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See also Melvyn’s (below).

Coffeehouses

Koffi (Map; 760-416-2244; 515 N Palm Canyon Dr; 5:30am-8pm) Appropriately cool, minimalist café serves strong organic coffee.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Casinos

Legal gambling is possible just a few blocks from Palm Canyon Dr.

Spa Resort Casino (Map; 760-883-2000, 800-258-2946; 401 E Amado Rd; 24hr) Empty your pockets at Palm Springs’ Native-American casino.

Live Music

Blue Guitar (Map; 760-327-1549; 120 S Palm Canyon Dr) Hear live jazz and blues upstairs Friday to Sunday nights at this venue next door to the Plaza Theater. Call for the current schedule. The venue’s owned by Kal David, the celebrity guitarist.

Melvyn’s (Map; 760-325-0046; 200 W Ramon Rd) The likes of Sinatra and McQueen were among the early customers at this swanky watering hole at the Ingleside Inn, and it still retains that feel. Listen to music from piano and vocals to jazz combos while quaffing martinis at the burnished bar. Sunday afternoon jazz is a long-standing tradition.

Theater

Palm Springs Follies (Map; 760-327-0225; www.psfollies.com; 128 S Palm Canyon Dr; tickets $48-90; evening shows & matinees from November to May) The historic Plaza Theater, dating from 1936, hosts this Ziegfeld Follies–style revue that includes music, dancing, showgirls and comedy. The twist? Many of the performers are as old as the theater – all are over 50, some are into their 80s. But this is no amateur hour; in their heyday, many of these old-timers hoofed it alongside Hollywood and Broadway’s biggest, who occasionally guest-star. The cast-from-the-past delivers high-energy shows with flash, splash, inspiration and patriotism.

Copykatz (Map; 760-864-9293, 800-834-2317; www.copykatzps.com; 200 S Palm Canyon Dr; tickets $29-49) The Osmond Hour this ain’t. Skillful female impersonators ply their craft at this nightclub at the center of town. Energetic acts are inspired by Barbara Streisand, Carol Channing, Madonna, Tina Turner and, uh, Michael Jackson. Shows have more than just a gay following.

Palm Canyon Theatre (Map; 760-323-5123; www.palmcanyontheatre.org; 538 N Palm Canyon Dr; tickets $22-28, student $10) This theatre stages professional productions of plays and musicals from mid-September to mid-May.

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GAY & LESBIAN PALM SPRINGS

Palm Springs is one of America’s great gay destinations, a sort of Provincetown in the desert. Large annual events include the White Party, Dinah Weekend and Palm Springs Pride, but just about any weekend of the year you’re likely to find gay and lesbian Angelenos relaxing in their second homes or lounging at resorts.

LODGING

Gay lodging in Palm Springs, approximately 40 resorts in all, ranges from sleazy to sumptuous. Since they’re small properties, many are conducive to finding companions for dinner, drinks, daytime activities or whatever. Some of the better ones are listed below.

Men’s resorts tend to be concentrated in the Warm Sands neighborhood, just southeast of downtown Palm Springs, or on San Lorenzo Rd, about a mile away. Lesbian resorts (fewer in number) are throughout town. Most men’s resorts are clothing-optional, and here we’ve assigned them a ‘sexual temperature’ between one and 10 (10 indicating that the joint may as well be a bathhouse).

Men’s Resorts

Inndulge (Map; 760-327-1408, 800-833-5675; www.inndulge.com; 601 Grenfall Rd; r incl breakfast $129-199; wi-fi) This midrange option gets plenty of repeat customers for its 1950s shell, variety of rooms and suites with mission furniture, fridges (some rooms also have kitchens), gay-themed photo posters, pool and hot tub that encourage mingling, and summer specials. Sexual temperature: 7.

Santiago (Map; 760-322-1300, 800-710-7729; www.santiagoresort.com; 650 San Lorenzo Rd; r incl breakfast & lunch $149-189; wi-fi) Smartly remodeled in 2006, this 24-room, two-story courtyard-style building features muted colors, frosted-glass showers, CD clock radios and original erotic artwork. There are excellent mountain