Where I Slept, Ate, and Thrifted in Palm Springs

Hot springs, tarot readings, shrimp tacos, and INSANE vintage—48 magical hours in the desert + a fresh two-hour playlist for all your spring road trips to come.

Did you know that The New York Times just published a story about an extremely awesome vintage magazine called Apartment Life that was dedicated to the coolest small spaces and creative apartments back in the ‘70s/’80s? Did you also know that 40+ years later, this sweet little newsletter was inspired by just such a tiny Brooklyn apartment (mine:) as well as all the possibilities and bona fide MAGIC sparked when we have a chance to connect more deeply to our spaces and style? I mean, aren’t you glad you’re already a Paid subscriber? And if you aren’t, why not consider upgrading to become part of our growing community, supporting stories about design, real life, collecting, personal style, and making a home—no matter how small or in-between—truly your own. And, who knows, maybe the next story in the Times will be about us:)

I’m not sure why, but Palm Springs has become an annual pilgrimage for me…always (unintentionally) short trips that in just a few precious days can make me feel completely revived. Maybe it’s the millions of stars you can see at night or the fact that the entire city has steamy life-giving hot springs flowing beneath it or those stunning mountains that surround you. Or maybe it’s that when we’re driving from L.A. and the terrain begins to change, get quieter, and stretch out ahead for miles—contrasted (occasionally) by the geometric forms of a modern building from the ‘60s—I can instantly feel my whole body decompress.

I’ve also had a few big life milestones here, from my first serious cleanse back in my 30s to getting engaged to my now partner in my 40s. While I have no real data to back this up, I venture to guess that if you’re going through something BIG and life-changing, feeling rundown AF, or just need a little reprieve from your own thoughts—possibly to find new ones—Palm Springs is the place. I’m lucky that my lifelong friend Eden lives in L.A. and is always down for the two-hour-ish drive. And since I had a lot of thrifting to do in preparation for my big spring tag sale coming up on April 1st & 2nd (in Brooklyn with Stacy London—please come!), I did what I needed to do and got myself to an airport.

While I highly recommend a week in Palm Springs (and the surrounding areas like Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms), to tour all the incredible mid-century architecture, ride the Tram 2.5 miles up the mountain (views, people! VIEWS!), and hunt down that white whale Milo Baughman sofa that’s been on your dream board for nine years, you only really need 48 hours to recharge your battery…and thrift like a maniac. So, here my friends is the tightest foolproof rundown of how to wring every last drop out of just two days and nights in the desert. And since you are the marvelous Paid subscribers that you are, I’ve added one of my custom playlists for all your spring/summer road-trips…or to just clean your house. Either way, it’s worthy and fully road-tested on both drives to and from L.A…I hope you love it!