A dispatch from the (far) east.
And the long-awaited reveal of New Tilda.
Happy hump day, everyone. Readership has almost doubled since Friday’s issue, so welcome to the club if you’re new here. New issues come three times a week, and you can get your fix on Instagram in the in-between. Should we do a social hour soon?
📅 Tonight, I’ll be at Echo Park’s Stories Books & Cafe for the paperback launch of Honor Levy’s My First Book. Honor will be doing a live conversation with How Long Gone’s Jason Stewart. It’s all happening at 7pm — join me?
In today’s newsletter: the east side’s favorite escape, the new Tilda is (finally) unveiled, publicists are freaking out, Gen Z speed dating, daddy fashion, checking in on the Lucas Museum, and Joe Jonas at Maru.
Your favorite east sider’s favorite escape.
For reasons we can get into later, LA doesn’t have a Tier 1 weekend destination.*
There’s no unequivocal go-to, nowhere you’re guaranteed to run into three of your exes, your gym crush, and your boss’s boss all at the same boozy brunch. LA weekenders spiderweb out to any number of places, from Ojai and Santa Barbara to Joshua Tree and the beaches of Orange County. Your cool friend might go to Los Alamos.
That said, there’s one destination well on its way to becoming the preeminent choice for the Friday to Sunday set. It’s bone dry, it’s reliably hot, and it was all over your favorite Angelenos’ Instagram stories this past weekend.
Just ninety minutes from the east side (assuming you don’t leave at 4pm on a Friday), Palm Springs is a blend of kitsch and cool that somehow…works?
The past five years have seen unprecedented investment in what was previously a sleepy, slightly past-its-prime desert city. There’s a $165m Thompson hotel, the sprawling indoor/outdoor Spa at Sec-he, and the sought-after house tours of Modernism Week. You can hit a decades-old gay bar, a new natural wine bar, or both. It’s the gays and the grays, yes, but it’s also home to a growing young creative class responsible for a slew of new restaurants, bars, retailers, and galleries. If you live on the east side and you’re too soft for Joshua Tree, Palm Springs is probably for you.
This past weekend, I celebrated the (un)official start of summer at a house in Old Las Palmas, just steps from the action on Palm Canyon Drive. It’s gorgeous, and Elvis’s honeymoon house is there (along with Los Feliz native Leo DiCaprio’s current desert getaway).
Below are a few of the Rag’s top picks for a Palm Springs weekend. The desert season continues through July 4th (temperatures are rising, but prices are reasonable over the next month), then picks up again in October.
^MARKET MARKET, 1555 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Unit F
A truly sprawling vintage emporium on the south side of town. Unlike some vintage stores, this one’s light, bright, and airy, with the merchandise displayed so you can actually see it all. It’s equal parts clothing and furniture, ranging from reasonable to pricey.
SANDFISH, 1556 N. Palm Canyon Drive
I usually end up here on the first night of a desert trip. The sushi is top tier and there’s a great outdoor dining setup, but be warned: the service is…not the fastest.
THE HEYDAY, 1550 N. Palm Canyon Drive
A few doors down from Sandfish, The Heyday does burgers, martinis, and not much else out of a charmingly tiny space. It’s walk-ins only and absolutely magic. The dine-in vibe’s amazing if you can snag a table, but they do takeout in a pinch.
PALM CANYON GALLERIA, 457 N. Palm Canyon Drive, #2
This is my favorite daytime stop in Palm Springs. A cluster of several interconnected shops, the Galleria has the coolest selection of antiques and objets d’art this side of the Mississippi. Little-known fact: the Galleria’s owner, Jim, lives in Albert Frey’s famed Raymond Loewy House, which is occasionally open for tours during Modernism Week.
^ISAMU, 800 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite H
A pint-sized menswear store with great curation and some really good pieces. They had a structured vest I regret not taking home.
SEYMOUR’S, 233 E. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs regulars will be familiar with Mr. Lyons, the long-standing steakhouse at the south end of town. Hidden inside and to the right is a speakeasy-style bar called Seymour’s. 10/10 for a pre-dinner cocktail.
KOFFI, 515 N. Palm Canyon Drive
I also like Ernest, but after much trial and error, this is my favorite coffee shop in Palm Springs. The lines are such they’ve expanded to three locations in town (north, south, and central).
^PERRY’S, 641A N. Palm Canyon Drive
A Provincetown classic since 1934, Perry’s opened a second location in Palm Springs last year. Along with Hyphen, they have the town’s best selection of natural wines.
MELVYN’S, 200 W. Ramon Road
Old-school Palm Springs piano bar. The food’s good, the vibes are impeccable.
WOLF CONTEMPORARY, 768 N. Palm Canyon Drive
The gallery of former Angeleno and erstwhile Rose proprietor Mark Rose, Wolf specializes in Art Deco objects, jewelry, and rare designer accessories.
BON VIVANT, 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive
Offers a similar selection to the Galleria, but at a slightly more accessible price point.
^JEAN & JAMES, 777 N. Palm Canyon Drive
This weeks-old vintage clothing store is squirreled away above a parking structure, giving it a sort of hidden gem feel. They have some pretty great deals on denim and t-shirts, and there’s a knockout view of the mountains while you shop.
CHEEKY’S, 622 N. Palm Canyon Drive
The breakfast spot in town. The patio is a scene. There will be a line, get there early.
BOOTLEGGER TIKI, 1101 N. Palm Canyon Drive
The perfect bar if you’re in the desert, but you want to pretend you’re at the beach. I’d recommend sitting inside over the patio – outside’s great, but the interior decor is what makes this one.
*A place literally everyone goes — the Hamptons vis-à-vis New York.
🍽️ And now for some table scraps…
Tilda is now Bar Bacetti. Tilda was a nearly perfect wine bar and bottle shop from the owners of the adjacent Bacetti before it closed at the end of February. Since then, the windows have been papered over as Bacetti Corp. revamps it as an all-new, top-secret concept. At long last, Tilda’s Instagram was rebranded this morning as Bar Bacetti, and though the team hasn’t released any additional details, I hear it won’t be too dissimilar from its predecessor. The ownership and staff will remain the same, with the main difference being a much more extensive food menu.
Mike White returns to Survivor for S50. I repeat, Mike White is returning to Survivor. Cirie and Ozzy will be there too. IYKYK.
The Lucas Museum fired its director, and George is calling the shots. The building looks incredible, but this place was originally supposed to open in 2021. Time will tell if we ever get to see Star Wars memorabilia and George’s collection of Hockneys in Exposition Park.
Joe Jonas was spotted at Maru this week. Coming soon to the Rag: the definitive Canyon vs. Maru poll.
The Skydance/Paramount deal is putting Jeremy Strong’s next show in limbo. Filming on 9/12 was supposed to begin in August, but with no regulatory approval in sight, it’s been pushed to 2026. Meanwhile, Kieran keeps working.
Abercrombie & Fitch continues to beat earnings expectations. Total net sales were $1.1bn in the first quarter, up 8% from last year. Everyone on the east side is wearing their cropped tees, and therefore everyone in America is wearing their cropped tees. The A&F cropped tees are, frankly, a bandwagon I can get on.
Couplet Coffee is Gen Z’s favorite new thing. In addition to caffeinated beverages, the new shop on the border of Echo Park and Westlake offers speed dating, art workshops, and community events galore. Away cofounder Jen Rubio is an investor.
Publicists have no idea how to navigate the new media ecosystem. It used to be magazine covers and late night shows, but clients are now getting sent to do podcasts and YouTube and…Substacks. No one has any idea what’ll hit, but Timothée Chalamet is killing it.
Christine Baranski interviewed King Princess. Worth a read just for this quote from Baranski: “You’re in your Brooklyn apartment, I’m on the Upper East Side, babe. I’m loving the armpit thing you’ve got going on.”
Ryan Murphy used to live in Silver Lake. The king of Brentwood and the TV anthology was an east sider in the ’80s. He’s now renovating a suite at the Chateau.
Margot Robbie gave AD a tour of the new LuckyChap offices. They used to be on the Rideback campus in Historic Filipinotown, but now they’re in Venice. Pour one out for the east side.
Shepard Fairey listed his Los Feliz house for $4.7m. The artist responsible for Barack Obama’s “Hope” poster sold his previous house to Jason Segel, and I liked that one better, tbh.
Daddy fashion is in. If you’re looking for a style overhaul this summer, you hereby have permission to get a little freaky with it. Also see: the East Side Straight.
I’m going to Barra Santos tomorrow night. No link, but let me know if you have any menu recs.
Joe Jonas also spotted @ Secco. + he had a vintage booth at Melrose flea last week?
love barra santos!! their olives are a bit on the sweet side & weren't for me, but their potatoes with aioli are incredible