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Since I have been a resident of Palm Springs for 12 years, I can see different Modernism Week events each year. New events, including new home tours, are added to the schedule each year. Over  135,000 people from all over the world descended on our community.

I say descended because our small town is at capacity in its hotels and dining establishments. Thus, it is important for you to plan your visit in February well in advance. Signing up for the Modernism Week newsletter is the best way for you to get a crack at buying tickets for the more popular tours.

My article Palm Springs Modernism Week from my Point of View will give you a more extensive overview of the week, but I wanted to share some of the events I attended.

Begin at the Palm Springs Modernism Week Camp Hyatt

When you arrive in Palm Springs, make your way to the Camp at the Hyatt Hotel Palm Springs. If you are staying in one of our many Palm Springs Preferred Hotels, it is an easy walk from many of them or an easy Lyft, Uber, or Taxi.

PRO TIP:  Our Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is 10 minutes from the Camp. Frankly, most of the events are close together and having experienced the traffic this year, I believe it would be much easier NOT to have a car.

You cannot help but feel the excitement when walking into the Camp. The entire lower level of the hotel is filled with vendors, places to lounge, and the all-important check-in for the famous Double-Decker Bus Tours. (Catch one with Charles Phoenix if you can, for he will have you laughing most of the way, and you will learn little details about our Architecture.)

Throughout the area, I looked down and learned the pattern rugs (really recyclable tiles) were our first introduction to the new Trina Turk flooring line.

When you arrive, breeze through Destination PSP's sizeable retail store, set up with everything Modernism and Palm Springs. It is the perfect place to buy gifts or something for yourself as a souvenir from the trip.

Witness to a Conversation with Nelda Linsk and Trina Turk

The event was held at the Annenberg Auditorium in the Palm Springs Art Museum. I came in minutes before the event was to start. I checked in with a volunteer, and much to my joy, she escorted me to a single seat, second row, in front of the lovely seating area where the women would be conversing.

For those of you who do not know, Nelda is the woman in the yellow outfit in the famous Slim Aarons photo Poolside Gossip. In fact, it is her house, the Kaufman house pool area, where it was taken.

She said Slim called up. They were friends, and he said he wanted to come to Palm Springs and take some pictures, so could she gather her friends for a photo shoot? Which she promptly did, not knowing one of these photos would be recognizable throughout the world.

She joked I would have done two things differently. I would have worn something different because now everyone wants me to wear yellow. Plus, it would have worked out a commission for the photo.

It was evident that Trina Turk was honored to have a conversation like this with Nelda. It turns out it was a full circle moment for Nelda, who was excited about a new designer store opening up in North Palm Springs and was Trina's first customer in the store in 2002. 

Trina took us through her history and the decision to open the store, for originally, she only sold her clothing line wholesale. Trina kept talking and dreaming about having a store. Her husband, growing weary of her talking about it, said let's do it. Then, when the building became available, Mid-Century architecture appeared to fit Trina's designs well. It is still considered her flagship store at 891 N Palm Springs Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.

She smiled when she talked about adding Mr. Turk to her line. She said we had a vintage men's clothing rack off to one side of the store. Whispers became louder, and it became clear that men wanted fresh designer clothes, too. So we opened the store, and my husband was in charge of it until his death. Now, his assistant handles the line.

It was an informative conversation sprinkled with laughter. The women were wearing Trina's clothing. Then, with a flourish, local celebrity models came out with some of the clothing from her new collection, ending a lovely interlude in our lives.

Visit to Palm Springs Wexler '54 Home Tour

On Mesquite Avenue, this Wexler-designed home is in the Deepwell area of Palm Springs. It was one of the first homes designed by his architecture firm in 1954. It was named a historic designated home in 2022, and its place in Palm Springs' history will forever be maintained.

Working with Susan Secoy Jensen, a preservation consultant, and H3K Design, the home reflects the era, while the furnishings provide an atmosphere where one wants to stay for a while. The pool area has a covered dining area and a large cabana with a firepit that will indeed have some stories to tell in the future.

One immediately notes glass is used in practically every room of this four-bedroom house, a prominent design element of Modernism—bringing the outside in. The flat overhanging roofline helps keep out the Palm Springs sun.

Frank Sintra's Twin Palms Home

Admittedly, this home, literally four blocks from my home, has been on my bucket list to see since I arrived in Palm Springs. At last, the occasion came to attend a cocktail party in the home.

The weather cooperated and was one of the warmest winter evenings this year. I dressed up in my California Caftan and was escorted to the event.

The long walkway takes you under the breezeway, designed to create shadows reminiscent of a keyboard adjacent to the enormous pool designed in the shape of a piano.

Set up with two outdoor bars, we found our way to the one on the other side of the pool. There, one could see the outline of the house clearly. The home was designed with glass in most rooms. Thus, activities could be witnessed as people toured the house.

DJ Bobby, aka Bob Deck Realtor, spun songs that clearly caught the crowd's attention because dancing and swaying to the music was not only okay, it was encouraged. Meanwhile, tables inside and outside were filled with people enjoying the pasta dishes they created using ingredients from Lulu's extensive buffet.

A tour revealed an unusual Palm Spring's home feature. There were fireplaces throughout the home. One can only imagine how cozy a fire in your bedroom on a cool Palm Springs winter evening would be with a glass of wine.

The kitchen has the original baby blue appliances. Remarkably, they are still in service to those renting this space. A large island wall provided the divider for the dining room.

The living room's main feature is the original stereo system. When Frank and Ava Gardner lived here, it was pretty apparent that this was a gathering place to listen to music, for it felt like a poolside place because of the large glass doors leading out to the pool area.

One of the bedrooms was filled with black and white photos of celebrities who apparently had visited Twin Palms---yes, there are two very tall palm trees adjacent to the pool.

Close of Palm Springs Modernism Week 2024

It has been a fun and exciting time for me this past week. Modernism Week is 11 days long. As you can see, the events are varied, and there is so much to learn. The time flew by, and I look forward to exploring more events during Fall Modernism on October 24-27, 2024. Tickets go on sale for it on August 1, 2024,

Kathy Condon is a Journalist, Travel Writer, and Award-winning Author. Her niche is luxury experiences and communities living in the shadows of large cities.

kathy@kathycondon.net 760-902-3094 www.PalmSpringsInsiderGuide.com