Palm Springs: The End

Palm Springs sign at the Visitor’s Center upon driving into town on Highway 111

Yesterday I had a new client, local to Palm Springs for almost thirty years. I said to her, “Crazy, our summer here was busier than our winter!”

Normally town would be buzzing. Right after the new year is usually the debut of the International Film Festival and all the snowbirds from the Mid-West and Canada would fill the restaurants and bars.

Not this year.

We are in the midst of another lockdown with restrictions on lodging and restaurants that is greatly affecting local businesses. It blows my mind how quiet the streets are downtown at night when normally there would be many cars and people galavanting around.

Palm Springs thrives in tourism. I know there are locals here who bitch about the traffic and noise and all the changes that have been occuring in the last 20 years or so (hey, they’re retired and have better things to do but they choose to complain and troll message boards). We need tourism to keep our local businesses and people alive.

Knowing this makes me wonder: will Palm Springs be able to make a comeback? Some businesses pulled out early on in the crisis and I hear about the struggles and frustration of other business owners who are on the brink of bankruptcy.

There is still so much uncertainty ahead of us. I think it will take a good amount of time before we see things reach such a resounding level as before this mess took over the world.

Richard