PS Posts

What Do You Resort to When Your Resort Town Becomes a Ghost Town?: April 2020

Achoo! Don’t fret, it’s just desert allergies.

Anyone who’s lived here for a while can tell you that come Spring the desert winds can blow pretty hard, and any Realtor worth their salt will likely refuse to show you a property north of Vista Chino during April. Still, Spring in PS is generally a booming and blooming time.

That said, Palm Springs, like probably many of your hamlets, has become a ghost town. During a time of the year when traffic on Palm Canyon Drive typically crawls to a stop, I find myself bicycling down the middle of the road with my hands off the handle bars and the wind blowing through what’s left of my hair.

I never thought I’d say this, I miss Coachella, Stagecoach, Dinah Shore – even the White Party.

Yes, Spring in the desert is more than frilly Easter bonnets, but also a major revenue source for this resort town.

Unfortunately this year we’ve all been on self-containment and the social distancing aspect has made all the snow birds distance themselves to their points of origination. It has really put a damper on everything that happens out here, and unless the virus peaks soon, it could be a chilly summer out here, rhetorically speaking.

When I first moved here, I remember going to a pharmacy. I was amazed at the “seniority” represented here. I mean, we’re talking really senior. I had to work myself through a maze of walkers and wheelchairs to pick up my prescription. I said to myself, “Self, these are your new neighbors, so get used to it.”

Now, I find myself fearing for these folks. Palm Springs is a RETIREMENT community after all, and if the COVID keeps up, things could get rather hairy. This thing has caused us all to resort to retire within our homes.

So, we’re all doing a little more gardening, home repairs and sitting by the pool – alone.

My niece wrote a really nice Facebook post recently and a phrase she used really stuck: “This is a time when we need to reset.” That phrase has stayed with me during many a sunny day of darkness out here, so I, like many of us, am re-prioritizing.

In a recent hike up the South Lykken Trail, I came across a heard of grazing rams. Their beauty and serenity helped to center and calm me. It reminded me we’re all in this together – and we will get through it together.

Just a reminder that beauty happens around us all the time and under any circumstance – we only have to look for it.

Until next time, I end this as “Poolside from PS.”