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Celebrity Homes in Palm Springs: An Incomplete Guide

April 9, 2012

Nearly every time I go out for a morning run, I see a double-decker bus jammed full of tourists with fancy cameras. And then I have to stop and let them take my photo and it’s totally embarrassing.

No, that last part is not true.

The bus full of tourists part, however, is real. And it got me wondering, what in the heck are they looking at?

I already knew this central Palm Springs neighborhood is home to swanky digs and architectural gems. And I knew celebrities and Hollywood legends made this area their playground. I just didn’t exactly where, who or what.

So I did some googling and came up with a list of addresses. (This Southern California hiking site was a tremendous resource. Thanks!) Then I grabbed my iPhone for some jogging and shooting.

This is not a comprehensive list by any means. They’re just some of the fun celeb homes I run past every day. (OK, OK. Three times a week.) And I still have at least a dozen more to photograph. So stay tuned for part 2!

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell • 550 Via Lola

This house is one of my favorites. Doesn’t it look so breezy and fun, just like the stars who lived there?

 

Debbie Reynolds • 670 Stevens Road

This house is perched on top of a tiny but steep hill. If you hold your computer up to your ear and listen hard enough, you might be able to hear me wheezing.

 

Elvis Presley • 845 Chino Canyon

Unattractive black fence. White rocks that look like the bubbles on a stagnant pond. CREEPY ELVIS FACE. What’s not to love?

 

Elvis and Priscilla Honeymoon Hideaway (WARNING: There’s music on that link) • 1350 Ladera Circle

I’ve heard a lot of people say this home is tacky, but I think it’s a charming, unapologetic throwback. Living here would be like having Tomorrowland in your living room.

 

Marilyn Monroe • 1326 Rose Ave.

This home wins the prize for the most difficult to photograph. It’s located surprisingly close to the street and isn’t gated or anything. But there’s SO MUCH SHRUBBERY. And I always seemed to be there when the sun was in the worst possible position. So excuse the weirdo color — but it just adds to the classic 1950s aesthetic, no?

Otherwise, it’s an adorable little home. I can easily imagine Marilyn padding around the yard in a silky robe with sexy bedhead.

 

Nat King Cole • 1258 Rose Ave.

Again, there’s a whole lotta landscaping goin’ on.

 

Ronald and Nancy Reagan • 369 Hermosa Place

Stately, conservative and totally California. I would expect no less.

 

Clark Gable • 222 Chino Dr.

Frankly my dear, I do give a damn. It’s just so pretty! And pink!

 

Sammy Davis Jr. • 444 Chino Dr.

The parties that must have gone down here. Can you imagine?

 

Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin • 1197 Monte Vista

 

Dean Martin • 1123 Monte Vista

 

Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy • 776 Mission Road

I didn’t want to run up to the gate and stick my phone through the fence to get a better photo. Especially since someone was home at the time. Just trust me, this house is everything you’d expect of Katharine the Great.

 

Sydney Sheldon • 425 Via Lola

Undergoing a second draft.

 

Howard Hughes • 335 Camino Norte

What? You can see the home of a famous recluse from the street?

NO! Of course not.

There’s actually a great big wall around this place, bigger than what you’d find at most prisons. But I jumped really high, held my phone up in the air and hoped for the best.

 

Liberace • 1441 N. Kaweah Road

I love this place. I mean, not for me. But it’s so … Liberace, all the way from the lion statues to the piano mailbox.

 

Coming soon: Jack Benney, Zsa Zsa, Frank, Bing and Lucy!

Month of fun: Day 25

September 25, 2011

Maybe I made a mistake by hanging out with the gorillas in Rwanda.

 

Because now I have my very own pair of gorilla feet.

 

I’ve been curious about minimalist running footwear ever since I read Christopher McDougall’s bestseller, “Born to Run,” which questions traditional running shoe wisdom, examines super distance runners and tells the story of Mexico’s Tarahumara tribe, whose runners log hundreds of miles at a time while wearing only thin sandals.

The Vibram Five Finger shoes follow that basic philosophy. It gives you the experience of running barefoot while providing a minimal amount of covering for protection from roadside hazards, like broken glass or rocks.

I’m someone who has actively tried to run for many years, but I was always sidelined by shin splints and foot pain before I could ever build any kind of endurance. It was only a year ago that I realized I was a heel striker, which I think contributed to the pain in my shins. Once I changed my running style, the pain went away. The Vibrams are just an extension of that for me.

I wanted to get back to basics and run the way humans were designed to run — without the pumped up kicks.

I had a sizable dividend check from REI that I had to use, so I sent off for the shoes a couple weeks ago. (In Palm Springs, you can check out Vibrams at the Birkenstock store, 138 S. Palm Canyon Dr., downtown.)

I bought this pair in a men’s size, because the men’s size has more length and my toes are long enough to peel apples.

 

After years of wearing cushioned, padded shoes, you’re supposed to ease into minimalist footwear. So I started by wearing my Vibrams to walk the dog. Then I took the dog a slow jog. Then I left the dog at home (sorry, Lemon) and did some walk/sprint intervals.

And today? It was my first time doing one whole session with the Vibrams. FUN!

Yes, they look silly. But they give me the sensation of being a manic kid again, running around the yard at top speed and enjoying every joyful second. For that, I’ll happily take the gorilla feet.

 

More power to ya

August 22, 2011

As I said before, I’m doing this running thing. (Which, to be clear, is not really running at all, but more of a rapid walking/falling shuffle, as if I keep catching myself mid-trip on a rug.)

So my inner information gatherer has been driving me to research all kind of running-related things. Eventually that led me to the Nike+ program, which appears to be a glorified pedometer. I have not purchased this gizmo yet, because all of my Apple products are too ancient vintage to be compatible with the Nike receiver.

Still, I am in love with one fantastic concept from the Nike+ gear — the power song. Tap a button and Nike+ instantly plays your own pre-programmed “power song,” for those moments when you need a little extra oomph.

 

That got me to thinking about my own power songs — the tunes I turn to for extra motivation. (And manually select from my iPod playlist because my mp3 player is so old it belongs in the Apple museum vintage.)

This song goes on all of my workout playlists because it has a sassy beat, it makes me want to dance and I love it. But I wouldn’t say it’s the most motivational song on my iPod.

(NOTE: This video is probably not suitable for work unless your boss is cool with Abraham Lincoln in sensual situations. And if that’s the case, your job is AWESOME.)

 

On the other hand, I think this tune is motivational even though I can’t identify with the lyrics (“I took the bullets outta Fifty and put ’em in my .45.” I mean, I can’t even remember the last time I did that.)

A friend put this on a mix for me when I was going through a particularly difficult personal time, and it helped to scream at the top of my lungs, “Hate it or love it the underdog’s on top, and I’m gonna shine, homie, until my heart stops!”

Sadly, Fifty Cent’s rhymes are so slow, they bring my feet down to a crawl.

 

So I’m leaning toward this as my power song. It’s fun, fast, brash and an old favorite.

 

Extending the concept a little, I’d have to look to Sonic Youth for my Life Power Song, since every little girl I know wanted to grow up to be Kim Gordon. But forget about running to this music. Just slink around and look awesome.

 

I will also take this under consideration. I know it’s one of those sappy songs that every girl lists as her favorite, but I can’t help it. This part gets me every time: God help you if you are a phoenix and you dare to rise up from the ash, A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy — while you are just flying past.

 

Sing it, sister!

Now tell me. What are your power songs — either for working out or just living life? I’m also curious to hear any feedback on the Nike+ thingy. Do you use one? If not, how do you stay motivated during your workouts?

 

A running leap

August 14, 2011

It’s been nice and all, these past couple weeks of simultaneously watching “Project Runway” marathons and watching my ass get softer. But now I’m ready to get off the couch and tackle a new challenge. And that’s I why I’m signing up for my very first running race: a half marathon.

OMG, y’all.

I’m a moderately active person. I ride my bike. I walk my dog. I’ve hiked all over the world. But running? No. I have asthma and shin splints and an intense fear of tiny shorts.

But I also have this bizarre desire to invite the things that scare me most into my life.

So, taking a tip from Tim Gunn, I decided to make it work.

 

I completely changed my running technique so I no longer get shin splints. I managed my asthma with ridiculously expensive inhalers. And … I haven’t been swayed to the tiny shorts side yet.

I still don’t know if I can complete 13.1 miles — like, ever — but it’s worth a try. I can’t reach the finish line if I never start.

Right now I’m conditioning and using a slow but steady training program, but I’m also really enjoying the parts of running that have nothing to do with running whatsoever. Like making running playlists for my iPod. Or checking out running shoes on Zappos.com. Or going to online forums and chatting about running with other people who aren’t running.

My overall goal is to become Gabrielle Reece.

 

 

I already know how to play volleyball, so it shouldn’t be hard.

And while I wait for the Gabrielle Reece thing to happen, I’ll be busy messing around with this cool tool, which I found yesterday. It’s a site full of readymade running playlists and songs with pace times. (I like that it has a karaoke section. You know, for those times you just gotta run AND sing.) I’m too embarrassed to reveal what’s on my running mix now, but it might be of the Enrique Iglesias-featuring-Pitbull variety.

Have any of you completed a race before? What was the hardest part of your training? Am I completely insane?

 

Travel time-out

January 6, 2011

I am burrowing.

I tend to do this every winter. For the longest time, I thought it was seasonal affective disorder. Then I moved to the California desert, which gets approximately 500 days of sunshine per year, and I realized I no longer have an excuse.

Now I’m starting to think it’s the natural rhythm of humans. Or maybe it’s just the natural rhythm of me — holing up, turning inward and building a cocoon before I have the energy to break out again.

What surprises me is that I have to still do this while traveling. I mean, here I am out in the world … I should be going places! I should be meeting people! I should be doing something!

Instead, I am void of ambition. I am mentally and physically broken down. I have some family issues going on, which leave me feeling vulnerable and imperfect. I am lonely and a little sad. Plus, I recently got over a case of worms and parasites, and the 17 mosquito bites on my face are only now starting to heal. I am exhausted.

So I am holed up at El Salam Yoga Camp in Dahab, Egypt.

This is where I am resting. I am jogging on the shore of the Red Sea. I am getting lost in hours of yoga. I am reading and catching up on writing and making confessions in my journal. I am playing with puppies and squeezing kittens. I am thinking.

I feel guilty about all of this, like I should be doing more, traveling further, volunteering for somebody somewhere. Instead, the biggest accomplishment of my day is making soup.

Dakini, the woman who runs this camp, gave me a little squeeze around my shoulders and assured me that I’m doing exactly what I need to be doing.

“Get strong,” she said. “You have to honor yourself. Realize that by helping yourself you are helping the people around you, and ultimately that helps the world.”

Soon, I hope I will find myself with the ability to move on and have more meaningful experiences and adventures.

But now, I am burrowing.