by Chuck & Diane Brady

t’s a lot like that famous street in Beverly Hills, with upscale shops, restaurants and art galleries. But it’s much longer, and has a median strip filled with beautiful flowers, palm trees, and public sculpture. El Paseo (the Walk) lies sheltered by the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains, and, because of the clear desert air we can always see them.

… it’s obvious that someone knows how to cater to shoppers.

In 1946, Cliff Henderson, a Los Angeles developer, was introduced to the desert by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (creator of the smart aleck dummy Charlie McCarthy). Here, in this sandy wasteland, 20 miles from civilization in Palm Springs, Henderson had a vision of a town, with resorts and an upscale shopping street. He named the town Palm Desert, even though there were no palm trees. The area was so desolate that General Patton, early in World War II, trained his soldiers nearby for fighting in North Africa’s Sahara Desert. The east end of El Paseo was the site of a tank repair facility. Henderson laid out his grand shopping street and planted palm trees nearly 10 years before the first shop opened on El Paseo.

Today, it features shops and restaurants from $ to $$$$. Even your car can hobnob with the upper crust—one day we parked in front of a Rolls Royce, another, next to a Jaguar (you must pronounce that correctly—Jag-u-are).

Since it is about a mile in length, bright yellow “courtesy carts” are provided to whisk shoppers from one shop to another. There is even a larger, also complimentary, “Shopper Hop- per” that ferries people to a nearby mall, as well as area hotels. Since El Paseo also boasts lots of free parking, it’s obvious that someone knows how to cater to shoppers.

Pasadena has its Tournament of Roses parade on New Year’s Day. Not to be outdone, Palm Desert, a little later in January, has a parade along El Paseo — of decorated golf carts! (Editor's note: this year, 2007, it will be in October.)

Last November began the 2007–2008 El Paseo International Exhibition, with 18 new sculptures displayed along the median. They will remain there for two years. Most things happen here during “The Season,” generally from November through April, when the population increases dramatically as the snowbirds arrive from cold northern climates. Among them is the evening “Art Walk,” on the first Thursday of each month, with guided tours of many of the more than 20 galleries on El Paseo.

In July (out of season) the Chamber of Commerce sponsors “Putt Putt on El Paseo.”

Last year a “Fashion Week” was held in March, and was so successful that it will be repeated this year, from March 18 – 25. It will feature trunk shows of national and international designers as well as in-store fashion shows. The week will highlight El Paseo’s boutiques, as well as the famous luxury brand stores. Another event is the Gardens Concert Series, at The Gardens, a unique, nearly hidden shopping center. The concerts are held each week from February 3 through April 21. Each concert benefits a local charity. Since the Coachella Valley has over 130 golf courses, the next event is a “no brainer.”

In July (out of season) the Chamber of Commerce sponsors “Putt Putt on El Paseo.” Merchants set up putting greens, and you can walk (or ride a golf cart) from one “hole” to another, and enjoy refreshments at each hole. As the chamber says, “golf was never so civilized!”

El Paseo: www.elpaseo.com.

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