No contest here—Palm Springs (PS) is the better place to be. The mountains surrounding PS are taller, closer and much more impressive. There is a lot of green, both grass and trees. PS sits on top of a huge aquifer with water expected to last another two hundred years. Of course, at that point, there will be big problems. But look on the bright side, if we keep electing people like George Bush, we’ll all be toast long before the water runs out.
The people here are also much more diverse than in Phoenix. To be sure, there are lots of retiree/golfer types in this neck of the woods too, but there are also regular folks and some regular places to shop. And if you have an issue with “gayness” stay away.
This is a very big gay destination. They have revitalized this town, which ten years ago was a broken-down, has-been kind of place. It has changed dramatically and is getting better all the time. As a demographic group, gays have more spendable income, tend to be liberal, creative and willing to take risks that the rest of us probably wouldn’t. In fact, my advice is this: if you don’t have any gay friends, find some. They know all the best places to visit, to eat, to shop, to decorate, to live. If you know of a place frequented by gays, try and get a reservation; it’s very likely the best of whatever it is. The gays we’ve met here are simply great people. They are friendly, interesting, outgoing, socially conscious, love dogs and make great sons/daughters. I have stories I won’t share here about how some of these friends of mine are taking care of their parents—even a tried-and-true homophobe would have to be impressed. Fifty-five percent of the American people do not see being gay as a moral issue—what is wrong with the other 45%? Hitler gassed not only Jews, but gypsies, gays and the mentally ill as well, which is to point out that anti-gay feelings have been around a long time like so many other prejudices.
I promised myself I was going to keep this as a travel blog and not make it political. I will try harder. Who needs another big mouth? I’m starting to sound like JJ.
