Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Ascend through five distinct zones in less than 15 minutes aboard the
2
Feel fabulous stretched out next to the kidney-shaped pool in a mid-cen-
tury modern boutique hotel in
Palm Springs
.
3
Walk in the footsteps of presidents and royalty at
Sunnylands
estate.
4
Traverse otherworldly landscapes to the lowest point in the Western Hemi-
sphere in
Death Valley National Park
5
Navigate smooth boulders in the
Hidden Valley
at
Joshua Tree National
Park
.
6
Hunt rare elephant trees and scramble around the wind caves of vast
7
Hide out at
Hole-in-the-Wall
in the forgotten Mojave National Preserve.
8
Lose yourself (but hopefully not your money) on the
Las Vegas Strip
.
9
Revel in the mythology of the Mother Road at the
California Route 66 Mu-
seum
in Victorville
FAST FACTS
Population of Palm Springs
45,900
Population of Las Vegas
596,425
Los Angeles to Palm Springs
110 miles, two to three hours
San Diego to Borrego Springs
95 miles, 1½ to two hours
Los Angeles to Las Vegas
280 miles, four to five hours
PALM SPRINGS & THE COACHELLA VALLEY
The Rat Pack is back, baby, or at least its hangout is. In the 1950s and '60s, Palm Springs,
some 100 miles east of LA, was the swinging getaway of Sinatra, Elvis and dozens of oth-
er stars, partying the night away in fancy modernist homes. Once the Rat Pack packed it
in, though, the 300-sq-mile Coachella Valley surrendered to retirees in golf clothing. That
is, until the mid-1990s, when a new generation fell in love with the city's retro-chic
charms: steel-and-glass bungalows designed by famous architects, boutique hotels with
vintage decor and kidney-shaped pools, and hushed piano bars serving the perfect martini.
