Living in Palm Springs for Three Months

I worked as a travel nurse in Palm Springs, California for three months. I created this complete guide to help you make the most of your time in this unique city. Keep reading to find what to expect, where to live, and what to do while you are living in Palm Springs!

Palm Springs Culture

Palm Springs is such a unique city with a culture all to it’s own. In order to understand the culture, let’s first look at the people.

The People of Palm Springs

Imagine walking down the Palm Canyon Drive sidewalk (the Palm Springs Main Strip). You see the stones with stars from old Hollywood beneath your feet. You first pass by a couple in their 50s checking out a mid-century modern art gallery followed by a restaurant with an outdoor patio and two men enjoying a glass of wine over dinner. Then, you hear a cacophony of excited squeals as you turn to see a bachelorette party pedaling on the Sunny Cycle bar cruise heading towards Lulus for more food and drinks. This is quintessentially what you’ll find on a Friday evening in Palm Springs. 

Palm Springs has three big groups of residents and visitors: adults over 50, members of the LGBQT+ community, and weekend partiers.

Adults Over 50

The city has sunny, warm weather throughout the year which draws a large population of retired snow birds to Palm Springs from Fall through Spring. In addition to the great weather, the city has a very midcentury modern/retro style that draws in fans that remember the 1940s-late 1960s time period. You’ll notice throw backs to this time period in everything from the architecture to old hollywood art and monuments. 

For those not interested in midcentury art, Palm Springs also hosts an array of golf courses. The large green lawns might seem a little odd in the desert, but Palm Springs has become a golfer’s paradise.

Speaking of sunny warm weather… 

• Average of 350 days of sunshine
• Winter temperatures:
  • highs in the low 70s
  • lows in the upper 40s
• Spring
  • highs in the 80s-90s
  • lows in the upper 50s-60s
• Summer
  • highs >100 (as high as 120)
  • lows in the upper 70s-80s
• Fall
  • highs in the 80s-90s
  • lows in the upper 50s-60s

The LGBQT+ Community

Palm Springs is a mecca for gay culture with an estimated 50% of it’s population reported as gay. It has the Arenas district known for its gay bars, countless drag shows, Dinah Shore weekend (one of the largest lesbian festivals in the world), and a local government made up of LGBQT leaders.

Whether you identify as gay or not, Palm Springs is a place that feels welcoming and accepting of all people. While you are here, be sure to soak in this loving judgement-free zone.

Party People

The final group you need to understand to really get a feel for the culture of Palm Springs is the party group. From the famous Coachella music festival (technically outside of Palm Springs city limits) to the Splash House pool party event of the summer to the droves of bachelorette parties that make their through the city every weekend, Palm Springs has no shortage of people looking for booze-y fun.

Don’t miss out while you are here! Even if you aren’t around for one of the big events, or you don’t have a big group of friends to join you, Palm Springs has options. For example, check out the famous Saguaro pool (complete with a DJ and drinks of course!). 

Where to Live in Palm Springs

During my three months in Palm Springs, I stayed one street over from the main street downtown (Palm Canyon Drive). It was awesome! I was able to walk to dinner and ride my bike to work. Importantly, I felt very safe regardless of whether I was out by myself or with my husband.

If you can find it, I recommend a place near Palm Canyon Drive. My favorite options are the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood and the Movie Colony neighborhood.

In general, Palm Springs is a pretty safe city. It has it’s share of homelessness, but I didn’t find any issues with theft, vehicle break-ins or violence like some other cities in California.

If you are looking for an option outside of Palm Springs, but still within Coachella Valley, I recommend Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert or La Quinta. 

I also did do some research before moving here on areas to avoid. This is what I found:

Areas to Avoid in Palm Springs

As far as areas to avoid within Palm Springs city limits, the Desert Highland Gateway Estates neighborhood has a higher crime rate than the rest of Palm Springs. It’s in the north part of Palm Springs which can also get unpleasantly windy. 

While several of the neighboring Coachella Valley cities have good and less expensive living options, there are a couple of areas to avoid here. Namely, the “Dream Homes” area of Cathedral City, and 4th-8th streets in Desert Hot Springs should be avoided.

Things to Do In (or Near) Palm Springs

My favorite part of every travel nurse contract is exploring the fun things to do on my days off. I have entire posts on several of my favorites from my time in Palm Springs. I’ll leave a link to them at the bottom in case you want more information for your own planning purposes. Before we get to the links, here is a snap shot of where to eat and drink, what to do in Palm Springs, and what to do outside of Palm Springs:

Food and Drinks

Palm Springs has a ton of great options for food and drinks. Most of my favorites are along Palm Canyon drive which also gives a great atmosphere with outdoor patios, misters, and plenty of people watching. Here are the places that stood out to me:

• 849- Best option for date night
  • 849 was one of the first places recommended to me by locals. It has a beautiful, elegant outdoor patio as well as a beautiful, artsy indoor seating area. The menu is well varied, and the food is only second to the atmosphere, but it is one of the more expensive options on this list.
  • 849 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
• Lulus- Best option for fun and cocktails
  • So, some locals aren’t a fan of Lulus (I’m assuming because it attracts bachelorette parties), but I loved it. The atmosphere is fun and glitzy while still holding that Palm Springs retro vibe. The food was delicious California fare, but the best part is the martinis! Lulu’s key lime pie martini is to die for!
  • 200 S Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
• Monsoons- Best hole in the wall type of restaurant and best Indian cuisine
  • This is the one restaurant that I chose that is not on Palm Canyon Drive. As far as atmosphere, there’s nothing special here, but the food, OMG! It’s really that good. They also have a buffet option if you’re into that. 
  • 555 S Sunrise Way #107, Palm Springs, CA 92264
• Sherman’s Deli and Bakery- Best desert
  • I actually had one of Shermans Deli’s cakes at work when a coworker brought an entire cake to share. It was huge, multi-layered and so decadently rich. My mouth still waters thinking about it. 
  •  401 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
• Boozehounds- Best dog-friendly restaurant
  • This place has a huge outdoor Patio, and the whole premise is that it is dog friendly. They even have a doggie menu! The other selling point for me- the extensive cocktail and drink menu.
  • 2080 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262
• Lappert’s Super Premium Ice Cream- Best date shake
  • You can’t live in Palm Springs without trying a date shake. Date shakes are famous in Palm Springs and all of the Coachella Valley because this region grows 95% of California’s dates. Most ice cream shops and frozen yogurt shops in Palm Springs sell them, but Lappert’s is my favorite.
  • 130 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262

Things To Do in Palm Springs

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

The Aerial Tramway is a famous rotating tram car that carries you up into the San Jacinto mountains where you will find epic views, a nice restaurant, and plenty of hiking trails. It’s a great option to beat the heat in the desert because the temperature in the mountains is usually around 30 degrees cooler than the weather in Palm Springs. 

Poolside Hangout

If there are two things that Palm Springs has a lot of, it’s swimming pools and golf courses. Whether you are looking for a serene, quiet pool to lounge by or a party pool with a DJ and drinks, Palm Springs has you covered. Check out Resort Pass to find your tickets and day passes. On the party pool side, I recommend Saguaro. It’s one of the most well-known pools in Palm Springs, and, in my opinion, the most fun. 

Golf

Palm Springs has over 100 championship golf courses, and it hosts the annual American Express tournament (aka The Desert Classic) which is a part of the PGA tour. Whether you are new to golf or consider yourself to be an expert, Palm Springs has a course for any level. 

Moorten Botanical Garden

This is a botanical garden full of desert plants (and a few tortoises). When you arrive, there is a suggested path to follow that walks you through different desert regions and landscapes. It’s a fairly small place, but it’s cute and very instagramable if that’s your thing. 

Hiking

Aside from the hiking trails accessed by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway mentioned above, there are several additional hiking trails in Palm Springs. Most of these trails do not have shade and can get very hot during the summer, so take this in to account if you decide to embark. 

The Agua Caliente Indian Reservation hosts several hiking trails in Palm Springs. Notably, Palm Canyon, Murray Canyon, Andreas Canyon, and Tahquitz Canyon (my favorite because it includes a waterfall). Just FYI, these hikes do typically cost money to access.

Other trails within Palm Springs include: Araby Trail, Bogert to Murray Hill, Bogert to Wildhorse, Goat Trail, Murray Hill Loop, Museum Trail, North Lykken Trail, and the Skyline trail. The Skyline Trail hike starts by the Palm Springs Art Museum and goes all the way to the top of San Jacinto, but can also be shortened and accessed by the Aerial Tramway. 

Drag Shows

There are a lot of drag shows to choose from in Palm Springs. My husband and I went to the PS drag brunch (notice the photo from the culture section of this post). We had a blast, and our ticket included bottomless mimosas and a 3 course brunch. The PS drag brunch is hosted at the Saguaro hotel, so I recommend making a day of it starting with brunch followed by the Saguaro pool. Just make sure to have a designated driver or take an Uber home from this booze-y event. 

I received a few more insider tips from a hairdresser who also happens to be a drag queen in Palm Springs. He agreed that the PS drag brunch is great, and he also recommended one-eleven bar (Cathedral City), Toucans Tiki Lounge, and Oscars for their drag shows. It was fascinating to learn from him how much work goes into preparing for a drag competition – more reason to tip the performers!

Palm Springs Villagefest

Palm Springs Villagefest is a large street fair that occurs in Palm Springs every Thursday evening. It starts around 6pm most of the year (it gets pushed back to 7pm during the summer) and runs until 10pm. The city closes Palm Canyon Drive to vehicle traffic during the event. Vendors, food trucks and street performers set up all down the street. 

My husband and I made Villagefest part of our Thursday ritual during our time in Palm Springs. We would walk the dogs through the street fair then stop for food or drinks at one of the outdoor patios. 

Bicycle Tour

There are a few bike rental companies in Palm Springs and several bike trails throughout the city. One popular tour is the celebrity bike tour offered by Big Wheel Tours where you cycle through neighborhoods and homes that used to belong to celebrities. 

Modernism Week

Modernism Week in Palm Springs celebrates midcentury modern architecture and design annually in February for 11 days as well as a shorter mini-modernism week in October. This week hosts a variety of events including home tours, parties, lectures and more. 

Music Festivals

While technically outside of Palm Springs Coachella is the biggest music festival most people associate with Palm Springs. It occurs every April and draws massive crowds, but Palm Springs also hosts other music festivals such as Stagecoach, PowerTrip, Club Skirts Dinah Shore, Splash House and more.

El Paseo Shopping

Just 30 minutes outside of Palm Springs is the neighboring city of Palm desert. El Paseo is a shopping district in Palm Desert full of high end shops and restaurants. 

Day Trips Out of Palm Springs

Big Bear

Big Bear is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise with loads of hiking trails, lake activities such as kayaking or paddle boarding in the summer, and skiing/snowboarding in the winter. The scenery is vastly different from the desert of Palm Springs, but this day trip is only 1.5-2 hours drive. 

I took my dog, Ramsey, for an outdoor adventure to Big Bear. You can follow our itinerary here.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree was at the top of my list for day trips I had planned for my time in Palm Springs, and it did not disappoint. I wrote a full itinerary of my day in the park that you can follow for your own planning purposes here.

There isn’t any cell reception within the park, so do your research before you go. 

Los Angeles, San Diego, and Southern California Beaches

The southern California coast definitely deserves more than just one day trip. I went several times, but be forewarned, the traffic is worse than you think it will be. I usually use Waze to estimate traffic, but I found that I would need to add an extra hour on top of the Waze prediction. For example, say you want to get to Santa Monica from Palm Springs. When you look up the directions with no traffic, it will probably say around 2 hours. Waze will tell you that it will take 3 hours. Realistically, expect it to take 4 hours. 

Putting the traffic aside, I love visiting the southern California coast. If you get a chance, some of my favorite activities were a snorkel tour at La Jolla in San Diego, Surf lessons at Seal Beach, walking the Venice Beach boardwalk (Venice beach can be a little grimy, but I love people watching here), and hiking to the Hollywood sign.

Links to Full Posts of Things to Do While Living in Palm Springs for 3 Months:

• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Hiking
• Tahquitz Canyon- Waterfall Hike
• Big Bear Dog-Friendly Day Trip
• Joshua Tree 1 day Itinerary
• Saguaro pool review
• PS Drag Brunch review
• What is VillageFest?