When I lived in Los Angeles, I considered Palm Springs a sunny respite about a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I made a point of visiting the desert city a few weekends a year to enjoy perfect winter weather and laid-back, poolside hangs.
I never imagined living there, though, until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Suddenly, Los Angeles felt claustrophobic.
Like many others in the city during this time, I wanted to find a place with more breathing room. Since most of my work was already remote, I was not tethered to a location and decided to make a move.
Palm Springs offered a lower population density, plenty of wide-open vistas, and a slower pace of living, all of which appealed to me.
I planned to just “wait out” the pandemic in Palm Springs and return to LA when it was over. So, I negotiated my lease down to a six-month stay.
Pandemic-related restrictions lasted well beyond that initial period, but I didn’t want to leave. I’d started truly falling in love with the desert, so I kept renewing my lease on a month-to-month basis.
I quickly fell in love with the city’s nature and arts scene
One of the biggest immediate perks of living in Palm Springs was the easy access to nature and hiking. Even within the city limits, there were great, secluded trails to explore, not to mention spots like Joshua Tree National Park just over an hour away.
In those early days of social distancing, I took full advantage of these hikes — as well as neighborhood walks, which offered so much Modernist architecture and gorgeous desert landscaping.
Once physical-distancing restrictions were lifted and we could start sharing more spaces again, I began working for the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which remains one of my favorite local events.
I developed friendships within the community of coworkers and volunteers, and built several meaningful intergenerational relationships that continue to this day.
As things continued to open up, I frequently attended live music events throughout the region, including shows at Pappy and Harriet’s and the Coachella festival.
As someone who has always worked in arts, music, and culture, these places provided great opportunities to meet like-minded people in town and get a cultural pulse on the city.
Community, friendships, and work helped me decide to stay in Palm Springs
By the time the peak of the pandemic had passed, LA had changed — many of my friends had also moved elsewhere.
Plus, I’d become deeply ingrained in Palm Springs’ community through work and new friendships, and fallen into routines here. I didn’t want to leave.
So, I didn’t. And six years later, I’m still in the city.
There have been benefits I didn’t necessarily expect. Compared to living in Los Angeles, drives are short, traffic is light, and parking just about anywhere downtown is easier (and free!).
You also simply cannot beat the winter weather here, with mainly sunny days and temperatures in the mid-70s.
Though I miss many things about Los Angeles — like the amazing, varied food scene and late-night culture — Palm Springs has a lot to offer for everyday life.
And it doesn’t hurt that I’m only a two-hour drive away from my old home, so I can head back as often as I need to for work opportunities or visits with friends who still live there.
I’m not ruling out a return to Los Angeles eventually, and I always like to stay flexible and open to new opportunities. For the foreseeable future, though, Palm Springs is home.
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