Palm Springs and Coachella Valley ! w/pics

I know  its not Vegas but I did find some casinos.  Does that count?

I took a little trip out to Palm Springs - my first time visiting.      I put a request in through work to get a resort in Palm Springs but nothing was available initially.   I booked my flight to the Ontario Airport figuring if I couldn't get Palm Springs then I can always go to Vegas - we always have inventory there.       But I landed a Palm Springs Resort at the last minute - Hilton Grand Vacation at Palm Canyon.     Nice place !   Really nice pool.

It was my first trip on Southwest since they implemented assigned seating.    If you have the credit card you can upgrade your seat for free within 48 hours of flight if its available.    That was a nice perk.   I sat in the first 5 rows there and back.     I like the new policy.   I dont miss babysitting my phone to checkin exactly at the 24 hour mark only to get a high "B" seat.

One of the first things I noticed was the delightful fact that all parking in Palm Springs is free.  Plenty of parking lots and street parking...or you can park at the downtown casino.   All free.    What a great idea.    

Of course we had to do the obligatory touristy stuff including a 3 hour bicycle tour of all the celebrity houses.    That was a blast!    Great exercise and a great way to familiarize yourself with the downtown area.    

We saw the giant Marilyn Monroe....

And then her house.  Check out the mailbox.

Liberace's house.

Lots of amazing hikes nearby.   The Indian Canyons just south of downtown Palm Springs take you through an Oasis in the desert.   Massive palm trees naturally line a stream of mountain water.    There's about a hundred trails nearby so you can try a couple new ones every week for a year and never do the same one twice.

This is a dessert ?

This little guy was sitting at the bottom of the lamp post in downtown Palm Springs with a thousand people walking by.    I hope nobody stepped on him.   He seemed a little nervous.

* * * Casino talk * * *  
Most of the Coachella Valley sits on a giant Native American reservation.    Result?  Casinos.   Everywhere.   There's like 10 of them scattered around.   Some actually have some decent VP.    The Aqua Caliente in Indio had $1 8/5 BP.  That doesn't suck at all.   I actually had more luck just playing slots which seemed to be looser than anywhere in Vegas.   I made $400 bucks mostly playing penny slots.      I gave that BP quite a bit of attention but it was mostly a wash.   

* * * Retirement talk  * * * 
Im still about 10 years away from my full SS retirement age.   Hopefully I can hang it up before then.    Lets go stock market !    I always like to do some homework about the places I visit as a potential retirement spot.   Here's what I came up with for Coachella Valley.

Pros
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- Lots of active 55+ communities here: Del Webb and such.  Home prices are surprisingly affordable at them.   $450k will get you a nice house in one of those active communities.   Thats alot less than coastal Cali where an equivalent home will start around 900k at least.
- Good community.  They have a street fair and farmers market weekly.   Free Tai Chi classes downtown in the square.  that kinds of thing.
- Plenty of recreation.  Bike trials.  Hike trails.   State and National parks.
- Good healthcare
- Friendly people.
- Plenty of people politically on both sides of the spectrum but its not contentious.   By contrast try visiting the Villages in Fl.
- 3 1/2 hour drive to Vegas.   2 hours to Cali Coast.

Cons
-----------------
- Houses are reasonable but taxes aren't.  Its California after all.    HOA fees are about $200 more than comparable places in Vegas.    Property tax is more.   Sales tax is more.   And the base cost of everything is more.    Basic Bacon and eggs breakfast downtown Palm SPrings is $30 with tax/tip.    Also - since you are on an Indian Reservation you have to pay them too.   You basically get 2 property taxes.    I think the California tax is lower if you live on Indian land so it works out about the same if you do or dont.
- It seems removed from the rest of the world.   Its a tourist town and retirement hub.   Seems like everyone is wealthy, white, financially comfortable, and senior citizen.  Diversity?  Not much.  
- Income tax.   Car emissions testing.  overregulated everything.   Gasoline is crazy : over $5 before the Iran war

Conclusion...If you compare one of the active communities in Coachella Valley to the ones in Vegas you get better quality of life and healthcare in the former.   But it comes at a cost.  I estimate close to about $800/month more compared to Sun City Summerlin.   And that's just housing.    Add to that state income tax and higher sales tax.  But if you can swing I'd say its worth it.   You only live once.

Happy trails !   
  

Interesting, PJ.  Thanks!