What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Palm Springs, California? Well if you’re anything like me you think of a bunch of pretty lawns with newspapers at the stoop that belong to retired couples. Of course that’s an extremely simplistic view and maybe even a bit stereotypical, but I didn’t mean any insult to the imagery, that’s just what I think of. So, naturally when my wife asked me to go with her to Palm Springs on a business trip I didn’t jump at the opportunity. However, after she asked a few times I decided that it was still going to be a nice stay in a great room and I agreed to go. And besides, it was in California right? So, it didn’t take too much convincing, though I would never have thought to go there specifically.

And to be honest, it was really one of the nicest trips I’ve been on in a while. I spent an entire afternoon at the Moorten Botanical Garden, which is a full acre of a family owned garden and it is absolutely beautiful. I enjoy touring botanical gardens and usually incorporate them into my overall experience of cities. I used to have a theory that you could judge a city by its botanical garden but that has since been overruled. Still, I continue to enjoy visiting them. An interesting fact about these gardens is that they were established in 1939 by Chester and Patricia Moorten. Does that sound familiar yet? How about Cactus Slim Moorten? Anyway, he was one of the original Keystone Cops, which I found to be pretty interesting.

The San Jacinto Mountains are visible from Palm Springs, in fact the city offers some incredible views. To be honest I was perfectly content to spend most of the morning relaxing by the pool with a paper, maybe some coffee and a light breakfast and those gorgeous views. Interestingly that song by Peter Gabriel would run through my head every morning as I gazed out at those mountains. They certainly are an inspiration. The accommodations we received were so nice that they also enticed me into relaxing longer by the pool than I normally would. It truly was an incredibly relaxing, yet invigorating stay and I would eagerly return again.

Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs is a post from: Mountain Monkeys

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1. Palm Springs Weekend Getaways for Friends