Tag Archives: Palm Springs

Fresh & Easy, We Hardly Knew Ye

I was dismayed to read this story about Fresh & Easy throwing in the towel after their experiment in the U.S., even though it’s been expected for awhile. I know they had a few stores in Los Angeles, but none of them were close to where I lived.

a Fresh & Easy, but not the one in PS. Flickr photo by jim61773.

However — in Palm Springs, Fresh & Easy was my main go-t0 place for food! When I was out there this January working for the Palm Springs International Film Festival, I probably stopped in every day for lunch and other food purchases. I will miss them.

Here’s My Top Five Reasons to Love Fresh & Easy!

They have a special section to sell nicely-discounted perfectly good “expired” food. Easy to find, cause everyone in the store is huddled there. I would find great deals every day. Most big chains don’t have these sections, or, the only ones I’ve seen are for baked goods.

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Mac ‘n Cheese! They always have several varieties of mac ‘n cheese or other decadent pasta with cheesy alfredo-type sauces. All you have to do is microwave! So nice for those chilly wintertime desert evenings. Yummm.
Pre-washed, pre-cut, pre-packaged fruits and veggies in small quantities! Don’t know about you, but it’s a whole lot easier for me to pony up to my daily requirements for fruits and veggies if someone makes it easy, like washing it, peeling it, and generally getting it ready just to pop in the pie hole. Makes a healthy habit much, much easier. OK, I admit it, I’m lazy. But totally, that’s “fresh & easy!”
They have just a little bit of everything you might want, but not “30 brands of mustard” you have to decide on. I mean, really? You want some caesar dressing, let’s say. Do you really need a choice of 15 varieties on 3 shelves? How about some cleanser for the sink? Same thing. Makes the choice – and your time in the store – much simpler and faster.
Finally, mozzarella and tomato and basil sandwiches all wrapped up and ready to go! So healthy and fresh. And, makes me think I’m France or Italy for a split second. OK, maybe it doesn’t, with the dead sagebrush blowing around outside, but the fantasy is nice.

RIP, Fresh & Easy. I’ll miss you.

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The Palm Springs International Film Festival – The Others

Meaning, the others I saw. There were over a hundred films at the Fest, unfortunately these I’ve posted about were just a small sampling.

Sal

Below is some video I took at the Q&A following the Sal screening I went to, where James Franco (the director of Sal) talks about his intentions with the movie and also discusses his collaboration with Val Lauren, the star of the movie and who’s in just about every frame:

(Could not find a trailer for this movie – if you have one let me know and I’ll happily post.) This is an “art” film – we follow Sal Mineo’s life on his last day, what the filmmakers think and imagine that would have been like. It’s very intimate in that so much of it is shot in closeup – we do get very involved with Sal’s character because of this (not to mention the benefits for a low budget film). I was mainly interested in how his sexual orientation would be portrayed – and it’s there, and obvious to anyone looking for it, but also very subtle as people were (for the most part) in the 1970s. Also of interest is the portrayal of someone going about their day as one of the has-beens of Hollywood. In Franco’s view, Sal adjusted well and was planning on a comeback. Not surprising, the most engaging scene, in my opinion, was where he was in rehearsal for a play with other actors – it was the interactions that kept the movie going (which is the exact opposite of what the Hollywood Reporter reviewer thought). When it’s just Sal by himself, it’s a little hard to stay interested. Good thing Val Lauren is so easy on the eyes and such a good actor.

Also, the film seeks to debunk any of the homophobic explanations for Mineo’s death – that it was a lovers quarrel, a trick gone wrong, etc. It shows the crime for the stupid random act it was. Continue reading →

Wayne Hoffman, David LeBarron and Eriq Moreno read at October’s Homo-Centric

Hank Henderson at Homo-Centric

Hank Henderson gave us three wildly engaging writers last night in his monthly Homo-Centric event at Stories Books in Echo Park.

Wayne Hoffman reads from "Sweet Like Sugar" at Stories in Echo Park

First up was my good friend Wayne Hoffman from New York, who is on a book tour with his latest book, “Sweet Like Sugar.” Wayne read two selections, one, a flashback to gay teen unease, and the other, a college hook-up narrative taking place in Miami. Both were from the lead character, Benji’s, point of view. I haven’t read the book yet but am already in love with Benji! Wayne’s also reading tonight (Friday, October 21) at 7 pm at Q Trading in Palm Springs, and tomorrow night (Saturday, October 22) he will be back in L.A. on the west side at the Barnes and Noble at Westside Pavilion (Pico and Westwood) at 7 pm.

David LeBarron reads at Stories Echo Park

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David LeBarron read a delightful, hilarious, and also quite gay children’s story about two women, Ginger and Mary Ann, who struggle to get permission to marry. Rest assured fans of “Gilligan’s Island” will like this one. David hosts a monthly “series for smart adults and savvy kids,” Apt 3F, on the 3rd Friday of every month (that’s tonight, kids) at world-famous Akbar, 8 p.m. (It’s a bar, so kids in this sense means those over 21)

Eriq Moreno reads at Stories in EP

Third was Eriq Moreno, who made his reading debut at Homo-Centric! He read a short story of the day-in-the-life of a resident of L.A.’s skid row. Congratulations, Eriq, I know we’re going to be hearing much more from you.

Thanks again to Hank Henderson who fiercely holds space for Queer Words every month in L.A. It’s amazing what he’s created in a little over a year and a half!

Inland Empire seniors have nation’s second-worst access to public transit… and don’t try and cross a street, either, sucka

Inland Empire seniors have nation’s second-worst access to public transit, study says –

Inland Empire, from Julia Takes Pictures

Not that I was surprised to hear this, yet it is sad.

Makes you wonder what they were thinking when they planned the interurban sprawl of freeways and suburbs back in the 50s and 60s. That cars, no matter how many, would always be the solution. That internal combustion engines, no matter how polluting, would never exceed the capacity for the environment to clean itself from their toxins.

I suppose it must have seemed like nirvana at the time, all this cheap land away from from noise and problems of the city. Of course, now that nirvana is a nightmare.

As long as I’ve had a place in Palm Springs, we have been promised daily train service between the desert and Los Angeles. It’s been 10 years now, and so far it hasn’t happened. I, for one, am not holding my breath. Even though I’m moving back to the city from the desert, I still hope we see that one day as an option – not just for seniors, but for everyone.

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Jaunt to Cabot’s Museum in Desert Hot Springs

Over the weekend, I went with friend Roger F. and the local California Men’s Gathering group to Cabot’s Pueblo Museum at the edge of Desert Hot Springs.

Cabot Yerxa was an adventurer, a pioneer, a homesteader and an obvious non-conformist. (He was also a member of the extended blueblood Cabot Lodge family.)

He built this house of found and local materials – everything from stone and adobe to railroad ties, driftwood, ruins from other homes, broken glass. It’s intricate and fascinating. They say he was not a fan of symmetry, but I found his intricate dwelling to be symmetric in its own peculiar way.

Cabot was also the person who, when looking for water to just survive the desert, came across the hot springs. Actually, he found both the cold water he needed to drink and the hot water from the springs in this same hill, which is where he built this replica of an Indian Pueblo, which does look like a version of the Taos Pueblo – though much smaller.

Here’s some exterior pictures for you to enjoy. They didn’t let us photograph inside, but it’s well worth the visit should you go. My favorite part of the interior was the upper level apartment he built for his wife, Portia, which included all the comforts of what a lady from the city would need out in the desert – which, at that time, was still in the middle of nowhere. Less that today.

CMG guy standing in front of the pueblo structure

Ancient Weather Rock predicts the weather

Enormous Saguaros in the garden

Cabot's Pueblo

Ironwood Tree shades the courtyard

View across the valley to Palm Springs and Mt. San Jacinto

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Selling a Condo in Palm Springs

Link to the MLS listing for my condo

my living room

UPDATE: Condo is in escrow, after just 12 days on the market! Keeping my fingers crossed! Oh, and looking for an apartment in L.A.

Departing from the usual rant and roll of this or that, today I’m focused on commerce, specifically my own real estate listing.

That’s right, my Palm Springs condo is on the market (MLS Listing #41428157). I’ll be moving back to Los Angeles, for many reasons.

If you’re interested, please click on the link above for all the pictures and the description.

What I would like to do here is give my own reasons why this is such a great place to live – assuming you’re looking for a place in Palm Springs.

The condo itself:
- has an extra room that can be either a bedroom (with a full closet), a guest room, or an office, which is what I usually use it for.
  - additionally, I made an extra closet in the main bedroom into a little home office set-up, perfect for the weekend desert rat or to be used if the other room is being used as a bedroom or guest room.
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- It has a washer/dryer in the unit, which I had plumbed and wired just a year ago for this purpose. Believe me, it’s so much nicer than having to go to the complex laundry across the road.
- All the units here have private yards – in my case, I went the extra step and put in a final wall and garden gate so that it’s totally enclosed and private, perfect for a pet, parties, nude sunbathing (hey, this is PS!) or what have you. If I would be here another winter, I’d be getting one of those nifty firepit dishes.
- The condo is located in the center of the complex – which means it’s steps away from the parking area, the carports, the dumpster (well, who wants to cart the garbage all over the place?) and best of all, the pool/spa/clubhouse. I often go over for night swims and it’s like my private pool, since no one is around. Heaven!
The Palm Springs neighborhood (Warm Sands)
- the benefits of the complex’s location are many, here are a few that are important to me:
  - it’s on the south end of town, meaning OUT OF THE WIND, for the most part.
  - No airport noise.
  - Adjacent to Warm Sands Resort Area, which you know about already if you’re gay. If you’re not, it’s the extremely well-kept area of a lot of gay resorts
  - Walkable to downtown. Or bikeable. Also walkable to a big shopping area which has a Ralphs, a Starbucks, a Subway, a CVS, a Carl’s Jr., a Jamba Juice, a Domino’s, and more. Across the street from there is another shopping area with a bakery, a natural foods store, and many more businesses.
  - Across yet another road from this shopping area (and also walkable from the condo) is Sunrise Park, where the city library is located, as well as the stadium, a skate park, and the big municipal pool, for those who like doing laps. About a block or so beyond that is the Camelot Theater, which is an art house in the desert. Next to it is where they locate the Saturday Farmers’ Market.
For those recreationally-minded:
- I’m not much of a golfer or a tennis guy, but please know both those sports abound out here in the desert and from what I understand it’s pretty much a paradise for both.
- Palm Springs is a bike and hike paradise – the city keeps many bike routes marked, and on a number of streets the sidewalk doubles as a bike path. And, except for a few areas (like Cathedral City Cove) it’s as flat as a pancake, which is good for biking.
- For hiking, Palm Springs is blessed with a number of wilderness areas in easy reach. In addition to Mount San Jacinto, which you can hike up or tram up (to amazing trails at 10,000 feet) there is the Whitewater Preserve, the Morongo Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, the Mecca Hills, etc. truly an amazing variety of trails for the beginner to the expert.
PS is now a year-round destination. It used to be that businesses closed in the summer but now Palm Springs and the other desert cities have such large permanent resident populations this is no longer the case. Pool resorts and restaurants just turn on the misters! If it gets too hot, a quick trip up the tram lowers the temperature by 30-40 degrees and you’re in a beautiful alpine forest. Idyllwild is a short drive away, and if you’re set on going to the beach, you can get to Laguna in two hours or less.

So, there’s some of what’s been important to me the last 10 years I’ve had this place. I’m sure I’ll think of more and keep updating this post.

Palm Springs Farmers Market

Just easy and colorful, like a Saturday morning should be. Most of the time I go to this Farmers Market in the parking lot next to the Camelot Theater in Palm Springs.

They’re still here for another month or so, when they take off for the rest of the summer. I believe they return around October 1.

Johnny from Johnny's Garden (farm in Anza, CA). Today I bought chamomile flowers (the yellow ones) to make tea with

Farmer from Redlands who sells lots of root vegetables, though today I bought his broccoli.

Music at the Market - there was a singer, too.

Sage Mountain Farm near Aguanga, CA, is where I buy most stuff. Yummy, right?

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orchids!

Wong Farms near the Salton Sea. I buy their hydoponic tomatoes.

Farquhar Farm in Redlands, oranges of all kinds and avocados, too

Just 2 defendants remain in Warm Sands Sex Sting Case

the offensive parking lot where the "cruising" took place.

LINK: 2 defendants remain in Warm Sands sex sting case

I’ve been under the weather a bit, and slightly behind because of working in L.A. this week. But I saw this in the Desert Sun this morning, so good reason to link to it here.
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I’m happy to see that this entrapment case is largely going away after two years. For me, a huge takeaway from this is that sometimes – even though our enemies may be many and strong – it really does pay to make a stand for what is right and just. In this case, it was rampant institutionalized homophobia in the local police force and in the former (now unelected) Riverside County District Attorney. It’s nice to see the bad guys lose on occasion.

Now, it appears these unfortunate men caught up in this ridiculous entrapment sting can hopefully get on with their lives.

Whitewater Canyon Preserve Hike

Had a great time yesterday up at Whitewater Canyon with the Desert Cities group of CMG (California Men’s Gathering). I’d never been up to the end of the canyon road before and had no idea the Bighorn Sheep were there and I saw them, for the first time! (see pix)

2 Sheep in this photo, can you see them?

King of the Hill

The literature says there’s also bears there though we didn’t see any (at least of the kind that make their home there). The hills are covered in green, so unlike the desert for most of the year – so I was very much in Von Trapp family mode, daydreaming that we were being led by Julie Andrews over the alps to the safety of Switzerland, away from the evil Nazis (though if Rolf wants to join us, we’d let him…).

Anyway, I digress. I love the landscape shots, especially the ones with Mount San Jacinto (snowy peak) in the background. I’m going to try and resize some of these to use as the banner image on the blog. A great morning with the guys and thanks again to Alan for setting it all up!

The Group - I'm 4th in from the right, in the white hoodie

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's ...

where to cross, where to cross?

Daddy daddy we're stuck on the rocks!

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Waded across. Snowmelt water was freeeezing...

Shade-y characters

San Jacinto snowy peak in the BG

Spring Green

11 of 14 men take plea bargains in Warm Sands sex sting

Link to: 11 of 14 men take plea bargains in Warm Sands sex sting

the offensive parking lot.

Well, finally, this is mostly over (the Warm Sands Sex Sting) for those men “allegedly” entrapped and busted over in Warm Sands for exposing themselves.

I took this photo of the offending parking lot this morning on the way back from yoga. At least this morning, no one was hiding behind one of the bushes or the palm trees waiting for a homo to walk by.

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Give me a f**king break. We live in a town where straight prostitutes hang out on bus benches and take their johns to side streets for in-car blowjobs. Where is the crackdown on that, PSPD?

We live in a town where there’s a water park with frequent and ongoing reports of public, straight groping and sex! Shocking! Where is the crackdown on those lusty teenagers, PSPD?

Thought so. You don’t care. You only cared about a few gay men at a well-established gay cruising spot doing nothing that offended anyone (there were never any complaints – NO ONE ever goes there other than gay men) EXCEPT the officers of the PSPD. Well, we know what happened: after hearing about the Sting, the community became outraged and eventually, the police chief had to resign.

Dominquez did the right thing. I can only hope that eventually the PSPD hires enough gay-friendly officers to put the bad feelings behind, though I suspect the mistrust will now continue for years. Not that the gay community is any stranger to police discord…