In case you missed it, this month’s issue of Food and Wine (October 2012) ran a four page tribute to our “famously retro California resort town”. The title was intriguing – The Future of Retro Palm Springs. The author points out that while we are known for the Rat Pack and Hollywood celebrity era and our Mid-Century architecture, some of our young chefs are bringing new excitement and fresh flavors to the Palm Springs food and hotel scene. The talents of Tara Lazar and Marco Rossetti have brought three new hot spots. They are Cheeky’s (always a long line there), Birba, and the newest, an Asian fusion restaurant – Jiao. All three are located in the Uptown Design District. And something I’d heard only recently is that they opened a small boutique hotel called Alcazar, in the same block. They also share some of their recipes, which you will undoubtedly want to try if you’ve ever eaten in one of their restos. Yum!

The Future of Retro Palm Springs
The article also pays tribute to some of our other trendy spots for shopping and eating, also found mostly in the Uptown Design District. The arrival of young innovators and fresh ideas are bringing new flair and that aura of glamour to Palm Springs. These shops offer an eclectic mid-century design mix of furniture, accessories and clothing boutiques. And if you should you find your way down to Indio, Lazar and Rossetti suggest you taste the flavors at the El Mexicali Café, a family business there of many years. Their recommendation is sterling – they had El Mexicali cater their own wedding! The revival of the Uptown Design District continues to attract the national spotlight, and we know why! I’ve written before about the excitement of some of the fun new restaurants and shops here and was happy to read more about us in The Future of Retro Palm Springs in Food and Wine.

**Be sure to check out Dick’s new real estate blog about Palm Springs Real Estate trends on our web site – dicksakowicz.com/blog **

This Wednesday, October 10, Palm Springs hosts the AOPA Aviation Summit* with their kick off of an exciting Parade of Planes, a signature event of their summits. Dozens of planes will taxi under their own power from the Palm Springs International Airport through the streets of the city over a two mile route to the Palm Springs Convention Center. These planes will be displayed on the streets surrounding the Convention Center during the event.

The Summit officially begins its program on Thursday, October 11 and runs through Saturday, October 13. Pilots, aviation industry representatives and plane enthusiasts numbering in the thousands will convene in Palm Springs for 3 days of fun, with many interactive educational seminars – including one on how to use your iPad in the cockpit using apps to pull up flight paths, weather conditions. There will be a flight simulator which will allow you to sit in the cockpit and “fly”. Some events will offer pilots actual flight opportunities with those pilots who’ve brought their own aircraft. There will even be a hot air balloon ride option. Overall, 400+ exhibitors will display their aviation supplies,gadgets, and interactive displays in the Convention Center. Special social events are numerous and include a Night for Flight with the proceeds going to charity. There is even a sweepstake to win a Tougher than a Tornado aircraft.

Harrison Ford will give the Keynote Address for Friday. Joining Harrison in the celebrity category will be well known pilots and celebrities in the aviation field. One event that I thought would be especially interesting is a presentation on the use of airplanes in the movie industry, with examples given from specific blockbuster films.

We welcome our guests to Palm Springs for the AOPA Aviation Summit! With the significant investment our city has made in upgrades since AOPA’s last time here in 2006, they chose to come here again, both this year, and also in 2014. It’s all good for Palm Springs Real Estate owners. Now, one last thing – if you miss seeing the Parade of Planes on Wednesday, you’ll have a second chance on Saturday afternoon from 3 to 5pm when they taxi back to the airport for their flights home.

*Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The Future of Retro Palm Springs

Palm Springs Hosts the AOPA Aviation Summit

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