Hotels Palm Springs

Boulder City, Nev. is one heckuva dam town

This road less traveled took me to downtown Boulder City, Nev., where the Depression-era stucco buildings made me feel as though I were driving through Bedford Falls of "It’s a Wonderful Life." It was so peaceful, such a welcome respite from the hurly-burly of Las Vegas, just 35 minutes away. Why would anyone want to bypass this?

And it’s not just the quiet. If you’re curious about Hoover Dam (originally called Boulder Dam), then skipping Boulder City means ignoring a major part of its history. The men who built the dam lived in this company town, which the federal government erected over the desert in 1931. When the dam was completed in 1935, the town remained under government control until its incorporation in 1960.

Boulder City’s more than 15,000 residents haven’t forgotten its storied beginnings. All over town you come upon bronze statues commemorating the workers, dozens of whom died on the job, and their families, who endured harsh living conditions.

"Afternoon Breeze," by Roy Butler , for instance, shows a woman strolling down a street, her right hand holding her hat in place and her left clutching a small purse. The plaque accompanying the statue describes how these pioneering women made their shoddy houses livable even when dust and snakes crept through the cracks in the walls.

At the antiques store Back in Thyme, I learned that many of the supervisors’ houses are still standing. After admiring the 1950s-style purses and old Life magazine covers, I spoke with employee Cheri Smillie, who lives in a 1932 brick house once owned by a dam employee. "I wanted a house with history," she said.

Smillie moved to Boulder City from Orange County, Calif., with her husband, who took a job in Vegas. But they wanted to live in a calmer place. Boulder City fit the bill, especially because it’s one of only two Nevada cities that ban gambling. Hence the town slogan: "A World Away for a Day."

"I’m not bored here by any stretch," Smillie told me.

Neither was I, partly because I could sate my appetite for shopping, especially for random tchotchkes.

At Goat Feathers Emporium, an antiques depot in the building that used to be the dam workers’ laundry, I found old hardcover Bobbsey Twins books, glass medicine bottles, sewing machines, irons and hats that would have been right at home at the recent royal wedding.

Across from Goat Feathers is the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, built in 1933. Turns out that Boulder City was once as much of a weekend playground for celebrities as Palm Springs is today.

Hotel Zoso Palm Springs | One Stop Travel Center

My boyfriend and I are flying to Ontario in August, but i’m thinking of staying in Palm Springs….or maybe Los Angeles. I’ve never been to either place and are wondering, which has better attractions,a place or resort to jet ski, decent deals on shopping,and great hotel deals? Also with the hotels, do you know of any contemporary hotels….I checked out Hotel Zoso and I love their swagger!! So maybe something of that caliber…Thanks

Hi,

I used to live in PS for 10+ years, it is a winter vacation destination! You are crazy to go there in August where the temp will be well above 100, more likely about 120 (no kidding) There’s nothing romantic about that, & you’ll feel like passing out everytime you get out of the car. It’s a very small town, a bunch of old people, and golfers, and not much to do if anything. There’s one small casino, and a few older hotels, and all there is to do is to walk up and down the main street (Palm Canyon Drive) There’s only one mall about 30 minutes away from PS in Palm Desert. You will be so dissapointed! Not to mention forget jet skiing, water, lakes ect…It’s the desert, literally!! For a winter gettaway to do the spa treatment thing, then PS is not a bad choice. (I can think of so many other spa retreats I would choose)

On the contrary, if you want a very exciting, refreshing, hip, modern, romantic holiday….LA is a great destination this time of year. Head for Hollywood, there’s so much diversity in and around that area. YOu have Rodaoe Drive right there and all the fancy shops, good malls near-by, all the best resteraunts, like the cheesecake facrtory, and many more. A short drive from there you’ll be at the ocean, and it is so beautiful you won’t want to leave. That’s like a vacation within a vacation. YOu have many excellent hotels to choose from, and you can even spend a night camped-out in a National Park right on the ocean. If you really want to jetski, pinpoint a lake on the map that’s close to the LA area, and spend the day at that lake, then return for some hot nightlife in hollywood. Hollywood is a fairly small town too, and easy to learn to find your way around. Be warned, there’s a lot of traffic in the LA area. Get insurance for your rental car!! Just keep a good close-up map with you, you’ll be fine.

I wish I could help you out on a specific hotel, but there’s lot’s of websites that could probably help you there. I would stay with the well known name hotels. I wanted to save a few bucks when I was in Hollywood, checked into a cheaper hotel, and the bathtub faucet fell off. And the place was gross. It’s worth it to pay a few more bucks at a well known reputable hotel!

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