No Standing, Only Swimming

It is rare that we plan a trip that is focused on doing nothing — no cultural discovery, no snorkeling / surfing / hiking, or culinary reservations. Jamie booked a weekend get-a-way to Palm Springs, a desert oasis where pools are your only agenda. We started our weekend dinning at an amazing sushi spot by our hotel, followed by a midnight swim and bathing in our walk-in shower. The next day we had breakfast at pool side, beneath the umbrella, and began with cocktails shortly after. Rosé filled our afternoons as I read Melville and Jamie played with her camera. Cartel coffee shop next door was our source of grounding caffeine, and a nearby ice cream shop eased the midday heat.

We had dinner at Kings Highway Diner, discovering from our Lyft driver that Palm Springs has the largest gay community outside of San Francisco. We walked the gay strip of bars that were serving drinks for outside crowds. We sat at one that played video clips of show tunes, watching the bodies sway around us and the lips sync to the music within us.

The next day, and before our flight home, we biked around downtown Palm Springs, and in the neighborhoods. We stopped in front of one house to take photos just as a Rolls-Royce pulled out of the drive. The homes were visible behind the garden walls and the iron gated driveways — with their torrents, their palm tree forecourts, and their terra cotta facades. So much beauty, so much money. It is a world within itself - an oasis of relaxation and luxury.

The airport was one of my favorite moments. It was entirely outdoors. Walking to one concourse to the next included passing plots of grass and lines of palm trees. We wore sunglasses as we shopped for pre-flight snacks, and filled our water bottle from a fountain that perched a bird. Families played on the swing set as boarding calls sounded. Not quite as nice as the Singapore airport, but you could at least sunbathe during a delay :)