Palm Springs which I’ve been to a number of times, usually on business, is a strange mix of things that don’t naturally belong. Set in the middle of the desert, it has an eerie and surreal unrealness to it in the same way that Disneyworld does when you’re not in the mood. At times, Palm Springs also makes you reflect on the nothingness and sheer beauty and solitude around the place, much easier to do if you venture out about an hour or so to Joshua Tree which not just surrounded by nothingness and sheer beauty but it IS nothingness and sheer beauty.
In Palm Springs neighbor, Joshua Tree, you can somehow find serenity whereas in Palm Springs, you have to work at it, largely because there’s so much money as evidenced by the shops and restaurants which line its streets and its community, that it’s as if they’re all just trying too hard to pretend everything is picture perfect.
It has drawn an incredible amount of wealth from young and old residents however the number of retirees who flock there far outweigh any other population segment, attractive not just for its warmth, but its dry heat which can be very healing. For awhile now, it has been home to trendy bistros, ice cream shops, boutiques and expensive restaurants, kind of like the “I am the desert version of Zurich but without the depth or the culture.”
Maybe I’m being harsh. Like I said, when I drove down its two main drags, when I looked beyond the city and into the mountain landscape on the horizon, there’s no question, I had an ‘aha’ moment, something that went like this: hmmn, this really is a pretty place.
The problem with word pretty without any other adjective is that its like a Pleasantville re-run but with the rebels who turned into color. As one woman in her fifties described her feeling about it on a recent flight, “It’s as if everyone goes there waiting to die.” I don’t think I share the same strong view but there is an aspect of it. It does “feel” like the sort of place where people move to or visit when they’re done taking chances in life. When they’re ready to live life easily. When they want things handed to them and they’re no longer up for self-creation. When they want to play things safe. When they’re done living. When they want things to be passive and reactive rather than activated and proactive.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
