John R. Stark

Featured Work — New Release

What To See in Palm Springs

Featuring some 300 pages and images, “What to See in Palm Springs” is the definitive tour book for this vibrant, desert oasis. I wrote it to inform and discuss all that there is to see here. The book was first published in 2023, and is updated every year with new images and stories. Why did I write the book? After moving to Palm Springs in 1970, I became a tour guide. The experience taught me that tour guides can make up stories about anything related to Palm Springs. Who’s to know truth from fiction? Sorry folks, Marilyn Monroe did not own a house here, even though tour buses and vans are always showing her supposed residence in Vista Las Palmas. Being a life-long journalist, I decided to write an honest, researched book about all the sites to see here. All 300-plus are accessible by car and for the most part free to visit. I did not include trendy night spots or restaurants. I leave that to Fodor’s. The result is “What to See in Palm Springs.” Subtitled: “Local tour guide tells all: Sights, History and Architecture.” I worked closely with the Palm Springs Historical Society, even licensing some two-dozen-plus vintage photographs. I was vetted by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Council, and by the bus tour director for Modernism Week. I interviewed countless Palm Springs’ citizens, including three visionary architects - the legendary Hugh Kaptur being one of them. I did most of the photography. The book is an ideal gift to give anyone coming here, and to people who live here. It’s available at the Palm Springs Museum of Art and most Palm Springs book and souvenir shops. It’s also available at Amazon.com at the link below.

"A fabulous piece of living history.."- FILM DIRECTOR RON OLIVER