A fall getaway is just what you need. Just two hours from San Diego and yet a world away, you’ll find an old Hollywood escape filled with midcentury modern architecture, outdoor adventures, exciting events and endless sunshine. Plan your autumn escape with this round-up of Palm Springs activities.
Desert Modernism
Palm Springs has the largest concentration of preserved mid-century modern architecture in the world. Visionary architects came to Palm Springs and brought their own spin on Bauhaus and the International Style, reworking it for the desert environment. Explore the architecture through the neighborhoods with this self-guided tour.
Palm Springs – outside
Outdoor Adventures
Palm Springs’ sunny skies and 80-degree temperatures have made it a popular fall getaway ideal for outdoor adventures. Explore the ideas below for inspiration on planning the perfect outdoor socially distant getaway.
Indian Canyons
Spend a day in the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who first inhabited this area thousands of years ago. Indian Canyons, just a short drive south of Palm Springs, features three canyons to explore filled with interpretive signage that shares the rich history of the Agua Caliente.
The most accessible is Andreas Canyon, which includes a mile-long hiking trail, more than 150 plant species, palm trees and rock formations surrounding Andreas Creek. Murray Canyon provides a more secluded hiking alternative; catch a glimpse of big-horn sheep and mule deer as you explore its hiking and equestrian trails. And the drive up the steep road to the 15-mile long Palm Canyon is worth it for the contrasting views of abundant flora against the backdrop of rocky gorges and desert expanses; make sure to stop at the Trading Post there for refreshments or to pick up jewelry, pottery and baskets made by the Agua Caliente. From hiking and biking to horseback riding, (book an experience at Smoke Tree Stables, a Palm Springs mainstay since the 1930s), the Indian Canyons experience must not be missed.
Palm Springs – trees
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is possibly the city’s best-known attraction. You’ll ascend two and a half miles to the peak of Mt. San Jacinto in the world’s largest rotating tram car. Wander along the top of the world and take in the views or bring your gear and commit to a hike along one of the wilderness trails at the top. If you’re looking to relax instead, sit outside and sip a cool drink or treat yourself to lunch or dinner in Peaks Restaurant, The Lookout Lounge, or the Pines Café. This is one of the best ways to enjoy the great outdoors in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs – lookout
Cycle Through the City
Biking is another great way to experience Palm Springs, as the streets have miles of bike lanes and plenty of spots to park, lock up and roam around town. Take a guided bike tour that offers insight into the city’s rich architecture and history from Bike Palm Springs.
Palm Springs – bikes
Palm Springs Pride
Plan your fall getaway centered around the Palm Springs Pride events. “You Are Included” – That’s this year’s theme. Palm Springs Pride is celebrating its 35th Anniversary. This is a multi-day pride festival and admission is free. Palm Springs Coming Out celebration is November 5; 2021, Pride Festival is November 6 & 7; 2021 and the Pride Parade is on November 7, 2021.
Palm Springs – Pride
With unparalleled views, ideal weather, epic upcoming events and a myriad of outdoor activities to explore, Palm Springs really is ‘like no place else’ To start planning your fall vacation, check out visitpalmsprings.com.
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Studio S
AUGUST 10, 2026
The Secret to a Home That Feels Just Right
Behind every beautiful space is a thoughtful process, and ASID San Diego is helping homeowners understand the value of professional design.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
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When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
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While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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Chemotherapy and radiation have long been considered gold standards of cancer treatment, but they can cause severe side effects. A promising new approach called theranostics—a combination of “therapeutics” and “diagnostics”—could offer patients with certain types of metastatic cancers new hope. It’s a two-step process that uses a drug that binds to specific receptors on cancer cells. Advanced imaging detects this radioisotope, allowing doctors to then use a second radioisotope that binds to the cancer cells and destroys them. Click here to learn more about how specialists at Scripps Cancer Center are using theranostics.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
