Nothing says Palm Springs like BLUE sky and palms. Photo Friday
Filed under: Travel | Tagged: Blue, palm springs, Photo Friday | 6 Comments »
Trip home from Palm Springs gets an A
Posted on October 26, 2008 by jackieinpdx
This morning I packed and left the condo in time to stop at Sherman’s Deli for breakfast on the way to the airport. I remembered how large the breakfast servings were from previous trips. I really wanted the homemade corn beef hash but knew that I would regret eating something so heavy later. So I ordered the scrambled eggs with onions served with potatoes/onions and lox. I only ate about half of the eggs and potatoes but did finish off the lox and as the menu said “it was a slice of heaven”.
Since opening their first location in 1953, Sherman’s has become a landmark in the desert. This Kosher- style family restaurant, still owned and operated by Sherman Harris and his son, Sam Harris, offers an extensive menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner reminiscent of a New York style deli.
If you ever get to Palm Springs I highly recommend eating breakfast there at least once.
Then I got to the airport to return the Avis rental car. I ended up barely driving anywhere this trip so I did not fill up with gas. The Avis man wanted to charge me $13.99 since I didn’t have a receipt for the fill up. I did tell him that I didn’t fill it up because I had barely driven anywhere. So he waived the $13.99.
Then I went to US Airways to check in. I asked for a wheelchair. The Palm Springs airport is not a really big airport but it is really spread out. The new United and US Airway terminal is almost to Indio (22 miles from PS) as the man who pushed the wheelchair told me. I got to security and there were only two people behind me to get screened. The TSA man asked me if that was my wine picnic bag. Yes. “Oh crap!” I said “there is a cork screw in there which I totally forgot.” He said yes but he was more concerned about the cheese knife. Rather than confiscating the little cheese knife and the cork screw they asked me if I wanted to check the little bag. So the man pushing the wheelchair took it back to check in. Meanwhile one of the other TSA guys was teasing me about having a knife. I kept apologizing saying I was sorry and totally forgot about it or I would have removed the items and put them in my check in bag. All of the TSA agents were friendly and enjoying the slow morning. What a difference from many of my most recent experiences. Palm Springs is a great little airport where everyone knows each other. The wheel chair man came back and told me he talked the US Airways agent into not charging me for a 2nd check in bag. Another pleasant surprise with the airline employee being friendly and accommodating.
My change of planes in Phoenix was smooth and uneventful. What a relief after my day from Hell last Sunday getting to Palm Springs.
The wine picnic basket was the “gift” I choose to listen to the timeshare owner’s update. My selections were a white terry cloth bathrobe that had Wyndham /Worldmark embossed on it, a cheap suitcase or the picnic/wine basket. I choose the wine basket and gave it to Tara so she and Kelly could use it when they go to the Oregon coast or take drives for picnicking with their dogs. I was told that this meeting would take 60 – 90 minutes. I was out of there in 30. I had no plans on spending any more money ($8,800 as it turned out) to increase my timeshare points or to upgrade to their new travelshare program. I am perfectly happy with the plan and points I have.
It looks something like the wine tote on the right.
Filed under: Travel, vacations | Tagged: airports, palm springs, TSA | 3 Comments »
So what does $37.70 buy at a grocery store in Palm Springs?
Posted on October 24, 2008 by jackieinpdx
Jensen’s is a locally owned family chain here in the Coachilla Valley. Yesterday I went there to buy some groceries for the last few days of my stay in Palm Springs.
Here is what I purchased for $37.70. I don’t have each item itemized because I threw away the receipt.
New York steak @ $19.99 lbs = $9.00. I would have preferred the rib eye but it was $22.99 per lbs. Then there was the aged dry beef. That Rib eye was $33 per lbs.
Special Jensen’s burger pattie, ground sirloin, pork, apple bacon and seasoning @5.85 lbs = $3.05
4 spears of asparagus
One vine ripened tomato
Diet Coke
One small serving of broccoli slaw from the deli
Gallon of water = $1.69
One ear of corn
½ cantaloupe
One bottle of Chardonnay = $9.99
For dinner tonight I grilled the NY steak, the asparagus with a little melted butter and the leftover roasted red potatoes from dinner a few nights ago. Everything was wonderful! This dinner in a restaurant in PS would probably have been somewhere around $32 just for the steak and the sides $6 or more each. So over all my grocery shopping was less than one dinner out would have been. Plus I have dinner for tomorrow night on top of it. A glass of Chardonnay in a restaurant would be at least $8.00. So I did OK. Right?
I am certainly not on a budget but why go out to eat by myself when I can prepare a great meal in and sit and watch HGTV or read while I eat?
Filed under: Food, shopping, Travel, vacations | Tagged: groceries, palm springs, steak | 4 Comments »
Vacations are great!
Posted on October 23, 2008 by jackieinpdx
I forgot how little there is to see in Palm Springs proper. I have been up the tram to the top of the San Jacinto Mountains three times. I have visited several of the real glitzy hotels, been to the water park and shopped for days on El Paseo Drive which is the Rodeo Drive of Palm Springs. I have been to the huge outlet mall north of the city several times. I don’t care to visit the Indian casino. One might think that there are some really gorgeous homes to see in the residential neighborhoods. While that is true most of the really big buck homes are either in gated communities or behinds walls or gates. So you might wonder what exactly am I doing here? The answer is not much of anything. I am half way through my third book. My days are spent out by the pool or in the pool on my floaty. It’s HOT. It has been in the high 90s every day. But keep in mind “it’s a dry heat”.
I splurged today and had a 90 minute massage. It was fabulous. This was the first massage I have had since I tore the ligaments in my knee back in June. My massage therapist that I have been going to on a regular basis since 1991 is up a steep flight of stairs. This massage therapist came to my condo which was what I Googled for. I searched for “massage palm springs” and the first one I found that said that they go to the client was Longevity Massage.
This is the view from out front of my condo door. These are the San Jacinto Mountains. Mountians and lots of palm trees are about the only view you get from PS proper.
These are some of the couple of dozen palm trees around the pool which makes it necessary to move every hour or so to get out of the shade.
One trip my daughter asked me how I knew my way around so well without a map. I told her that the PS area is really easy even for the directionally challenged. If you see the San Jacinto Mountains you are heading west. If those mountains are in your rearview mirror you are heading east. Other than the residential neighborhoods everything is pretty much laid out in an east west and north south grid.
Sony Bono’s widow running for re-election for the congressional district that Sonny once represented.
Filed under: Travel, vacations | Tagged: massage, palm springs, Sonny Bono | 3 Comments »
Update to “I am off to Palm Springs”
Posted on October 19, 2008 by jackieinpdx
UPDATE:
I can’t believe I forgot to write this lovely statement made by the United Airlines agent at the Portland gate. “If you people would stop coming up here and bothering me I could do my job”. Then she realized what she said and tried to back pedal. “I mean do my job which is to make sure you all taken care of.”
Let me tell you how my day went…
I set my alarm yesterday evening for 6:30 AM. I wanted time to shower, get ready and catch up on some email before heading to the airport.
I woke up a few times and looked at the clock, the last time it was about 5:00 AM. The next thing I knew I woke up and it was light out. I looked at the clock, it said 6:07. Now I know it doesn’t get light until close to 7:00. I got out of bed and went to look at the clock on the microwave. It was 7:28 AM. Shit! My taxi was coming at 8:00 AM to take me to the airport. I didn’t have time to shower or put any makeup on. I was already packed except for throwing in a few last minute things. I turned off my laptop and put in it my backpack. The taxi showed up at 7:50. Had I not been ready he would have had to wait in the driveway for me. I got to the airport to check in on United. The counter staff was not the same friendly United employees that helped me last Monday when I was flew to Denver. They were downright rude. I paid $15 to check my one bag as I had my laptop in my backpack as a carry on.
My flight to San Francisco where I was to change planes was first delayed by two hours due to weather (fog) in both Portland and SF. The flight ended up leaving about an hour late. I got to San Francisco where I had asked to have a wheelchair waiting for me. Good thing I did as I arrived at one end of the concourse and the next flight left from about as far away as possible without leaving the terminal. I wanted to stay in a wheelchair to get to the plane since it was a small plane that wasn’t at the jet way. It was out on the tarmac quite a ways. The elevator to get down to the ground level was not working. Or as it turned out the United employee who was trying to open it didn’t know which way to turn the key. She was swearing up a storm with shit and f’bombs flying like crazy. At this point I just laughed and told her she sounded like me. I finally got to the plane and had to climb the stairs to get on. Stairs are still not easy for me to maneuver with my injured knee. Again in PS I had a wheelchair because I remembered how far some of the gates are from the baggage claim. I waited for my bag and it never showed up. I was the only person still standing at the carousel when it stopped moving. Turns out my bag was not taken off of the plane in SF and was on its way to Honolulu. Again the United employee was a jerk. I practically had to beg him to give me a “complimentary” overnight kit. Then I went to get my rental car from Avis. I was told all they had available was a SUV. I told the woman that I didn’t think that I could get in an out easily from a SUV. Then I was told I could have a minivan. I do not drive a big car so I did not want a minivan. She sent a guy out to the lot to find something else for me. I ended up with a cute little Pontiac Vibe or something like that.
I got to the condo and was supposed to have free internet access. Funny how the authentication website for free use was not found. I will make sure my credit card is credited back the $15.95 that I had to charge to get internet access.
I have not had a travel day from Hell for a long time so I guess I was overdue. But don’t think that United won’t be hearing from me about their poor customer service and the fact that I had to pay to check my bag that they sent to Honolulu instead of PS.
Got to go since my laptop power cord along with all of my clothes and everything else is in my bag that is not here with me. My pizza is here and I am ready for a vodka and tonic. It has been along day!
Filed under: Travel, vacations | Tagged: airlines, palm springs | 4 Comments »
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