The Palm Springs Cultural Center proved to be the perfect  setting for our group of writers who were being hosted by the Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels.  The Center is relatively new to the City being founded in 2007 with its mission to produce arts and cultural programs.  Then in January 2018 the Camelot Theatres Building officially became the Palm Springs Cultural  Center.   Greeting us was Michael Green Chair for the Hotel Group as well as Executive Director of the Cultural Center.  We were there to learn about the history of Palm Springs which included the Agua Caliente Tribe of Cahuilla Indians, who have been residents for countless centuries, as well as the early white families who arrived  to attempt farming.
The farming was not successful but the mild climate soon attracted people especially those with health concerns.  What then followed was the discovery of Palm Springs by cinema celebrities changing it to be known as ‘Hollywood’s Playground’.
So what followed for our group was the City’s famed Celebrity Tour.  With a guide, who has become famous for his own expertise, we were off on a comfortable bus to seek out the homes and hideouts of Hollywood’s most famous stars.  Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and the list continued as we drove through luxurious neighborhoods where the homes occupied not just lots but often acres. The guide would point to an Estate with 12 bedrooms and as many baths.  Others with guest cottages, the name cottage being used loosely.  Some homes, like that of Liberace, can easily be recognized as displaying the artistry of the owner.
Tours are very much a part of the scene in Palm Springs.  The Visiting Palm Springs Travel Guide lists twenty three possible tours available with every thing from a Desert Tasty Tour to a   Sky Watcher Stargazing adventure.  If you would rather walk than ride the Palm Springs Historical Society offers Walking tours.  Some of these tours follow the route we took in the bus being listed as “Frank Sinatra’s Neighborhood”  or “Rat Pack Playground”.