MCM Road Trip - Desert X and Palm Springs

Sarah Meyohas - Truth Arrives in Slanted Beams at Desert X 2025 had all the classic elements for the festival. It is interactive, it is large in scale and it fits with the environment.

In April we headed to Palm Springs to experience the large scale art installations produced by Desert X. Desert X is a large-scale, site-specific, biennial art exhibition held in the Coachella Valley. The first Desert X took place in 2017 and it is one of our favorite road trips. The installation is typically March-May.

The organization activates desert locations through site-specific installations by emerging and well-established artists. One of the goals of the exhibition is to present installations that respond meaningfully to the harsh desert conditions.

Each Desert X has a theme and the stated theme for Desert X 2025 was “exploring the desert's deep time and the human impact on it, with a focus on how art can reveal the past, present, and future of the landscape and its people.”

Agnes Denes - The Living Pyramid at Desert X 2025 grew and changed with native plants as the festival took place.

Some of the installations are in easy to reach locations right off the road and others require a hot, dusty walk so plan accordingly. There is no charge and typically no reservations required to view the installations.

This year there were 11 installations. Three of our favorites are shown here.

Jose Davilla - “The act of being together” at Desert X placed huge stone blocks from a quarry in Mexico in the middle of the wind mills of Palm Springs.

Another reason we enjoy attending Desert X is the opportunity to also spend time in one of our favorite cities — Palm Springs, in all its mid century glory.

This was a quick trip but in addition to visiting some of our favorite spots, we also checked out a few new restaurants and shops to add to our Palm Springs list.

The Orbit In is a charming mid century inn with nine unique rooms all decorated in mid century modern themes.

We stayed at our one of our favorite spots —  The Orbit In. The Orbit is under new ownership and we were relieved to see that not much has changed.

We also made a point to stop by the recently opened hotel, The Thompson Palm Springs (a Hyatt property) located in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. We have been watching the site of this hotel undergo many changes in the ten years it took to get it built. The mid century inspired designed hotel has 168 rooms including an adults only wing and pool.There is a Hall Napa Valley tasting room and lounge on site and lots of retail coming soon. We are looking forward to checking out their Mediterranean inspired restaurant, Lola Rose, on our next visit.

The dining room at the Thompson Palm Springs has a modern open feel.

We didn’t have much time for shopping but we did find time to check out two new spots.

Market Market is a 40,000 square foot curated vintage emporium. This spot is an Instagram dream. Also well curated but on a much smaller scale, check out the vintage jewelry at Pimlico Place.

Pimlico Place in Palm Sprimgs has an amazing curated collection of vintage designer jewelry.

This isn’t a new stop for us but one of our favorite shops in Palm Springs now has a new location. L’indy a shop curated by owner Andrea Vincent, has left its small space in The Shops at 1345 and moved down the block to her own space on North Palm Canyon Drive. In true Vincent style, the shop is a mix of vintage and new. We never leave Palm Springs without something from her shop and this year was no exception. We are now the proud owners of a piece painted by Andrea herself.

L’indy Palm Springs features originall paintings and expertly curated vintage mid century art pieces.

We enjoyed meals at some of our favorite spots including Paul Bar, Norma’s, Cheeky’s and more.

We also tried a new spot for dinner, Clandestino, owned by the restaurant group behind Tac/Quila. Clandestino is a small bar and restaurant serving elevated Mexican food and is centrally located by the Palm Springs Art Museum and the The Rowan Hotel. Seating is primarily outside so we appreciated the fans the restaurant had set up along the patio fences.

Drinks at Tailor Shop never disappoint. This trip we also ventured to a new spot, The Evening Citizen. This intimate bar bills itself as a “modern speakeasy” and is located off of Palm Canyon Drive, a short walk from our hotel.

Mai Tai at the Evening Citizen in Palm Springs

The actual address is revealed once you make a reservation. Check out their fun website and get in the spirit of the evening. Just note that they aren’t kidding with their motto of “we keep you in the dark.”

For more ideas on where to stay/eat/drink/shop/do when in Palm Springs check out these articles.

And see you at Desert X 2027!

The mcmsac mobile at the famous breeze block wall at the Parker Palm Springs.