Everything Means Nothings

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Be Clean

To have a clean floor nothing should be on the floor.
To have a clean police record nothing should be on the record.
To have a clean consciousness, nothing should be on your mind.
Especially beliefs. They are all lies, otherwise you would consider than truths.

On the Trail of the El Mirador Hotel bar

The city of Palm Springs is famous for its history and architectural heritage. One can see historic and culturally significant structures all across this town. As much as there is to cherish and keep from the past, there is just as much gone forever that people continue to lament. We are fortunate in that one thing long thought gone, the historic El Mirador Hotel, is still partly with us and can be found inside a dive bar. Most fans of Palm Springs history already know that when in town Albert Einstein used to stay at the famous El Mirador Hotel. But did you know that the actual bar from that grand old hotel is still with us? Yes, you can still get a drink at the actual bar from the original old El Mirador Hotel. The exact same bar that Albert Einstein would have bellied up to. Here is the bar's tale from its height of celebrity hotel to its fall into strip mall dive bar obscurity. When the El Mirador was in transition of becoming the Desert Hospital in 1972, John Conte (the current owner) thought that the magnificent black cherry wood bar (carved in Sweden especially for the El Mirador) would most likely end up as debris once renovations began. What would a hospital do with a bar, mix martinis? Thus, a new home was found and the El Mirador Hotel bar was saved. The bar was taken apart and put back together again in a small tavern tucked away in a shopping center in Palm Desert. In later years the place became well known as The Beer Hunter. When the Palm Desert Beer Hunter closed down the bar was in peril yet again but it found sanctuary; this time in a strip mall dive located at Gene Autry and Vista Chino (currently Palm Springs Tavern). For almost twenty years now but under different names the El Mirador Hotel bar has provided elbo room for the common barfly with little fanfare to its past glory days. The bar is a treasure off the beaten path and is certainly worthwhile for those nostalgia buffs seeking a quest and carrying a thirst. They just don't build bars like they did in the old days. Appreciate the bar's wood work finery and classic details. Next, place your drink down at the exact same spot where Albert must have placed his. Repeat as necessary.