The "Riviera" of California

When we travel, we like to go places that regular travelers may not be interested in going. When planning our trip to Palm Springs, I scoured Google Maps to check out what things in the area might worth checking out. One of those things was the Salton Sea, which sort of promised to have some good photo ops and possibly even a walk on the beach. I was right, but also very, very wrong.

I didn't do any research outside of looking at the map, so on one of our days, we got breakfast, stopped in Indio to see the Coachella Valley Museum, then headed out on a drive to see what the Salton Sea had to offer. In Oregon, any seaside town has a certain charm, no matter how small it is, so when we also learned at the museum that this was meant to be the Riviera of California in the 60s, I was more excited to go check it out.

For a time, the Salton Sea was the vacation destination and the area was growing with vacation homes, resorts, and golf courses, then, suddenly everything was abandoned and nobody ever returned. So, what happened? Well, to understand that, you have to know how the Salton Sea came to be, because it wasn't a natural lake. 

In 1905, a ton of rain caused the Colorado River to flood and spill into this natural crater, called The Salton Sink/Basin, now the largest manmade lake in California. In the years following, farmers were using the river water for their land and diverted the excess into the basin to keep the lake the way it was now. 

In the 50s and 60s, it became an unlikely vacation destination, and they decided to capitalize on it, and it was working. It was marketed as the Riviera of California and people flocked to this spot. They trucked in saltwater fish to stock the lake for fishing and there were watersports and yacht clubs and people lounging on beaches with drinks, but then water run-off containing fertilizers were entering the water and created a layer of algae on the bottom, which in turn created a poisonous atmosphere for the fish and birds, causing them to basically all die off pretty suddenly. Not a great atmosphere for a relaxing vacation. The travelers moved on to better recreation spots.

The saltiness of the sea is so high, it can't sustain wildlife and the beaches are almost nothing more than fish skeletons. That would have been okay, but in the 90s the water levels lowered to the point that the lake bed was exposed and the diseased dirt formed dust clouds that made the towns hard to live in with the terrible air quality. People still living there moved out and didn't move back. 

Now, the towns are basically deserted, with bones of resorts and homes being the most likely thing you'll see. There are a few people still living among these abandoned buildings and there's a recreational area on the opposite side of the lake from Salton City, and RV park at Desert Shores, and even a market (one of the only places still open for business when we were taking a tour).

This is a place to explore if you like abandoned places, but make sure you bring snacks and drinks with you, as you won't find much out there. Luckily, it's less than an hour drive from Palm Springs to Salton City, and there's also the town of Indio and a casino resort nearby, but all the beaches on the west side that we found were private property. 

The mountain views can't be beat.

Did we find places to take photos? Of course we did. Most were buildings that had fallen into disrepair, but also a motel that, shockingly, claimed to be open with vacancies. Some of photos I took still felt very cool and personal, like maybe we shouldn't be there, even if no one else was there either. I would love to go back and explore different areas around Salton Sea, but in the meantime, if you'd like to learn more, check out this post. It has photos of then and now and a very short video documentary. 

If you rent a car and want a completely different vacation vibe than that of Palm Springs, take a day to drive out to the sea. It's quiet and the drive is beautiful. Maybe on the east side you'll find actual beach lounging opportunities, but you'll also find a lot of fish carcasses, which may or may not detract from your relaxation. 

Do you love abandoned places? What are your favorites?

Planning Your Cheaper Summer Vacation

I know, some of us have finally just gotten out of winter, and some of you are still getting snow. Summer is the most expensive time to travel, with 75% of travelers going somewhere away from home June, July and August. This isn't always conducive to being a budget-traveler, especially if it's the only time you have to travel with the kids. 

Well, you're in luck! With my Summer ebook, you can learn all the tricks to getting cheaper deals on flights, food, fun and lodgings. How can you get the best rates on airfare? When should you travel to save more? How do you get the most from your dollars on accommodations? Can you get theme park tickets for less? The answer to all of these and more are in my Secrets to Summer Savings ebook, so you can do more for less on your summer vacation and still have money in your pocket when you get home for bills, food, and a winter road trip. 

If you want to travel more without spending a fortune, this is the place to start. Not only will you have a great summer trip that you won't be paying off for years, but you may still be able to sneak in another getaway another time of year. In fact, using my own tips, I take a week-long trip in the middle of summer then also take two weeks in the fall. If you need some help figuring out where to come up with the money in the first place, find some of my top tips here. You can get my ebook on Kindle, which you can read on the Kindle app on your phone, tablet, laptop or your Kindle. It's free to download, making it super easy. Spend a little to save a lot.

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And if you want everyone to know you're ready for vacation, go check out my shop for fun travel shirts, masks, and other additions to your travel bag. 

We'll be skipping Vegas this year and taking a late spring road trip to Los Angeles to hit up some theme parks and get some sightseeing in. Where will you be going this summer?

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links and I may be monetarily compensated if you make a purchase through these posts. This helps me to keep this blog running and bring you more posts you enjoy, so thanks in advance.

Hot Take: Palm Springs Is Better Than Los Angeles

Please don't get mad at me. I love Los Angeles, but what I don't love is spending 90% of my time in the car because everything is so spread out. While I adore Disney and all the quirky things that make Los Angeles unique, you can find the same vibe, minus The Mouse, in Palm Springs.   

So, if you were thinking about heading to Los Angeles for a quick getaway, unless you're going for something specific, like a show at the Hollywood Bowl or an Angels game, think about going to Palm Springs instead. Here are my arguments why it's better than the City of Angels.

The airport doesn't suck

I have strong feelings about LAX. It's in my bottom 3 airports. It's horrible to navigate and takes forever to park if you're driving. On the other hand PSP is small, has exactly the things you want/need in an airport, it takes advantage of the great weather, and it legit took us 10 minutes to drive from uptown to the airport, drop our car, and get to security.

It also has palm trees

You know those palm-lined streets everyone loves about Los Angeles? The ones you get to see a lot, because you're still stuck in traffic? What if you didn't get stuck in traffic and could really appreciate the view and the drive? That's Palm Springs. 

"I'm Batman!" - Adam West

It has its own Walk of Fame

You know how everyone talks about the Hollywood Walk of Fame like it's something super cool and not actually located, in parts, in sketchy stretches of Hollywood Boulevard, which nobody really walks, where you actually see a ton of homeless people peeing in the street? Listen, I don't blame the houseless for having to live their lives as best they can, but I've also never really felt too safe in Hollywood outside of the real touristy areas. Palm Springs feels pretty safe, even at night, no matter where you are, and sure, their Walk of Fame only has stars of people who were prominent in Palm Springs, but it's cleaner and more interesting and goes all around downtown. 

It's very walkable

If you walk in LA, people think there's something wrong with you. Also, you can basically only pick one neighborhood to walk in, because anything else would take you all day. Most of the things you want to see/do in Palm Springs is in Uptown and Downtown, both of which are easy to walk around in. You can have brunch, go shopping, and hit the museum, all within a mile of each other. We pretty much walked to dinner every night.

It doesn't take 3 hours to get...anywhere

I like driving. I really do, but being in the car for hours at a time sucks. Having to leave for something 3 hours ahead of time and still getting there late, sucks. Getting stuck in traffic when going, literally, anywhere at any time of day, sucks. The only thing that took us very long to get to was driving out to the Salton Sea, and that was only because it's 40 mins from town. It took us 30 mins or so to drive to the zoo, which isn't in Palm Springs. Everything else took 5-10 mins, unless we walked there, but then it only took 15, because we didn't have to find a place to park. It was amazing.

There are great shops

Whether you're looking for a cool boutique shop, or an upscale luxury brand, or a vintage clothing/furniture store, you can find it here. Within a mile of us was an outdoor mall with all the shops you know and love, a bunch of locally-owned shops with anything you could possibly want, a used bookstore, a pet boutique, and at least a handful of antique and vintage shops.

There is street art

Around every corner, you'll find cool art, either on the sidewalk, on the side of buildings, in parks, or outside the museum. (There's also great art inside the museum, we just didn't get to it). Make sure to look up and down and around yourself while wandering around. You won't be disappointed. You can also find a map of all the art if you want to just take a self-guided tour around the city of all the free art.

This is the Elvis Presley honeymoon home

The architecture is great

I. Love. Mid-Century. Modern. Love it. We took a couple hours and just drove around looking at the amazing homes in the hills. The city is a veritable treasure trove of MCM as well as vintage signs and art. LA has historical buildings as well, but again, you'd have to drive all over to see a significant amount. We drove around for half an hour and saw 50 homes all on 5 streets behind our lodging.

The home of Kirk Douglass

You can see the stars' homes

You don't have to pay  $30 for a Map To The Stars in Palm Springs. In fact, you can jump on the internet and download a map or stop at the Historical Society for a free one and then drive around looking at homes that were used in movies and TV shows, were owned, or are still owned by famous people, and generally just enjoy your time doing it. You don't have to board a bus with a bunch of strangers, with some guy yelling into a mic, and you can fit it into your schedule at any point of your trip.

You can eat healthy here, too

Los Angelenos are obsessive about their "health" food, probably because so many people are in show business, but it doesn't take away from the fact that eating healthy is important. You can have those same experiences in Palm Springs, just on a smaller scale, because the city is much more compact. And if you don't, you can do it up big, too, and also have brunch pretty much every day of the week (which I love).

Getting to the mountains isn't difficult

In fact, it's pretty easy. You don't have to drive to that one hill in LA to hike on a road. There's actual hiking here, regardless of your fitness level. The mountains are, like, a 5-10 minute drive from Uptown. You can't even drive to a grocery store in 10 minutes in LA.

The LGBTQ+ scene is everywhere

Everything was just so welcoming and chill here and I loved it. The city has a progressive feel and they celebrate their rainbow residents and visitors all year long and even have a street where all the gay clubs, bars, and shops are located.  

Stop yelling about how terrible I am, because I have nothing but love for LA. In fact, I'll be heading there in June for a few days to hit some theme parks and do a little sightseeing. I'll never get enough of the city, mostly because I can never see everything I want to see in one trip, but other places have similar things and can be better for shorter trips or ones where you don't want to rent a car.

What are your thoughts? Or do you have another x city is better than y city you'd like to propose?