A Weekend In Palm Springs

I’m not really one for New Year’s Resolutions. I believe that if you want to do something, you should just do it. I am an adherent of “I see it, I do it” after all. But if I really wanted to participate, I would say that one of the things I want to do this year is to travel more— specifically with friends. I have been very blessed to have had a few vacations throughout the years (London, Japan, Italy) but they have all been with family; when it comes to my regular New York visits, I always go alone (but I always spend time with friends). I’ve never really done a trip with friends, big or small! I want 2025 to change that.

I just hate doing logistics. I already do that for work— why would I do it for fun?

That’s what Jay is for. If there was a position called “The Planning Friend” he would certainly overtake me due to his dedication for creating so many big events: Friendsgiving, Friendsmas, Pool Parties, and even a Black Tie dinner for his birthday. And almost as if on cue, Jay texted me a bit ago asking if I was free on a certain weekend to celebrate his birthday with a weekend friend trip to Palm Springs. I was making good progress on my Resolutions!

I’ve never actually been to Palm Springs, but it has such a unique allure. With its history of being a vacation spot for Hollywood Stars (especially in the 50s-60s), I’ve ascribed the city a perpetual mid-century/atomic aesthetic in my mind. It’s much more “vacation-y” than Joshua Tree, which has more of a hippie/granola vibe thanks to its proclivity for camping and hikes; I’ve visited ‘ol JT before, but didn’t really get to leave the house due to some…libations. I was excited to hang out in Palm Springs with friends old and new, even if I knew that consuming libations would keep us inside.

*A killer look that was certainly inspiring…despite it being early January when we went. Maybe I just have to go back when its warm!*

*This was the vibe I was planning to go for.*

I was incredibly excited for a few reasons. First and foremost, I simply like hanging out with friends; it’s even better when I’m not the one orchestrating the occasion. On a more serious note, the trip ended up occuring the weekend after a devastating fire rocked through Los Angeles. Most of the friends on the trip live in OC (a different county for those unaware of SoCal geography), so they were thankfully unaffected (OC did have a small fire that was quickly put out).

My father and I actually live quite close to the Eaton fire and was incredibly on edge through most of that week. I evacuated on Tuesday and stayed with my friend James, working and sleeping on his couch as I awaited any update about my neighborhood. I saw on reddit that my street had multiple buildings on fire and feared the worst, though in the end my dad and I were quite lucky to have our place unscathed outside of incredible ash and not having power or internet. [At the time of writing, the house still does not have internet so I’ve been staying with my grandma so I can do my day job). All that to say that, this brief jaunt to Palm Springs not only served to celebrate Jay but to give me a respite from the week’s anxiety…as well as a way for me to sleep on a not-a-couch and give James a break from me (thank you James)!

I was obviously very lucky to have only relatively minor inconveniences due to the fire, but others weren’t as lucky. If you can, I encourage you to donate directly to affected families on Go Fund Me. I especially want to shout out the one for Wellema and Tom, the owner of my beloved Book Alley, who lost their shop and home respectively. They really need it!

Now even though I was only going to be in Palm Springs for two nights and one full day, I still wanted to slay. This was still quite an Occasion after all! I also just wanted an excuse to wear something intentional, rather than cobbling together a fit with what I brought with me when I evacuated (more on that later). Thankfully this didn’t require too much thought because in true Ethan fashion, I had already put the outfits together: one to wear on Friday during the drive down and two for the weekend.

Each of the fits I made square neatly within the theme of Palm Springs: 50s/60s movie star on vacation. This meant big pants, loafers, and open collar shirts; it wasn’t expected to be that cold out in the desert. While all of them were bangers, I think the outfit on Friday was my favorite. The combination of a white shirt and charcoal trousers can read a bit formal but this was abated through my peach-beige v-neck sweater (the only one I own) and a flecked jacket. This accomplished the off duty actor look extremely well I think! It looked even better when I wore it on my shoulders later that evening (as I got tired of taking it on and off after swimming).

Spencer’s attire played more into the desert vibes of Palm Springs. I dain to even call his outfits as themes, as it pretty much is what he wears a daily basis: hearty shirts, jeans or military chinos, cowboy boots (Luke Chase Me’s, I believe they’re called), and of course his Stetson silverbelly. He did put on a sportcoat when we went out to the bar, but he was relatively dressed down for most of the day. As was I, but in my own way!

*Our Airbnb was basically a retrofitted hotel!*

I wish I had a fun storytime for the trip, but it was honestly just an extremely chill Staycation. It was perfect!

On Friday evening Spencer and I spent nearly three hours in the car listening to Bob Dylan while caught in the IE traffic. We immediately had a nice cocktail and snack when we finally arrived at the Airbnb, followed by the hot tub and playing Super Smash Bros. Most people slept in on Saturday but I took the opportunity to get some coffee and read a book (Conversations with Von Karajan) mainly because I haven’t had the ability to escape to a coffee shop all week; it’s also quite hard to read when you’re staying at a friend’s couch (because you’re just hanging out anyway).

Once people got up, we set out to walk around downtown Palm Springs, popping into various vintage stores and art galleries. Outside of a curated store selling pre-owned designer, there wasn’t much in the menswear department; I ended up buying a few bargain records to fill my burgeoning vinyl collection. Instead of going out to a restaurant, we ended up cooking steaks and veggies right in the Airbnb, saving our money for some Tiki drinks at a local watering hole. Overall, Palm Springs was a bit sleepy and sparse, but that’s probably also due to the fact that it’s the beginning of January. I’m not complaining though, because I was able to Hang Out with some friends. That’s all I really want!

Maybe I’ll have to come back again sometime. Or maybe I go full mid century movie star and simply go to Las Vegas….

Now enjoy some photos!