GUESTBLOGGER: delighted to share #blog by our niece Kerry who joined us on a trip to the fabulous #PalmSpring!
I had the opportunity to join Doug and Michelle on what was a fabulous trip to Palm Springs in autumn 2019. Considering the time of year it was much hotter than I expected at a scorching 39 degrees most days. With so many things I wanted to see and do I decided to make a list of what I most wanted to see. Palm Springs has a real arty vibe with statues and art work everywhere for you to enjoy.
Julian Voss-Andreas ‘Isabelle’
Colette Miller Wings are just outside the Rowan Palm Springs.
Tucans picture take outside a shop on the main strip.
A cluster of baby statues titled Babies by artist David Cerny
I never really considered myself to be interested in modern art but I decided that as I was already in Palm Springs I should embrace the culture and visit one of the famous art museums located in down town Palm Springs about a 5 mins walk from the hotel we were all staying in.
When I arrived at the museum the outside was very impressive with palm trees and enormous sculptures by Henry Moore and the museum really blended into its surroundings like it had been there for hundreds of years. When I was buying my ticket the lady mentioned that I could use my ticket to get free entry into the other two art museums, which was an added bonus. The art museum is spread over three floors and an outside area with a water feature. As I wondered around the different exhibitions I couldn’t believe the variety from modern and contemporary art pieces to large sculptures, glass works and ornaments. I was particularly fascinated by two pieces, one was a picture of a man made out of slices of bread and the other was Picasso’s owl sculpture. I was amazed by the amount of space there which meant that you could really stand back and admire the art work. If you are really interested in art I would allow a good few hours to look around. Another good thing to know is that the museum is open for free on Thursday afternoons, too bad I didn’t know this at the time. Also the gallery is located really close to the many restaurants and cafes so when I had finished looking round the gallery I grabbed a bite to eat and continued to explore down town Palm Springs into the evening. Below are just some of the pictures I took at the art museum.
There is another art museum located a bit out of down town Palm Springs about a 20 min drive and like its name it is in the desert. When I arrived at the museum it looked so beautiful like a little oasis in the desert with palm trees, a waterfall, various plants and a number of sculptures.
The museum is spread over one floor and has an outdoor garden with a water feature. From the outside I thought it looked quite small in comparison to the museum I had previously visited but on entering the museum I was pleasantly surprised. Although there weren’t many art pieces inside the ones that were there were fascinating and I felt that I really had to stand and look at them for a while to really understand and appreciate them. One that really caught my eye was a floating human shape made entirely out of Styrofoam pieces and I remember wondering how long it must have taken for the artist to construct it.
Tom Friedman ‘Packing Peanut Figure’
Antony Gormley ‘Abstract Sculpture
Henry Moore ‘Two seated figures against a wall’
I have to admit that although the indoors was great the outside exhibition was stunning. There were numerous large sculptures and statues as well as trees and plants and to top it off a large water feature. Considering how hot it was on the day we visited it was a great place to sit in the shade of the palm trees with the sound of the water in the background to just contemplate life whilst looking at the numerous art works.
After doing some research of places to visit I decided I really wanted to go to The Palm Springs Aircraft Museum as I have an interest in world war history and I am so glad I did as it was an amazing museum to explore, full of history, all types of War artefacts and World War II aircrafts.
It was located about a 10 minute drive from the hotel where we all stayed. There is a plane located outside the museum entrance which acts as a location marker so you have no trouble finding the museum and car park. The entry fee for the museum I felt was really quite cheap considering the amount of things to do and see.
The museum consists of two large hangers and an outside space and is really spacious which made me feel I could take my time to look at everything without feeling pressured to move on to the next thing. When you walk around it is really amazing and so surreal to be able to interact and be able to touch the aircrafts as usually you wouldn’t be allowed to, I kept expecting someone to come and tell me off. Another thing that caught my attention was just how engaging and knowledgeable the staff (volunteer Veterans) were, every question I had they could answer. I was particularly interested the different artwork on each of the aircrafts and hearing from the staff a different perspective of the war which gave me more of an insight into how the Americans felt and viewed the conflict.
There are a couple of machines where you can get a penny (cent) squashed with the museum’s name and an aircraft of your choice on for a small fee. I was pleased to find this because I collect these and they are a good memento of my trips. Also a gift shop which was larger then I expected with a wide variety of merchandise.
The museum was truly amazing and I would highly recommend a visit to anyone whether interested in WWII artefacts or not as I learnt so many new things on my journey round the museum and could have spent my whole week there. It was definitely a day well spent and my advise would be to make sure you give yourself enough time to see everything and if you are anything like me make sure you have lots of space on your phone for pictures.
Thank you Kerry for the very informative BLOG & great reminder of all the culture on offer in Palm Springs.
Read lots more about Palm Springs on our P.S. BLOG part 1 :
