Palm Springs Virtual Office

Trip date: September 2021

I had just returned from Palm Springs when the pandemic hit in March 2020.  By the fall of 2021 I had only flown one other time and was missing my annual sun-cation. I was also missing tan lines as the pandemic had really put a damper on beach vacations! So I booked my 2nd flight during COVID, packed my bikini and my laptop, and headed south to work remote for a week. 

I actually didn't realize until I was headed to the airport that it was September 11th, and the 20th anniversary of 9/11. There was absolutely no one in the Clear/Precheck TSA area which was quite eerie. And a lot of folks on the flight were visibly anxious with the anniversary and the pandemic. So a relaxing flight it was not!

It was crazy hot when we landed and I was very happy to get into my rental car and blast the A/C. The townhouse I had rented was just 1 mile from downtown, in a gated community, and had a private enclosed courtyard with pool & hot tub. I would not have to be around anyone I didn't want to be around.

Inside was a big kitchen/dining room, comfy sectional, big screen tv complete with Roku and a gorgeous fireplace. And upstairs was a bedroom loft and a covered balcony area that looked down on the pool. As I wasn't planning on going out much, this space was absolutely perfect!

I headed to Jensen's grocery and did a big shop to stock up my place for the week. Then back to the townhouse for some rosé in the pool with a floatie. It was 108F so no need to pay for the pool to be heated!! When I finally got out of the pool I had a lovely night in the A/C and a delicious roast chicken dinner thanks to the grocery store deli.

Originally I had planned on heading out each morning for a walk through the various neighborhoods like I normally do. I had even bookmarked a couple of new-to-me hikes. But it was just way too hot to be out during the day with the temps above 100F every day (& one day 110F!). So every single day I got in the pool with my morning coffee and read on my kindle. Then I spent the afternoon working, while taking pool and book breaks. When it cooled off in the evenings I had a quick hot tub before making dinner and watching movies. It was heaven and my tan lines were back!

I did go out a few times to places requiring proof of vaccination. My friend Nathan, who lives there, and I headed to local fave Bootlegger Tiki one evening for pre dinner drinks. When it is hot, nothing cools like a tiki drink (or two)! It had been a few years since I had been and it was still just as good. 

That evening we had dinner at Sandfish Sushi which I had wanted to go to for quite awhile. It was absolutely fantastic! We ordered way to much food, and I had a few now-rare Japanese whiskeys, which are my faves! Service was fantastic and the restaurant is gorg. I'd highly recommend!

Another night Nathan and I had drinks at PSAir, a little cocktail bar hidden in the back of a local wine/liquor shop. My brother had sent me a few photos the last time he had been in town so I was looking forward to checking it out.

As the name hints, this speakeasy is all airline themed. You sit in what looks to be a plane's fuselage complete with first class leather airline seats. A screen shows aircraft taking off and landing while servers bring you "First Class Nuts" and "Paper Plane" cocktails. 

It's cheeky and silly and absolutely fun. We even ran into one of Nathan's friends there who is a flight attendant! Very meta!

For dinner we headed to the bar at Mr. Lyons for big prime rib steaks. An excellent evening!

Another evening a friend who also happened to be in town invited me to dinner and drinks at Workshop Kitchen. It had been years since I'd been and it was still great! We chose to sit outside on their large patio which was lovely albeit a bit warm!

And one afternoon a couple of friends and I braved the heat and had a lovely lunch at El Patio, which I hadn't been to before. The restaurant has a big outside patio, shaded by a huge tree and complete with misters. Our lunch was soooo good! I highly recommend the mezcalita and the shrimp ceviche! Delicious!!

I was just absolutely loving my little condo and was very sad when I had to think about packing up to head home. I had a morning flight on my last day which made sense as my checkout was in the morning too. But I was so bummed thinking about it the day before so I sent the host a note asking if there was any way I could stay all day and take a later flight home. Bingo! 5pm check out for an additional $40 and $98 for the evening flight on Alaska into Seattle. 

I spent the entire day in the pool with my book, going inside to do some work in the A/C from time to time. At 4pm I got cleaned up and packed up and left my sweet little private townhouse. Quite a different PS trip than in years past, but exactly what I needed!

All Palm Springs photos here.