Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [302]
Desert Hills Premium Outlets (off Map; 951-849-6641; www.premiumoutlets.com; 48400 Seminole Dr, Cabazon) and Cabazon Outlets (off Map; 951-922-3000; www.cabazonoutlets.com; 48750 Seminole Dr, Cabazon) will appeal to discount shoppers: stop on your way to or from LA at these adjacent outlet malls with stores selling everything from Gap to Gucci, housewares to sunglasses. Some purchases are major bargains while others are mere great deals. For big purchases, scope out prices at home beforehand. The malls are just off I-10 in Cabazon, about 20 minutes northwest of central Palm Springs.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
Palm Springs International Airport (Map; PSP; 760-318-3800; www.palmspringsairport.com; 3400 E Tahquitz Canyon Way) is served year-round by Alaska, American, Delta, Horizon, United and US Airways from gateways including Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle. There are additional seasonal services on Air Canada, Continental, Northwest and Sun Country. The airport is five minutes’ drive to downtown.
Car & Motorcycle
From Los Angeles take I-10, the main route into and through the Coachella Valley; the journey to Palm Springs takes about two hours.
You can rent a Harley from Eaglerider ( 760-251-5990, 877-736-8243; www.eaglerider.com; Palm Springs International Airport) for around $130 per day; specials are often available. When motorcycling in the desert, pay extra attention to keeping yourself adequately hydrated. Hot, dry wind against your body causes rapid dehydration, so it’s best to avoid riding with your skin exposed for any longer than a few minutes.
Train
Amtrak ( 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) serves the unstaffed and kinda creepy North Palm Springs Station, on a desolate stretch of desert 4 miles north of downtown Palm Springs, near where Indian Canyon Dr meets I-10. Sunset Limited trains (one way $34, 2½ hours) run to and from LA on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays (depart Los Angeles 2:30pm, depart Palm Springs around 6:35am). Trains continue, theoretically, to Orlando, Florida, though Hurricane Katrina wiped out service east of New Orleans and at the time of writing it was unclear whether it would resume.
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
Unless your hotel provides airport transfers, plan to take a taxi; figure about $12 to downtown hotels.
Shuttle companies serve other valley towns; call for advance reservations:
At Your Service ( 760-343-0666, 888-700-7888)
Desert Valley Shuttle ( 760-251-4020, 800-413-3999)
Car
If you’re staying in downtown Palm Springs and don’t plan to leave, you won’t need a car, but otherwise you’ll probably want one for convenience and savings over taxis. Rent one at the airport, where all major agencies have counters.
Public Transportation
Readers have described SunBus ( 760-343-3451; www.sunline.org; ticket/day pass $1/3), the local bus service, as ‘lethargic and unpredictable’. It does, however, serve most of the valley from about 6am to 10pm, and the air-conditioned buses are clean and comfortable. Line 111 follows Hwy 111 between Palm Springs and Palm Desert (one hour) and Indio (about 1½ hours). You can transfer to other lines that loop through the various communities. All buses have wheelchair lifts and a bicycle rack.
Taxi
Flag fall is $3.25, and each mile costs $3. It’s best to reserve taxis in advance.
Ace Taxi ( 760-835-2445)
American Cab ( 760-775-1477)
Palm Springs Taxi ( 760-323-5100)
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GO, DADDY-O!
The high percentage of well-heeled retirees living in the Coachella Valley, and their propensity to pass on to the next world, means there’s a constant replenishment of retro threads at local thrift stores. Today’s hipsters can buy clothes as cool as when they were first worn a generation or two ago. Angel View (Map; 760-373-8771; 462 N Indian Canyon Dr, Palm Springs) is the thrift -store chain of record, and at the Eisenhower Medical Center, Collector’s Corner (Map; 760-346-1012; 39000 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage) draws enthusiastic bargain