i cant see myself being able to afford more than 600/month for rent. my logic is that i could finish school in palm desert then get a decent job with good hours in La. but im not the best decision-maker as you can see. so if you can give me a solution to my problem then i will rethink my decision once again.
thanks again for the input!

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

Fowler:

Well, $600 a month for rent is probably not going to work in Pasadena, though I am by no means an expert on the rental market there. Yes, you could certainly take weekend trips to Los Angeles from the desert but you will find that you are spending more time on the freeway driving back and forth then anything else. Kind of cuts down on the enjoyment factor of the trip in my opinion.

I guess maybe if you could give me some idea of what your motivation is to move to two such different and specific places, I might be able to offer some suggestions or alternatives. I mean, is it you just want to move to California to get out of Kansas? Is it motivated by career possibilities? Do you have some special interest in the desert and residing in one?

If you like, you can certainly direct message me and I will do my best to try and help you sort out your options or whatever.

[kenjay]

Originally Posted by Desertho

I am a single male in his 20s who just moved to the desert. I regret being here. It's true what people say about the hypersexualized public spaces of Palm Springs. The cost-of-living is just as high as in the coast. Gas for example are actually pricier here than in Riverside. Dining out is a pain since many good places are priced for tourists and not for casual dining. Weather is the least of my worries. It's the lack of activities available for single straight normal people that are driving me away. However, IF you have to stay here, I suggest looking for places in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Bermuda Dunes, and La Quinta. They are centrally located and have a high quality-of-life, though the housing costs will not be different than the OC.

Good things I like about the desert is that the cities are image-conscious so visually they are much better looking than an LA suburb. Mexican food here is top-notch. Mexicans here are a lot different IMO than the ones on the coast. They are skinnier, more ambitious, and more polite. And if you like to drive, prepare to bring your Sunday morning best because the open roads are there for the taking.

I need to throw in another bone about the gay image of Palm Springs. It seriously hurts the city more than people are willing to admit. While gays gentrify an area rapidly, it has done the opposite to the city. Palm Springs has the ability to become a fun place again for ALL people.

you obviously know nothing abou t the history of this city....no one is from palm springs and your head is wrapped tight in a blanket cause palm springs was founded by gay people back in the 1920s,from the golden days and age of hollywood....they spent a lot of money then,and spend a lot now....the homes and the businesses are afloat because the gays have the money! from ny and proud.....

[GoodbyeCalifornia]

"Obviously you know nothing about the history of this city". Good quote and perfectly describes the post from which it came.

Palm Springs was not "founded" by gay people from Hollywood in the 1920's. While it had long been the home of the Agua Caliente Indians, the man who put Palm Springs on the map was Judge John Guthrie McCallum. In 1884, he became the first white settler when he moved his family to the area in an attempt to cure his son's tuberculosis. The first hotel in town was built by Dr. Welwood Murray in 1886. By the turn of the last century, the town was a thriving resort.

In 1909, Dr. Harry Coffman and his wife, Nellie, opened the Desert Inn. It was a sanitarium for people afflicted with tuberculosis. Later on, the Inn was changed over to a resort that catered to the very wealthy; families such as the Hearsts and the Vanderbilts being prime examples. It was an especially popular destination during World War I for rich Easterners who were afraid to go to Europe.

The town did get the attention of Hollywood in the 1920's, due in large part to the construction of the El Mirador Hotel in 1928. The founding of the Palm Springs Racquet Club by movie stars Charlie Farrell and Ralph Bellamy in 1932, created an exclusive playground for their friends, colleagues, and the rest of the Hollywood elite.

However, Palm Springs then and now, was not just a hot spot for movie stars. It has always catered to wealthy and even not so wealthy retirees, part time residents from the East and Midwest, and vacationers. Were/are some of these people gay? Sure, but gays did not make up the majority then nor do they now.

Have gays had an impact on Palm Springs, especially in say the last 10 years? Yes. But to say that it's only because of gays and gay money that Palm Springs is alive or exists, is simply untrue. It isn't only gays that bought up all the midcentury modern homes. It isn't only gays that own thriving businesses in Palm Springs. It isn't only gays that visit the casino, or go to the Follies. And it isn't only gays that are moving to Palm Springs.

Of course, if most of your time is spent down on Arenas at the Rainbow Cactus or the Badlands, and you don't venture out of the gay ghetto of Warm Sands, you probably wouldn't realize it. If the only time you visit is for White Party or Gay Pride, then yeah, you're going to get the impression that the whole city is gay. But surprise, it's not.

So put down your fantasy gay history book, and get your facts right. And that's from a gay, former resident of Palm Springs.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by GoodbyeCalifornia

"Obviously you know nothing about the history of this city". Good quote and perfectly describes the post from which it came.

Palm Springs was not "founded" by gay people from Hollywood in the 1920's. While it had long been the home of the Agua Caliente Indians, the man who put Palm Springs on the map was Judge John Guthrie McCallum. In 1884, he became the first white settler when he moved his family to the area in an attempt to cure his son's tuberculosis. The first hotel in town was built by Dr. Welwood Murray in 1886. By the turn of the last century, the town was a thriving resort.

In 1909, Dr. Harry Coffman and his wife, Nellie, opened the Desert Inn. It was a sanitarium for people afflicted with tuberculosis. Later on, the Inn was changed over to a resort that catered to the very wealthy; families such as the Hearsts and the Vanderbilts being prime examples. It was an especially popular destination during World War I for rich Easterners who were afraid to go to Europe.

The town did get the attention of Hollywood in the 1920's, due in large part to the construction of the El Mirador Hotel in 1928. The founding of the Palm Springs Racquet Club by movie stars Charlie Farrell and Ralph Bellamy in 1932, created an exclusive playground for their friends, colleagues, and the rest of the Hollywood elite.

However, Palm Springs then and now, was not just a hot spot for movie stars. It has always catered to wealthy and even not so wealthy retirees, part time residents from the East and Midwest, and vacationers. Were/are some of these people gay? Sure, but gays did not make up the majority then nor do they now.

Have gays had an impact on Palm Springs, especially in say the last 10 years? Yes. But to say that it's only because of gays and gay money that Palm Springs is alive or exists, is simply untrue. It isn't only gays that bought up all the midcentury modern homes. It isn't only gays that own thriving businesses in Palm Springs. It isn't only gays that visit the casino, or go to the Follies. And it isn't only gays that are moving to Palm Springs.

Of course, if most of your time is spent down on Arenas at the Rainbow Cactus or the Badlands, and you don't venture out of the gay ghetto of Warm Sands, you probably wouldn't realize it. If the only time you visit is for White Party or Gay Pride, then yeah, you're going to get the impression that the whole city is gay. But surprise, it's not.

So put down your fantasy gay history book, and get your facts right. And that's from a gay, former resident of Palm Springs.

Thank you for setting the record straight!

[Exec Libra]

I would let my personal preferences guide my choices and not put a lot of energy into divining why other like or dislike an area. No matter where you live in CA you'll spend $$ on energy (except, perhaps if you live at the beach). As for the Palm Springs lifestyle it is still very much alive and the openness of the area's residents (versus an exclusivity which some may prefer) make it a good choice for people of all ages, incomes and interests.

EL-