Our first order of business on Friday morning was a trip to Costco to pick up a few needed items particularly breakfast cereal. It’s nice to be able to buy the giant double packs of Kellogg's Raisin Bran as the ones sold in most grocery stores are ‘all box and no cereal’. Our membership card expired at the end of February so we were in the hole before we even walked in the store.
George Hamilton used to, or may still, own this modest home
Still, we managed to get out of Costco relatively easily and after doing a little more shopping around we headed back to the Sands before the muttzo’s sent 
Paulette had some sewing and quilting she wanted to work on so about mid-afternoon I went for a drive and before long found myself heading towards downtown Palm Springs. I wasn’t really interested in anything along the main drag, Palm Canyon Drive, but I thought it might be fun to check out some of the properties in the Las Palmas neighbourhood which is just a few blocks east.
Collage of some of the fancy gates protecting homes in Las Palmas
Old Las Palmas is historic in Palm Springs and one of the first areas in the desert valley that offered luxury living. It gives you a taste of the peaceful desert lifestyle the way it was back in the 1920s well before gated communities built around immense golf courses became popular. I found it rather ironic that although one can drive, or walk, anywhere in Old Las Palmas, the homes built decades ago were still, in effect, gated communities – a lot of fancy gates for sure.
One of my favourite gates – solid stainless steel
After driving around the various streets for a bit, I parked my truck and walked around. I couldn’t help but think that my big old diesel truck stuck out like a sore thumb in this apparently well fortified neighbourhood. Virtually every home had a security sign posted in front with most promising an “armed response”. I tried to look as much like a non-burglar as I possibly could.
Beautiful, but very quiet streets typical of Old Las Palmas
One thing that struck me right away was how quiet this area was. There was virtually no one on the streets or in the yards I could see that weren’t blocked by big walls. All of this quiet just a few hundred yards from the busy, bustling main drag of Palm Springs.
Liberace’s Old Las Palmas home
Six years ago during our first year here in Palm Springs, Paulette and I took one of those Celebrity Bus Tours. The route took us all through Old Las Palmas with the driver pointing out all the homes once owned by famous Hollywood celebrities. A few of these names, like Liberace, George Hamilton, Alan Ladd and Elvis I remembered and thought I would recognize their homes if I could ever find them again. I never could – until yesterday – I found all 4 of them!
This was quite a spectacular looking home and property
It was fun walking and driving around looking at the homes of all the former rich and famous folks. I guess most of the people living in this neighbourhood are still rich but I’m just not sure if they’re really famous anymore. A lot of old money is my guess.
The rather ordinary ‘honeymoon home’ of Elvis and Priscilla
I managed to kill about 2 hours wandering the streets of Old Las Palmas taking pictures and checking over my shoulder to make sure no security guards were following me with firearms drawn. Then, I thought I’d bet make my get-away while the getting was good.
I have no idea who owned this but it must have been a famous guy
Back safe and secure at the Sands, Paulette asked me where I’d been for so long. I just told her I was hanging out with Elvis, Liberace and a few of their friends. Without looking up from her sewing machine, Paulette said “that’s nice, how are they”?
Have a great day and thanks again for visiting!
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