The Parker, Palm Springs

Entrance of The Parker

Our room

The Main Lobby

Hector returned from Bogota late Saturday night, then we left early Sunday for Palm Springs. This was a birthday getaway for him, fortunately it was also Memorial weekend and we both had Monday free.

We arrived at The Parker amid throngs coming and going. It's a big property but there were people everywhere. I think a lot of them were sight-seeing. A Bravo reality show (Welcome to the Parker) was filmed here a couple of years ago. No way were they going to let us into our room before 4pm, so we just wandered the grounds, had lunch, then wandered some more. There's a croquet lawn, petanque courts, 2 pools, hammocks, a fire circle, and a big spa, all tucked into a nicely landscaped desert area. It's actually the former estate of Gene Autry. They've done it all up sort of 60's funky. Actually, I read that the designer described it as a place that looks like where your Auntie Mame used to live. It's fun and funky and comfortable. And really expensive. I hate to sound like an old lady but My God. When you check in and give your credit card for the room charges, you think the worst is over, but no... wait until you order a lemonade by the pool ($6) or have a light dinner from room service ($100 for 2). So we just tried not think about it and have a good time. Breakfasts were delicious ($65 for 2) but we skipped dinner at the signature restaurant in favor of a steak in Palm Desert for 1/2 the price.

On Sunday there were so many people we couldn't get a chair at the pool, but by Monday morning they were all heading back to LA and we had a nice long day poolside with a manageable crowd. It was a very nice mix of gay/ straight. I'd say 50/50. Plus lots of families. Service was pretty good, much better after things calmed down. Loved the spa! Full pool, steam and sauna for men and women separately. Our room (the cheapest) was very nice and spacious, with quality bathroom amenities: L'Occitane and Hermes.

We decided we'd gladly go back but maybe during a slow week when the prices are perhaps not so high. Plus, it's MUCH more enjoyable not to have to share it with people from LA.

Atlanta

I came with Hector to Atlanta because he was presenting at the International Reading Association Convention. 25,000 chubby, middle-aged teachers in sneakers and pedal-pushers. We stayed at the Marriott Marquis downtown, one of those concrete behemoths with a huge open atrium that soars upward 50 horrifying stories, including glass elevators, in case you're not already freaked out enough. We were on the 42nd floor. I can honestly say I did not look down once in 4 days.

Atlanta is a charming city. It immediately reminded me of Dallas and that opinion never changed. It’s very green and slightly rolling, it has a respectable skyline but the downtown area is filled with these huge concrete hotels so it’s not so great a downtown for strolling. It must have the largest black population in America. I had plenty of opportunities to overhear the use of AAVE, or African-American Vernacular English, which we’ve been studying a bit in Linguistics class. (formerly and infamously known as Ebonics.)

All the cab drivers must have recently gone through a required course in boosterism because they all acted like unofficial tour guides, pointing out highlights and providing tourist data. Did you know that the new Atlanta Aquarium is the largest in the world? So we went to the aquarium. It’s very nice but still doesn’t come compete with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Did the Botanical Garden: very nice, CNN Tour: pretty entertaining (Did you know that the escalator in the CNN Building is the longest freestanding escalator in the world?) Last night we attended the Braves vs Padres game at Turner Field to watch the San Diego Padres get their lazy asses kicked. The stadium is fun, it’s newish, like Petco Park in SD.

Hector, Tere Rivera, and I had a great Southern meal of fried, horribly unhealthy food on Monday night at a restaurant I can’t remember the name of. I had hoped for more of that kind of thing but after that one I really couldn’t take much more, so the rest of the meals were a bit lighter in the carbs. Fortunately, we did a lot of walking.