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COURTESY OF THE CHATEAU AT LAKE LA QUINTA

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IN THE 1800s, IT WASKNOWN AS AGUACALIENTE !SPANISH FOR

BOILING WATER" AND SPIRITUALCENTER OF CAHUILLA INDIANTRIBAL LIFE WHICH DATEDBACK SOME 2,000 YEARS. IN 1876,SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROADCUT THROUGH THE SANGORGONIO PASS EN ROUTE TOLOS ANGELES, INTRODUCINGTHE AREA TO CAUCASIAN PIO#NEERS WHO QUICKLY DISCOV#ERED THE HEALING POWERS OFTHE DESERT CLIMATE. AMONGTHEM WAS WELWOOD MURRAY,A SCOTTISH RANCHER WHOBUILT THE PALM SPRINGSHOTEL WHERE STARBUCK'SNOW STANDS AT THE INTERSEC#TION OF PALM CANYON DRIVEAT TAHQUITZ CANYON WAY.

In 1909, Nellie and Dr. Harry Co$manopened %e Desert Inn and Sanatorium,which, due to Nellie's entrepreneurial skills,became a world-renowned hotel for thehealthy and wealthy. By the mid 1900sPalm Springs was a favorite escape forFrank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Dean Martin,Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Bing Crosby,Jack Benny, Elizabeth Taylor, and manyothers including presidents such as DwightEisenhower and Gerald Ford.

Today, Palm Springs has grown from acelebrity playground into nine cities com-prising the Greater Palm Springs area —Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs,Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm

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1. New is The Chateau at Lake La Quinta, aFrench manor-style boutique with sweepinglake views. 2. Entrance to La Quinta Resort& Club in 1926. 3. Entrance to La QuintaResort & Club today.

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Desert, Indian Wells, LaQuinta, Indio andCoachella. A premierworld resort and golf desti-nation averaging 75degrees during the winter,the area continues to wel-come new resorts, restau-rants, shops, and museumswhile honoring its NativeAmerican heritage,Hollywood legacy andmid-century modern archi-tecture. A new generationof Hollywood can be spot-ted &ip-&opping aroundtown, especially during thePalm Springs InternationalFilm Festival in Januaryfounded by former mayorSonny Bono. Palm Springsalso has its own Walk ofStars with nearly 400 hon-oring those in entertain-ment, literary arts, area pio-neers and humanitarians.

HOTELS AND RESORTS

x With nearly 200 hotelsand resorts, Greater PalmSprings o$ers somethingfor everyone. %e resortso$er every perk from poolsand spas to 'ne and casualdining, golf, tennis, andaccess to nearby shopping.%e 45-acre La QuintaResort & Club, an original

1926 Hollywood escape,was recently refurbishedwith every in-room andoutdoor amenity. In addi-tion to being ranked thenumber one golf resort inNorth America by theInternational Associationof Golf Tour Operators,other accolades include LaQuinta Resort TennisClub being named one ofthe world's top tennisresorts. %ere are sevendining options, lots ofpools, luxurious spa, andlike many of the other areahotels, dogs are welcomeand even have their ownday spa.

Smaller historic prop-erties are also upgrading totoday's standards whileretaining the charm oftimes past. At %e Willows,you can stay in rooms onceregularly occupied byAlbert Einstein or MarionDavies and walk in thefootsteps of other notables.L'Horizon Resort & Spa,originally built by JackWrather as a retreat toenjoy with Betty Grable,Marilyn Monroe, PresidentsReagan and Nixon andother friends, just revampedthe original 20 bungalowsbuilt in 1952 by renownedarchitect William Cody

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ON THIS PAGE: 4. One of the original casitas at La Quinta Resort& Club in 1926. 5. At The Willows, you walk in the steps of theHollywood elite. 6. The new Chateau at Lake La Quinta has24 luxury accommodations, gourmet restaurant and lounge.7. Now named the "Pretty in Pink Suite," this was MarilynMonroe's favorite room at the Palm Springs Rendezvous.

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PALM SPRINGS

COURTESY OF LA QUINTA RESORT & CLUB

COURTESY OF LA PALM SPRINGS RENDEZVOUS

COURTESY OF THE WILLOWS

COURTESY OF THE CHATEAU AT LAKE LA QUINTA

and is adding 24 new guestrooms. In uptown PalmSprings near the RacquetClub where the stars par-tied is Rendezvous, namedby Trip Advisor as the"Number One Small Hotelin the U.S." for 2015.Built in the 1930s, MiraLoma, as it was thenknown, was a private

retreat for MarilynMonroe, Veronica Lakeand Gloria Swanson. Indowntown, PalmMountain Resort & Spajust completed renovationsthat includes 23 newrooms, new lobby, spa andmeeting space.

New to the scene is%e Chateau atLake LaQuinta, aFrench manor-style boutiquewith 24 luxuryaccommoda-tions, Mélangegourmetrestaurant andlounge, andsweeping lakeviews frommost rooms.Coming in late2016 are thenew 150-room,17-suite luxuryAndaz PalmSprings in downtown;Kimpton Hotel PalmSprings on North PalmCanyon Drive; andFacebook's EzraCallahan's ARRIVE, anew 32-room contempo-rary hotel; and two newhotels in La Quinta'sSilverRock Resort.

DINING & NIGHTLIFE

x SOPA, L’HorizonResort & Spa's new alfres-co dining space, is headedby Michelin-starred chef

Giacomo Pettinari.Considered one of thedesert's hottest new gour-met restaurants and bars, itfeatures 're pits and foun-tains, is dramatically lit byLindsey Adelman chande-

liers, and o$ers everythingfrom intimate dining tofamily-style at a 26’ liveedge communal table.Once the Palm SpringsPost O(ce, Eight4NineRestaurant & Lounge isanother trendy 'nd. Itsstriking minimalist whitedécor is punctuated byoriginal works of art andphotography. Private din-ing rooms, SwankyLounge, and patio diningare completed by views ofthe Santa Jacinto Mountains.

%e new BardotNightclub at the HardRock Hotel in downtown

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8. One of the desert'shottest new restau-rants and bars, SOPAfeatures firepits,fountains and aMichelin-starredchef. 9. Eight4NineRestaurant & Loungefeatures minimalistwhite décor punctu-ated by originalworks of art andphotography. 10. River in RanchoMirage is a premierdestination for food,fashion and fun inthe heart of the PalmSprings valley. 11. The new spa at La Quinta offers a fullrange of treatments,anti-aging therapies,salon and more. 12. New to the nightscene is the BardotNightclub at the HardRock Hotel indowntown PalmSprings.

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COURTESY OF HARD ROCK HOTEL PALM SPRINGS

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COURTESY OF VISITGREATERPALMSPRINGS.COM

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Palm Springs blendsFrench disco décor andPalm Springs chic withstate-of-the-art sound andlighting. Also recentlyopened is Hester SocialClub done in vintage stylewith a speakeasy vibe.Farm-to-table cocktails fea-ture fresh fruits and herbs,and on Saturdays, a DJ spinslight R&B and soul with anoccasional live three-pieceblues band.

TO DO

x Resort activities aside, thedesert is pure adventure.You can visit Joshua TreeNational Park, hike and bikein Indian Canyons, go hotair ballooning, and see themid-century modern archi-tecture for which the area isso well known. Tours takeyou back to the glamourdays of the mid-1900s asyou see the homes of FrankSinatra, Bob Hope, Elvis'honeymoon hideaway andother places where the starslived and played.

In January is the PalmSprings International FilmFestival, one of the largestin North America attracting135,000 attendees annually.In February is the PalmSprings Fine Art Fair withsome 60 galleries exhibiting

works by over 300 artists.Also in February isModernism Week celebrat-ing mid-century modernarchitecture, art, fashion and

culture. Activities includethe Modernism Show &Sale, tours of iconic homes,designer showcase events,cocktail parties, and more.For golfers, the PGA'sCareerBuilder Challenge inPartnership the ClintonFoundation is in Januarywhen the TCP Stadium andNicklaus courses host 150professional players withPro-Am play for 'rst 54holes. "

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13. Frey House II isthe second of twopersonal homesdesigned and built inPalm Springs byrenowned architectAlbert Frey. 14. PalmDesert Classic Club,former host site forPGA Tour's Bob HopeChrysler Classic, isconsidered one of thebest resort courses.15. The world famousEl Paseo ShoppingDistrict in Palm Desertfeatures more than300 world-classshops, art galleries,jewelers, restaurantsand more. 16.Modernism Week inFebruary offers toursof iconic mid-centuryhomes, includingmany once owned by Hollywood's elite.17. The PGA WestNicklaus course ispopular with ama-teurs and pros alike.

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DAVID A. LEE

COURTESY OF VISITGREATERPALMSPRINGS.COM

COURTESY OF LA QUINTA RESORT & CLUB

DAVID A. LEE

For information on places to stay, dine, see andevents, go to www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com.