Editor's Letter April 2010

Let the Sun Shine In

STEVEN BILLER

This is the magical part of the year — when warmer evenings encourage alfresco dining, yet days remain cool enough to take in the beauty left by those few weeks we call the rainy season. 

This month, Palm Springs Life celebrates the great outdoors with Philip Ferranti, whose article, “5 Amazing Hikes” (page 50), offers great experiences for hikers of all skill levels, from novice to experienced. The feature coincides with the release of Ferranti’s new book, 140 Great Hikes in and Near Palm Springs (Big Earth Publishing). His passion and trenchant knowledge of the desert’s most beautiful and challenging trails has an infectious effect. We hope his article inspires you to see our landscape from a bright and compelling new perspective.

Also, writer Kathy Strong pinpoints the “10 Best Patio Restaurants” (page 58) for alfresco brunching, lunching, and dining. We celebrate Earth Day with the winners of Palm Springs Sustainability Commission’s photo contest (“Earth Through a Lens,” page 32). And, in the
Desert Guide, we preview the culture juggernaut known as Coachella.

If it sounds like a mouthful, it was even tougher to digest in such a short time — but only because the 24 artists (from seven UC campuses) served up a rich, thoughtful mix of work exploring the past, present, and future of the desert’s natural and social ecologies.

Following our Web coverage, Palm Springs Life will feature highlights from Desert Projects in an upcoming issue.

For the record:

In “What’s Under the Hood, Al DiMora?” (March 2010), our use of the term “chop shop” was misleading to some readers and not intended to imply illegal activity or in any way impugn the reputation of Alfred DiMora or DiMora Motorcar. The intent was to recognize the dramatic redesign and restoration of vehicles that is the company’s hallmark. Also, the horsepower of the Natalia SLS2 should have read 1,200. For information about DiMora Motorcar and DiMora Custom Bikes, please visit www.dimoramotorcar.com and www.dimoracustombikes.com.

In “The Social Life” (February 2010), Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hickingbotham were misidentified in the Desert European Motorcars text.

We regret and apologize for these errors.