The Palm Springs Welcome Wagon: Leonardo DiCaprio Edition!

Hi Leo,

My name is Matthew, 

and I'm one of your neighbors in Palm Springs.

Okay, maybe not a next door neighbor; but where I'm from, in a small town you welcome the new neighbors, regardless of distance.

I live in a vintage airstream called The Silver Suitcase™ that I bought off of ebay and renovated last August; I just purchased 2 more, which I blog about.

(Crazy, right?  I went from 1200 sq ft to 240 sq ft. and have had more fun parties here than I ever had before.)

Anyway, it seems like every major publication has announced your Palm Springs purchase. We knew you had bought a house, but kept mum.

Until now, as it's evident the cat is out of the bag, so:

WELCOME TO Palm Springs! 

I do hope you enjoy your time here. It's pretty great, if I do say so myself.

To get your feet wet, here are some of my favorite, mostly Old School, Dining and Drinking spots in Palm Springs:

Sunday Afternoon: Melvyn's is a must do. Nothing better for a civilized afternoon with cocktails, the trio of musicians and a tuxedo'd maitre'd - yes, even when it's 120 degrees out and you're wearing board shorts with a t-shirt, Brian the Maitre'd will be there to greet you and welcome you to all of Melvyn's glory with their perfectly made Sinatra approved cocktails.   (Btw, they are hosting a special Dinner with Gavin MacLeod on March 19th!)

photo courtesy of Melvyn's/Ingleside Inn

Sunday Night Dinner:  Lyon's English Grille: Has been open since 1939 and on Sunday's there's The Nat King Cole Set. Nothing is better. King Henry Cut? Prime Rib?

Photo Courtesy of Lyon's English Grille

Monday Nights 7:00pm: Sissy Bingo at the Ace Hotel in the Kings Highway Restaurant with bingo caller extraordinaire, Hollywood Legend, Linda Gerard. Prizes are awarded, and if you're lucky, Linda will serenade you. Linda, Cocktails, Dinner, Bingo, and Prizes? Doesn't get much better than this. On a Monday night, people!

Photo courtesy of Ace Hotel

How awesome is Linda?!

Photo courtesy of Ace Hotel

Any Time Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner: Billy Reed's!
When you want to dine in old school warmth where everyone looks good -  no matter the wear and tear on your face, this is the place to sit back in an old school bar chair (with arms!) and order a chilled Martini or Manhattan done by a seasoned pro.

Photo Courtesy of Billy Reeds

Order the Liver and Onions, Prime Rib or Chicken Picatta and finish off with the best Cake and Pie in town. They also serve Breakfast and Lunch. BONUS: You can order off any of their menus at any time. And, yes, cocktails, will be served at 8am if you so wish.

Lunch + Dinner: La Tablita Mexican Restaurant in Cathedral City is the place to go if you want Mexican. Open for lunch at 11, close at 10 - full bar, and really outstanding Mexican food + Cadillac Margaritas. Worth the drive/Taxi. 

Photo Courtesy of La Tablita/Facebook

Any Day for Lunch: Tyler's!

Photo Courtesy of Tylers.com

I love the simplicity of Tyler's. Sit outside under the canopy or grab one of the 10 seats inside. They have a simple menu of burgers (veggie and turkey too), fries, sandwiches, malts, milkshakes with everything freshly made to order. 11- 4 daily + cash only. Get the "SomerSized" named after Suzanne Somers!

Lastly, a few things to keep in mind:

• Don't turn on the misters when it is 85 or above, all it does is produce humidity - not cute, nor cooling.
• The pool takes 24 hours to heat up  - keep in mind if you want it heated by the time you get out here.
• If your friends want discretion, put them up at Ruby Montana's Coral Sands Inn. Ruby's is the vault of all vaults. Trust me. You can find her here and here. She's on the border of the Las Palmas neighborhood.
• Palm Springs to Rancho Mirage is 20 minutes. Don't let anyone tell you any different.
• Coachella is about 45 minutes by car from Palm Springs. Don't let anyone tell you any different.
• The Sun Bus stops at Melvyn's - not that you would ever use it, but I love that tid bit. Makes me laugh every time.
• We have taxi's.
• Sunscreen. Highly recommended.