The Local Questions, Vol. 2 | Field Notes From Palm Springs
The Longer You Stay in Palm Springs, The Stranger Your Questions Become
At first it's practical.
Where should we eat? Why is every third house somehow more beautiful than the last? Is everyone really this relaxed?
Then, somewhere around your second single-origin nitro cold brew and fourth glimpse of a hummingbird, your mind begins to wander.
Which is how you end up asking the kind of questions that only make sense in the desert.
Why Are There So Many Hummingbirds Here?
Because this place is basically an all-inclusive resort for hummingbirds.
The desert blooms in waves throughout the year. Homeowners plant flowering shrubs like bottlebrush, lantana, chuparosa, and salvia. Feeders hang from patios. Winter temperatures are gentle while much of North America is busy scraping ice off windshields.
The result is a tiny aerial traffic jam.
Hummingbirds become part of daily life here. They don't simply visit your garden—they patrol it with the confidence of someone who has paid off the mortgage.
Spend enough time outside and you'll notice they have personalities.
Some are merely curious.
Others appear to have unresolved anger issues.
If my heart was beating 1,200 times a minute, I probably would too.
Dates Taste So Sweet. Are They Actually Healthy?
This is one of those rare moments when something delicious turns out to have an impressive résumé.
Dates are naturally rich in fiber, potassium, magnesium, antioxidants, and a surprising number of nutrients for something that tastes suspiciously like caramel.
They're still high in natural sugar, of course. Nobody’s claiming they're kale.
But unlike many desserts, dates arrive with enough fiber to slow things down, making them a remarkably satisfying snack.
The Coachella Valley grows nearly all of America's dates, which means the fruit often travels just a few miles before landing in local kitchens.
Fresh, local, and capable of making people who "don't really like dates" completely rethink their position. That happens a lot around here.
What's a Haboob? (and Why Does it Have Such a Funny Name?)
The name sounds like something Dr. Seuss might have invented, but "haboob" is actually an Arabic word meaning "strong wind." It entered the English language more than a century ago, long before weather forecasters started interrupting the evening news with dramatic radar images and phrases like "wall of dust."
A haboob happens when the desert decides visibility has been overrated.
Usually triggered by powerful thunderstorm outflows, a haboob is a massive wall of dust that can stretch for miles across the valley.
One minute the mountains are perfectly clear.
The next, they disappear behind what looks suspiciously like the opening scene of an apocalypse movie.
Fortunately, most haboobs pass fairly quickly.
The local response is wonderfully understated.
People go inside.
Drivers pull over if they can.
Someone posts dramatic photos online.
Then everyone spends the next morning washing a prodigious amount of sand off their patio furniture.
And having fun saying “haboob.” It brings out the adolescent in us all.
What Do Locals Do During the Summer?
The first thing we don't do is complain. Well… ok, yes, but only a little.
Not because it isn't hot. It's because we've already accepted the terms and conditions.
Summer here follows a different rhythm.
People walk before sunrise. Pools become social centers. Restaurants offer generous summer specials. Museums, galleries, and coffee shops become welcome refuges in the afternoon.
Evenings belong to patios again, once the sun finally loosens its grip.
Some locals leave for a few weeks or more.
Many stay.
They'll tell you summer is when Palm Springs quietly becomes itself again.
The traffic eases.
Reservations become easier.
Neighbors actually have time to talk.
It turns out a city can be wonderfully peaceful once the thermometer starts making travel decisions.
How Hot Does it Get?
Hot enough that you stop describing temperatures and start discussing survival strategies.
Yes, 115 degrees happens.
Occasionally higher.
Metal seatbelt buckles become tiny flat irons.
Steering wheels develop opinions.
Dogs reconsider their relationship with sidewalks.
And yet, because it's a dry heat, both clichés somehow become true at once. Yes, 115 degrees is astonishingly hot.
Yes, 95 degrees can genuinely feel pleasant after a week of it.
Desert living quietly recalibrates your internal thermostat until sentences like, "It's only 101 today," leave your mouth without irony.
More Desert Questions Coming Soon
The desert is generous with questions.
Why are the mountains different colors?
What’s with the brightly colored doors?
Why do people become oddly passionate about date shakes?
We'll keep asking.
Because around here, curiosity is part of the landscape.
Palm Springs makes more sense when you walk it slowly.
Join us at Artisan Food Tours on a guided food tour and see what the desert tastes like between questions.
Come hungry. Leave like a local.
Enjoyed this article? The Local Questions are just one part of Devour the Desert. Explore our other "Local…" series for stories about the food, architecture, history, celebrities, and culture that make Palm Springs unlike anywhere else.
Dave Ball is a local guide and co-owner of Artisan Food Tours with his wife, Phyllis. He spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about Palm Springs history, neighborhood architecture, and where to find a great meal.