When you arrive in downtown Palm Springs, guess who is waiting to greet you?

This statue of Marilyn Monroe used to reside in Chicago, but within the past year she moved to Palm Springs. I’d say the west coast glamour suits her!

My good friend Kelley recently wrote about visiting ‘Forever Marilyn’ first in Chicago and then Palm Springs.

As a SMASH fan I’m tempted to make a Bombshell joke, but I’ll refrain.

My sister and I spend most of Sunday walking around downtown Palm Springs. We are staying at the Hyatt Regency Suites one block away from the Marilyn statue. We leave our car in the hotel garage the whole day and see the area on foot. It’s the day before Veteran’s Day and the town is busy preparing for an afternoon parade: main street is closed off and a raised platform with chairs is ready for speeches and music.

Stores are open for business and we enjoy strolling around, browsing the eclectic offerings. There are lots of art and furniture stores along with shops full of curious knick-knacks.

I snap a photo of the big ‘B’ below in honor of my sister Bethany.

This large fountain is impressive against the desert mountains and palm trees.

Yours truly:

Darn, if we’d come a week later we could have seen one of my favorite Broadway performers Sutton Foster. I’ve seen her solo show before (plus a handful of musicals she’s starred in) and she’s just stellar.

We drive through several unique neighborhoods – Movie Colony (1950s) and Twin Palms (1970s). This particular house catches my eye:

The light is gorgeous as we make our way out of town.

Wind energy in practice.

More coming on FOOD (a major highlight of Palm Springs) and a very special hotel visit later this week.