One is a real place with a Rent Review Commission, a police force and a mayor (at one time, Sonny Bono.)

"Palm Springs," civic pride and copyright aside, is a catch-phrase for the entire spa-golf-tennis-pool-shopping universe that nestles up against the back side of the San Jacinto Mountains. All the spots off Interstate 10 that are warm when it's not incredibly hot. Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage. La Quinta and Cathedral City. Even Desert Hot Springs and Indio.

I've been coming to "Palm Springs" for most of my life. Long enough to recall when what's now dubbed "mid-century modern" was simply called "new."

No place is more "Palm Springs" than Palm Desert.

It's that happy mid-point, both geographically and aesthetically, between the grit and worn glamour of Palm Springs and the "Honey, I need the GPS to find the resort" grid to the south.

Palm Desert has a heart, one other than the shared artery of Highway 111. The linear "downtown" of Palm Desert is El Paseo, one of the most celebrated shopping strips in the United States. This is where the rich go to get out of the sun and hammer their credit cards into submission at about 300 stores.

There are enough cafes and shops with midrange trinkets, devices and clothing so that you don't need to have a trust fund to have a fun day out. Just park yourself at a table at the Cafe des Beaux-Arts and watch the people flow by with their bags from Tiffany, Coach, Oilily and Brooks Brothers.

Palm Desert lodgings feature a few that follow the newest trend in the region – the refurbished mid-century modern motel. Both the Mojave and the Mod fit the architecture-buff bill. But Palm Desert also draws in the polo-shirt crowd, those who have golf clubs or tennis rackets in the back of the Lexus or BMW SUV. Shadow Ridge is a top golf course, and the local tennis clubs churn out college and pro-circuit contenders. If you want a place with a big pool for the kids and a spa where you can get your cryotherapy sports massage, there's the big Marriott, the centerpiece of a cluster of hotels, villas and timeshares run by the chain. Wildlife fans rave about the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, but try to go in the morning or late afternoon when the animals are most active.