I'm currently wrapping up a week long vacation (two more days in Cape Cod) in which I got to spend a few days in one of my favorite cities, New York. While there I did all the usuals, walked the High Line, dinner and drinks in Brooklyn (thanks Do or Dine!) amazing corn on the cob from Cafe Habana, and of course a little shopping in SoHo.

One of the best surprises was finally stumbling upon Bobby Berk Home, and the amazing Bobby Berk himself. Bobby Berk Home was a long time advertiser on Grassrootsmodern, but it's surprising how easy it is to abstract a person or place which you have no personal relationship with. I've heard great things about him from fellow bloggers Capree and Jaime and I have been Facebook friends with Bobby for a while so I knew his face. When I saw his shop I popped my head in and asked if he was around. Unfortunately he wasn't. After looking around his fantastically curated store, I was heading out just as he was coming into the store. Thankfully I recognized his face and had a chance to introduce myself and my girlfriend to him. I can now confirm that all the rumors are true. He's an amazingly nice guy, and has a great shop. If you ever find yourself around any of his 4 stores, make sure you stop and take a look. If you are in SoHo, don't be shy, ask if he's around. Oh, and of course you can check out his stores website (20% off Gus Modern this week!)

Thanks Bobby! It was great meeting you finally. 

Photo by Donny Tsang - New York Times.

Day two of my resolution to keep the blog up to date with my day to day doings is a very late recap of the Palm Springs trip I took two months ago. It was the last weekend of Coachella and I flew into LA to meet my girlfriend for the weekend, one night of which we 
spent in Palm Springs. The majority of my time in Palm Springs was spent in two places, the Ace Hotel, and a short strip of MCM thrift stores in an obscure section of Cathedral City.

I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about the Ace Hotel. Everything there was wonderfully styled, and cleverly marketed right down to the paper card holder your room key came in.  The Palm Springs Ace Hotel is an old Howard Johnson and was much larger than I imagined it. There are at least 3 different buildings with rooms, and two separate pool areas. 

The food and drinks there were surprisingly affordable for "hotel food" and were super tasty to boot. I think we pretty much ate all of our meals there, and didn't even think twice about it. In fact it's honestly the first time I have gone to some sort of destination resort type place that I didn't feel the need to get outside the compound as soon as possible.  I could happily spend a full weekend poolside and never leave the hotel. 

Speaking of poolside, it was exactly what you would expect at a Palm Springs swimming pool party. We were fortunate to be invited to a Madewell pool party which meant free food and drinks for the day. It was a perfect afternoon of hot sun, cold cocktails and beautiful people all around. 

The next morning after a few cups of coffee and some much needed chilaquiles we set out to do some furniture shopping. We had a tip from a LA local about row of MCM stores in Cathedral City. After driving past random strip malls and building supply stores we found what we were looking for. Just off of Perez road before you get to  Palm Date Drive is a group of 4 or 5 MCM stores full of treasures. 

Hedge was one of my favorites with its combination of classic MCM and Danish alongside less traditional vintage pieces. 

Others that deserve recognition is the amazing collection of Danish furniture at JP Denmark, and the amazing yet occasionally strange Colin Fisher Studio that was like being in a museum or a famous drug lords home. 

I'm far from being an expert on Palm Springs, I'll leave that to Paul Kaplan and others, but I do have one little neighborhood I always like to drive through on my way out of town. I first discovered the Vista Las Palmas area when I was doing a video for the fiesta movement a few years ago. I still enjoy driving through it and looking at all the classic Palm Springs homes that are so similar and so different at the same time. 

So thats my trip! 

Now I want to hear what YOU love about Palm Springs, and your must do things when you are there.