For whatever reason, I always seem to end up in Palm Springs this time of year on an overnight. For this year, it was the result of all my bid parameters being completely tossed out by the scheduling software, resulting in several multi day trips. I wasn’t terribly pleased about all this, but there are certainly worse places than Palm Springs.

April is more or less the beginning of the end for peak season in Palm Springs. Other parts of the country are slowly warming up, and the snowbirds return to their nests. That being said, major events like Coachella and Stagecoach, or the infamous “White party” (a gay extravaganza, not to be confused with a Trump rally) enter the valley and the clientele changes. This goes on for a few weeks until the temperatures reach 100º every day and then all the restaurants and stores close until September and nary a soul can be seen for weeks.

Most of the time I find Palm Springs relaxing. My last post about it was a bit angsty as I was venting frustration about the handling of the pandemic, lack of access to vaccines, treatment of flight crews, and so on, but that has less to do with Palm Springs and more to do with society. In any event, Palm Springs is the kind of place that has varying activities — ranging from hiking and golfing to gambling and shopping. And yet, there isn’t too much to do. It is the perfect balance of relaxing without being boring. For these reasons, I thought my parents might enjoy meeting me there, as I would have an entire flightless day in Palm Springs after arriving late at night.

My parents, whom we can refer to by their celebrity couple name of “Salt,” are of similar age to many snowbirds in Palm Springs this time of year. They, however, actually traded the heat and humidity of Florida for the drier and cooler 75º of the California desert. After grabbing a light breakfast at a nearby coffee shop, Salt were eager to show me what they had already seen the day prior. We walked to the Palm Springs Art Museum, where we took in the various outdoor displays. This included a vertically positioned car, a statue of Marilyn Monroe, and a garden of babies. It is art, as they say.

The downtown area of Palm Springs is not particularly large, so it didn’t take long to do a full circuit of the area. Salt were staying at the Hilton whereas I was at the Renaissance a block away. They were recently inspired by everyone’s favorite celebrity couple, Bricole, who are Hilton Honors Diamond members. Well, to be specific, just Nicole is the member, but we are a package deal.

The hotel was fine. Like the Renaissance, the Hilton is a rather large resort without a ton of character. It is clear that certain areas have undergone remodeling, and others could probably use it. I am sure it dazzled in 1994, which is not the right kind of vintage that Palm Springs goes for. 1954 would be more on brand, but one can only do so much.

After having lunch at the hotel, we went for an aimless stroll that eventually brought us to a park where we sat for a spell, got up, walked back to the Hilton, and promptly sat again upon reaching an outdoor terrace area near the pool.

The excitement of the day had proved too much for Salt, and they began to unwind with copious consumption of digital media like a couple of teenagers. I too joined in with some online research in an attempt to find us a place to eat. When I am here by myself, I tend to eat at the same place all the time —Sherman’s Deli, a Jewish delicatessen that specializes in large portions and an extensive menu. It is a Palm Springs institution, and is crowded at all times of the day. In July when everything else is closed, Sherman’s is still serving up massive omelettes, bagels with lox, and oversized brisket sandwiches.

So while I was open to trying other places, they either kept strange hours or were quite far away, and Sherman’s is always dependable and knows what it is. I ordered “Mom’s Meatloff,” which came with a salad and mashed potatoes. It wasn’t as absurdly massive as other things I have ordered in the past, but I certainly wasn’t starving when we left either.

We relaxed back at Salt’s room in the Hilton for a spell as the sun went down behind the mountains and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. I would have to get up early the following morning, so I eventually showed myself out. Hopefully Salt had a nice relaxing time in Palm Springs. We spent our day doing a lot of nothing, and sometimes that’s the best thing you can do.