Elaine Mathews still has her first plein air painting, a junior high art project. “Our teacher let us set up in front of the school,” says the artist, who grew up in Compton. The scene she proudly painted? Houses across the street. Now, living in Rancho Mirage, she has a more picturesque natural view when she ventures outdoors for a plein air session.
Fill your cinematic passport with these 10 films from other countries screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Jan. 2–12. Visit psiff.org for tickets.
I’m Julia, this is my friend Sean, and I am so excited for what’s about to happen to everyone in this room.” On a September 2025 evening in the Hollywood Hills, “Julia” was Julia Roberts, “Sean” was Sean Penn, and the imminent happening was a screening of Brazilian filmmaker Marianna Brennand’s movie Manas.
You survived 8,760 hours of 2025. Now, toast the next 8,760. These desert venues are ringing in the new year with dinners, dancing, and more. Most require reservations.
I’m a well-wishing Luddite: I still prefer to give and receive physical greeting cards for birthdays, holidays, thank-yous, and other occasions, rather than e-cards. Stores that specialize in greeting cards are more difficult to find as correspondence leans digital, so I’m grateful to have one in a shopping center I visit frequently: Smoke Tree Greetings at Smoke Tree Village in Palm Springs.
Thirteen men in black suits and white ties, standing in a courtyard at The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, sang their a cappella hearts out: When I think of home, I think of a place Where there’s love overflowing
When the keycard light flashes green, vacation mode clicks on. Behind that hotel room door, you’re looking for the comforts that set the tone: the plush bed, the plump pillows, the shampoo that smells like a spa day.
Everbloom is the sunflower of Coachella Valley coffee shops: warm, bright, and welcoming, especially in the morning, when you’re starting the day and crave outsize human kindness alongside your caffeine. Now, a second location in downtown Indio makes that ritual even easier.
A desert storm comes to Natasha Marin first through scent. “The creosote bushes, they emit that special oil,” she says. Color is next: After an enveloping darkness and deluge, out come “the oranges and purples, layers of different shades,” ending in a startling burst of sunshine. The musician then translates all she has sensed into electronic sound: an underlying ominous, repetitive bass progression, followed by plunked-out individual notes that grow wild as the dynamics rise. Ascending and descending violin scales add a shower of chaos
Named Best Brunch in Cathedral City in this year’s Best of the Best competition, Brunch 101 offers a laid-back, no-rules approach to brunch. With a creative menu and easygoing vibe, Brunch 101 has quickly become a local favorite. We spoke with owner Natasha Garcia to learn more about the brunch hot spot.
Kate Hudson on Music, “Song Sung Blue,” and Life in Palm Desert
