Things to do in the area??

[BriAnne]

This will be our first time to Coachella, and we are spending 10 days there. Can any locals, or previous visitors tell me some good spots to see?

Is Joshua Tree National Park good? What beaches are the best on the coast? We were thinking of going to Huntington Beach. Are any of the lakes in the area fun?

We are staying in Cathedral City for the 10 days.

Any info you could give us would be greatly appreciated!!

[chairmenmeow47]

check out idyllwild up in the mountains.

i went to school there, so maybe i'm biased, but it's a pretty place to hike. the art school up there (idyllwild arts academy) might have events going on to check out too.

[fortydollarsworthofmeat]

check out idyllwild up in the mountains.

i went to school there

ivy, i just looked at this website, and saw this:

Tuition: For the 2006-07 school year, boarding student tuition is $39,950 (includes room and board) and day student tuition is $24,950 (includes lunch).

holy fucking shitty, dude.

[Courtney]

Wow, including lunch, really? How generous!

[chairmenmeow47]

ivy, i just looked at this website, and saw this:



holy fucking shitty, dude.

you're telling me! thank god i had an art scholarship

[hawkingvsreeve]

There is a pretty sweet local band called Dude Jones. Check them out.

[mob roulette]

battle the windmills a la quixote.

kidding.

also the tram to the top of mount whatever is kinda cool and not too touristy, at least when we went.

[keriann]

All that glitters is gold

[TomAz]

start your own meth lab

[bmack86]

Ivy, nice sig.
Joshua Tree can be really cool.

[SFChrissy]

Joshua tree's a must see, there's a gondala ride up one of the big mountains and hiking, salten see...not really much in that area as for beaches...so cal beaches sux except once you get further south to the capistrano area...

The real california beaches are in NOR-CAL and too much of a drive for you while spending 10 days in Cat City...

Oh have a burrito at Cuca's in Yucaipa/Mentone or Redlands...absolute best burrito in your life!!!

[TomAz]

The real california beaches are in NOR-CAL

[SFChrissy]

Sweet...Looks like Ano Nuevo

[bmack86]

If you want the famous california beaches, check out Malibu.

[Andreaxyz]

If you want the famous california beaches, check out Malibu.

i like venice

[devachan]

Yeah Venice is cool until you step on an aidz needle.

[pewter14]

one thing not to do ... go to any of the local casinos ... (Palm Springs / Palm Desert area) ... they suck.

[desphrs]

one thing not to do ... go to any of the local casinos ... (Palm Springs / Palm Desert area) ... they suck.

Dunno about that... I came out of one a couple hun heavier after some blackjack...

[breakjaw]

I grew up in that area (Irvine) and recently went back to take my son to Disneyland.One of the most fun days we had was at the old Balboa fun zone.Very nostalgic for me,and IMO the beach is better than Huntington Beach by far.You just take the ferry from Newport Beach(It's like a buck.)

[nothingman00]

Agua Caliente is a pretty good casino. The downtown casinos suck (for the most part), but I thought Agua Caliente was great. They even had a nice poker room.

Other things:
You can shop on El Paseo (if you're wealthy or are a good thief).
There is a street fair that happens one night a week (Thusday maybe?) where you can just walk around downtown Palm Springs and buy interesting arts/crafts/clothing/jewelry...

If you're staying in Cathedral City, you're pretty much in between Palm Springs and Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage so everything is fairly close to you. I'd recommend eating a sunset dinner in downtown PS (preferably at a place with a patio). It's very comfortable at that time of day and it's semi-bustling when coachella comes around.

[BriAnne]

has anyone been to huntington beach?? i am curious which beaches are decent that arent TOO far.

[devachan]

has anyone been to huntington beach?? i am curious which beaches are decent that arent TOO far.

Huntington beaches are nice if you go south of Beach Blvd (along PCH). If you head north (from Beach and PCH) to the beaches off of Main Street, it's a little more crowded and not quite as serene. But there are a ton of shops and surfers to watch. The best beaches in the OC, in my opinion, are located in Laguna Beach. During that time of year, you shouldn't encounter too many tourists. Laguna is about a 30-45 min drive south of H.B.

[bmack86]

Huntington is alright, I prefer Newport slightly. look at Breakjaw's recommendation up there.

[HorrorLibraryNet]

When I went to Coachella for the first time in 2004, we made a day trip to Laguna Beach...and it was really gorgeous. Got a good few miles of beach you can easily walk, not really touristy at all and the town itself is quite charming with lots of artisty shops and great places for dinner. Watching the sun set over the water while perched on a rock in Laguna was a great way to end the weekend. The drive there is really picturesque too.

Oh, and the street fair is on Thursday nights in Palm Springs. Great place to just hang out, get some food from the vendors or at one of dozens of restaurants on the main strip or just people watch. Palm Springs is kinda interesting...totally not what I expected.

[Philthy]

Places to go in the Springs....


http://palmsprings.com/nightlife/index.html

[Philthy]

PALM SPRINGS VILLAGEFEST
Palm Canyon Drive between Amado Road & Baristo Road
Palm Springs, California
760.320.3781, 760.323.8272

The brainstorm of the late Sonny Bono, the Palm Springs Villagefest is held year-round every Thursday evening from 6 - 10pm. From Amado Road to Baristo, Palm Canyon Drive is sealed off to traffic and becomes a walker's paradise of fresh fruit stands, local restaurant samplings, live music and the best of Palm Spring's artists & craftsmen. The visitors come here for the fantastic deals that are reminiscent of a 1950's flea market and the locals come here to say "Hello" to each other. A true Palm Springs experience and not to be missed.

[Courtney]

Pioneertown... does that place still exist?

[CuervoPH]

We stayed in Cathedral City for Coachella '06. We drove down to San Diego on Friday and spent some time there and did the Joshua Tree thing on Monday. I definitely second or third the other recommends above on Joshua Tree.

We're staying in Cathedral City again this year and will probably do the street fair in Palm Springs on Thursday night.

[BriAnne]

what time of year are the beaches (ie. laguna, huntington) the most crowded with tourists?

[Courtney]

what time of year are the beaches (ie. laguna, huntington) the most crowded with tourists?

The summer months, but especially August.