A Very Mod PALM SPRINGS Weekend Getaway (In 111°F Heat)!

We spent the long memorial day weekend in the desert resort city of Palm Springs, California.

0:00 Intro
1:03 The Tonga Hut
2:22 I Heart Mac & Cheese
2:57 The Mod
4:29 Café La Jefa
5:11 Pool Day #1
5:39 Getting Ready for Dinner
5:51 Churrasco Brazilian Steakhouse
6:06 Melvyn’s
7:24 Morning Coffee/Ernest Coffee
7:46 Iconic Atomic
8:08 On the Mark
8:30 Pool Day #2
8:58 Rooster and the Pig
9:42 Paul Bar/Food
10:40 Morning Coffee & Pool Day #3
11:07 Palm Springs Air Museum
12:55 Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar
13:24 Lappert’s Ice Cream
14:12 Outro

Vlog. Lifestyle. Things to do in Palm Springs. Summer. Spring. Must visit. Vacation. Cocktails. Restaurants. Food. Drink. Travel. Road trip. California adventure.

Friday afternoon, we packed up and hit the road from Orange County. You can always count on Inland Empire traffic to be miserable and, on this particular weekend, it delivered in spades.

Our first stop was the Tonga Hut, one of just a few tiki-modern style bars in Palm Springs. The decor is a mix of classic Polynesian with a heavy dose of that retro-mid-century-modern-cool that Palm Springs does best. We sat at the bar and ordered a Piña Colada and a Blue Hawaiian. You really can’t go wrong with tiki staples like these. Sadly, the kitchen had already closed for the night but our fortunes were restored as we made our way to the other side of the bar. By way of a hidden phone booth, a secret room is revealed.

Our appetites soon got the best of us so we went on a search for some late night food and I Heart Mac & Cheese on South Indian Canyon Drive hit the spot. Open until 2:30AM on Friday and Saturday nights, I Heart Mac & Cheese is a national chain that serves up incredible looking specialty Mac & Cheese bowls as well as grilled cheese sandwiches and flatbreads. There’s just something about melted cheese after midnight. And don’t forget those tots.

Before hitting the pool, we took a short walk down Indian Canyon Road to the Flannery Exchange to check out Café La Jefa for another coffee and a bite to eat. The Flannery Exchange is a small center that also features an interesting gift shop, ice cream shop and an art gallery.

Opened in 1975, Melvyn’s is nearly as legendary as the bevy of celebrities who have dined here. Melvyn’s is all about old-school elegance, delicious American fare and classic cocktails. You don’t have to drink a martini when you visit Melvyn’s but you probably should at some point in your life.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed some coffee and arcade games in the community room before heading out. For our second cup, we visited Ernest Coffee, a cool independent cafe with a minimal, rustic-modern feel. Great coffee. Then we popped into Iconic Atomic, one of the many incredible vintage shops in town. They specialize in mid-century modern home decor, men’s and women’s vintage clothing and much more.

We were on the lookout for something to share for lunch back at the pool. We found On the Mark, a boutique market and deli in the heart of downtown that features a huge selection of wine, cheese, craft beer, and tons of other gourmet items. They also have one of the largest selections of Laguiole knives that I’ve seen in one place

For tonight’s dinner, we tried Rooster and the Pig, a unique Vietnamese American cafe just south of downtown. It was packed and they don’t take reservations but we didn’t have to wait too long for a seat in the lounge. The atmosphere is stylish and the menu is simple. Do check out Rooster and the Pig when you’re in the area.

Next was a nightcap at Paul Bar, a local favorite about a ten minute drive from downtown. Sandwiched in an obscure strip mall, you’d never guess that one of the best cocktail bars in Palm Springs lies within. Like Melvyn’s, Paul specializes in the classics but they do offer a creative menu of specialty cocktails as well as elevated bar food. The atmosphere is like the old New York style neighborhood bar you always wanted but never had, and the martinis were absolutely perfect. Paul Bar… if you know, you know. And now you know.

My wife and I have been on a little bit of an aviation kick lately so we thought it would be fun to head over to the Palm Springs Air Museum to check out the annual Memorial Day event and flower drop. Large hangars filled with beautiful vintage military aircraft stoked a sense of wonder that brought me back to the days of being a kid building model airplanes with my dad. There was a brief memorial service and a B-25 Mitchell Bomber was taxied out to the runway to prepare for the flower drop.

We headed downtown to find a place to beat the heat and enjoy a light lunch. We docked at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar. This popular spot has a nice open air layout that makes it ideal for lunch or happy hour on a warm day like today.

Last, we stopped into Lappert’s Ice Cream. Lappert’s is one of those places that seems to appear on every Palm Springs “must visit” list so we had to check it out.

[the.dirty.pigeon]

Have you visited Palm Springs? What are your favorite spots?

[starperez]

Need to visit all these spots next time! Looks like you all had so much fun 😊

[penguin_edits]

I'm a menswear enthusiast thinking about visiting Palm Springs for vintage shopping, this vid was very helpful. Do you know of any other good vintage clothing stores in the area? Thanks much