Stay Local to Get Global – Part II

…Palm Springs was the next destination in my global experience closer to home.  An oasis in the desert, the perfect winter retreat at 70 F in December; a frying pan in the summer with temperatures in the triple digits daily.  Again, the basic formula:  dear friend, good food, plenty of laughs, and more reminders of why I love living in Southern California.

Palm Springs the desert oasis

It’s no secret that the best Mexican food outside of Mexico is found in this part of the country; and I’ll even argue that in some cases it’s even better.    Everything you would find south of the border is available at this great Mexican restaurant.  No endorsements, but there’s a “coyote” in the title and the margaritas are “wild.” And if you can’t figure it out by now then you don’t deserve to go anyway!  The best part for me?  Besides the fresh chips and salsa (and I usually pass on this because I like to breathe when I eat)— The absence of  the not-so-complimentary mariachi…another reason Mexican dining is better here.  I love the music, just not as a side dish.  We were happy to listen to Alejandro, Luis, and Armando on our drive.  That’s Fernandez, Miguel, and Manzanero, respectively to my non-Spanish-music-listening friends.  Highly recommended.

Palm Springs at night

A steak burrito and a margarita (or two) later we were walking off our meal and found our way to New Zealand.  Marlborough country to be precise.  No, it was not the result of too many margaritas; that reality hit me later in the evening.  Déjà vu from every past tequila experience where you swore it was your last, even if Don Patron served it himself, yet found yourself retelling the story on your next tequila mishap.  Anyway, back to Marlborough.  When we stumbled upon this wine shop, my wine connoisseur of a friend perused the selection in hopes of trying something new.  I mentioned a recommendation from a friend on Marlborough wines.  The owner overheard me and pointed us to the bottles.  We left the shop with a bottle each.  Someday I hope to sample a glass in the region on the way to bungee jumping off Kawarau Bridge.  I know I’ll need it before I make that leap.

Our day would find us playing pool and being transported to the 80s with Alison Moyet for a soundtrack,  and shopping for Miss Chichi Larue.  Yes, it’s a real name- for a very real 4-legged diva who enjoys walks on the beach and everything in and out of the house, and having her tummy rubbed.   I never realized just how many pet accessory stores and furniture shops there were, and how much I could really enjoy them, but I suppose that’s probably because I never stopped to look and I had the best company.  Like most things we tend to discover later in life, they’ve always been there; we just never noticed.  We ended the day with a cup of coffee and a worthy chocolate chip cookie with a hint of orange zest.   The sun started to fade along with the summer-like weather.  I wrapped my scarf loosely, tried to hold on to the last bit of sunlight, and hoped to preserve another great Southern California moment with another great friend.

***Up next, “Reasons Why I Love Living in Southern California”  (kind of a no-brainer if you live here too)