Palm Springs, The Hilton, ESRI Developer Conference, and more...

 
The desert Hatter, close to where I stepped in a giant pile of dog shit on the sidewalk.  Awesome.

So, I'm on a business trip to Palm Springs right now, for the ESRI Developer conference.  I think most people would really enjoy a chance to get out of ol' West Virginia and kick back in the sun, but, for me, not so much.

I appreciate the opportunity to learn things that may be useful for my work, but, at the same time, I really want to be home right now.  I find this place to be incredibly boring.  Everything closes at 9 or 10 PM, the Hilton sucks as far as hotels go (no complimentary anything, lame room service, water conservation, price, early departure penalties, no room service after 9 PM... etc etc).  

The town of Palm Springs is nicely constructed, and relatively amazing for what it is... a town in the desert that has become something of a tourist trap.  I see absolutely no vacation appeal here.  There's no beach, no amusement park, nowhere good to shop, nothing...  except for some pretty good food.

I'll break down Palm Springs as follows: 

Stores:
Tons of little tourist traps in which to sink cash on knick knacks you'll never use or look at... a neat place called  "The Alley" that has nothing you can't find in your hometown for much cheaper.  Crystal & Faeries stores, specialty "Latino" book stores, and a gay clothing shop (because they don't fit into normal clothes).  The best store we found was called "Cold Noses Warm Hearts" which was a really nice little pet store.  The prices were a bit too high for me to bite, but the store is well done, with a courtesy water bowl outside for passing canines - bravo for this.

Food:
It's a tourist location, so, the food is good.  Kiyosaku's sushi is really, really good...  definitely give it a shot if you come here and like Sushi at all.  It's very traditional (there are no forks to be had).  Kaiser is a really, really nice restaraunt, and the Kaiser signature burger is awesome.  A venue I've visited twice since I've arrived is a little Thai place called "Thai Cuisine" I believe... Apparently Harrison Ford once ate in this tiny little place, so, yeah, it's pretty solid.  Get whatever food you are going to eat before 9 PM.. if you delay, you're straight up fucked.

People:
The natives of the area are all friendly (like most tourist-y places).  The other people visiting are all pretty old.  This must be the Florida of California.  Nothing wrong with that, but, I think the average age of the people who visit has impacted the "mode" of the town.  Since grandma and grandpa have to go to sleep early to avoid the reaper, everything shuts down.

The Hilton:
Sucks.  Why stay at a more expensive hotel, and then pay more for the exact same crap you get at other places?  Paris Hilton is rich because of establishments like this?  Bitch should be folding blankets.  I've stayed in Best Western's that put this place to shame in terms of amenities, staff, location, and service.  Not even a continental breakfast.

Palm Springs probably really is a fun place to come and relax if you live near it, but, I feel sorry for anyone who has traveled a great distance to vacation here, as, that money could have been much better spent on a cruise or going to the beach.  Maybe you can make something of it if you're really good at enjoying yourself in the middle of the desert, by taking advantage of the jeep tours, and taking a hefty interest in geological formations, but, for me, I'll stick to beaches, roller coasters, cruises, zoos, and aquariums.  Hell, even a museum or DC trip wins.

The ESRI Developer conference is pretty interesting.  It's a good place to watch people demo and teach a little about technologies that you probably haven't had time to delve fully into, showing the abilities of each in a good format that will encourage you to give them a shot in your workplace.  I've learned a lot about Flex and Silverlight already, but I already knew the vast majority of other stuff.  The most entertaining thing is looking around and spotting out the "managerial" types who have booked themselves to the dev conference as a vacation rather than really trying to legitimately learn anything.  Also, the number of people in polos and khakis is mind-blowing.

Also, once you sleep on memory foam at home for a couple years, a hotel mattress pretty much sucks.

The most excruciating thing about this trip is being away from my awesome girlfriend, my awesome cats, and my dog.