Devour the Desert
A Palm Springs Food & Culture Journal
The Local Flavors | Why Palm Springs Tastes Like a Memory: Marcel Proust, Ratatouille, and the Science of Scent
There is a scene in the Pixar film Ratatouille that may explain Palm Springs better than many travel brochures.
Anton Ego, the famously impossible food critic, reluctantly takes one bite of Remy's rustic ratatouille.
The bite shatters his carefully cultivated cynicism.
He drops his pen in pure shock as the taste instantly transports him backward in time.
The Local Culture | The Oasis of Palm Springs: Nothing This Beautiful Happens by Accident
Palm Springs is a city built on optimism.
It is also built on plumbing.
Visitors rarely think about this. They are understandably distracted by mountain views, perfectly chilled martinis, impossibly blue swimming pools and citrus trees that appear to have signed a long-term lease with the sun.
Everything feels effortless.
It isn't.
The Local Flavors | Palm Springs Cocktail Culture: How a Desert City Turned Leisure Into an Art Form
Palm Springs has always understood the importance of a good drink.
Not merely the liquid itself, mind you. Plenty of places serve cocktails. Palm Springs elevated them into a social activity, a fashion accessory, a networking tool, and occasionally a competitive sport.
The Local Culture | Palm Springs and the Art of Belonging
There are many reasons people fall in love with Palm Springs.
Some come for the sunshine. Some come for the architecture. Some come for the mountains, the swimming pools, the golf courses, the date shakes or the promise that January can feel like April.
But one of Palm Springs' most remarkable qualities is something less tangible and far more important: its long-standing culture of acceptance.
The Local Flavors | The Best Palm Springs Happy Hours: A Civic Institution Disguised as a Cocktail
In many places, happy hour is a financial strategy.
In Palm Springs, it borders on a civic institution.
Palm Springs may not have invented happy hour, but it has certainly embraced it with unusual enthusiasm.
The Local Celebs | To Catch a Taste: Cary Grant, Mid-Century Style and the Flavor of Palm Springs
If you have ever watched Cary Grant effortlessly hold a martini, outrun a crop duster, or romance Grace Kelly on a sun-drenched balcony, you may have wondered: How did he do it? How did he become Cary Grant?
The Local History | Meet the Pioneer Women Who Created Palm Springs
Before Palm Springs was a mid-century modern oasis filled with Hollywood glitz, it was a rugged, isolated desert outpost. The oasis of palm trees and hot springs was a challenging place to live, yet in the early 20th century, a remarkable group of determined women settled this arid valley, laying the foundation for the glamorous resort town we know today.
The Local Architecture | Glass & Steel: A History of Palm Springs Modernism
Palm Springs is a time capsule of Mid-Century Modern architecture, the greatest concentration of this style in the world.
The Local Flavors | A Culinary Journey Through Palm Springs History
Palm Springs isn't just a desert oasis; it's a living museum where every bite tells a story.