IE Car Appreciation

While we wait for our next Palm Springs post I want to share something I only discovered by visiting the IE and have come to learn to appreciate. It's the Cruise Nights here. I'm by no means a car fan. Personally, my car just takes me from point A to point B and I have to make sure I keep it maintained. That's pretty much it.

Well, I've gone to a few festivals now in the IE and have found that at many of them there are car shows, parades and exhibitions. I originally went to these events to just check out the people and see if anybody would be interested in a site like the one I'm developing. But over time I've come to appreciate the care, detail and passion some of these artists put into their automobile. SoCal has a passionate cruise night following with lots of meet ups like the ones here.

Not sure if you caught it on my FB or Twitter but I was recently at the Mario Andretti Racing Experience at the Fontana Auto Club Speedway. Friend and I had to wake up pretty early to get out there from LA but it was a lot of fun. I'm a huge daily deals advocate and I purchased an amazing deal for the racing experience. Here are some shots from that day.

As I continue to record my adventures out in the IE, there's a big chance that you'll see a lot more (hopefully better) shots of great vintage cars, cruise nights and SoCal car culture. Glad I can share this with you. Enjoy!






Here are a few more images I've captured on various IE outings. There were so many amazing car photos to choose from it was difficult to choose these. Just a couple warnings - my camera skills don't do these cars justice. Also, apologies for not quoting the car makes, models and owners. I'm definitely going to remember to include these details next time.




*Rockabilly Show at the Claremont Colleges. I love the graphic on the wall*


*2011 Rte. 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino.*


*More shots from the 2011 Rte. 66 Rendezvous in San Bernardino*


*2010 Pomona Christmas Parade - Just an example of old school transportation. HAHA*

Destination: Palm Springs

So in the spirit of my new direction, I'm dedicating this blog post about my recent trip to Palm Springs. It's been over 15 years since I first went to Palm Springs and I was still in braces and at the mercy of my parents' travel itinerary. I remember the Aerial Tramway and that's about it. I saw a whole different side of Palm Springs when I was there this past February. So much has changed and I was really impressed with all the great attractions, shops, modern sculptures and overall fun factor.

Below is our blog's first attempt at a photo edit/collage (learned from our Blogging Your Way course). Just a mix of what we saw around town and a view from the Mission Hills Westin where we stayed.





** I like this frame treatment better but the caption font is still hard to read **

Some things I was really impressed with:
- all the great antique/vintage shops
- renovated hotels and casinos like Agua Caliente Hotel and Spa
- Most importantly, I was really impressed with all the locals and out of towners who were roaming around. There were lots of out of towners for the bike marathon and lots of locals grabbing a drink Sunday afternoon at the local cantina.

I was gravely mistaken in my initial thought that Palm Springs would be sleepy around February. After speaking with the expert at the Convention Center, I learned that February is actually one of the best months to go to Palm Springs because it's cold everywhere else but Palm Springs is nice, warm and sunny! Perfect for the quick winter getaway.

I specifically wanted to mention Palm Springs because I'll be heading out there again in June. I forgot my nice Nikon at home and only had my point-and-shoot (so frustrating argh!). So, I'll be heading out there again with some friends with a better lay of the land and a better camera. Can't wait to show you even more shots from the next experience (and next time we'll have our pix formatted nice and neatly).

Have a great day!