Movie Colony Hotel in Palm Springs, California

There's nothing like staying at a unique, trendy and/or historic property to make any location more memorable. I found all of these things at the Movie Colony Hotel in Palm Springs, California. The property is located in the historic Movie Colony neighborhood, named for the numerous homes of movie stars that used to live here in the 1930's to 1960's. Notable residents included Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Jack Benny, and Bing Crosby to name a few.

Designed in 1935 by famed modernist architect, Albert Frey, the Movie Colony Hotel is a prime example of Desert Modern architecture. It was one of Frey's first projects, and it only seemed to further fuel his love of the Palm Springs area. Among many other notable buildings, Frey also designed both the Aerial Tramway Station and the Palm Springs City Hall.  

The property went on to become a popular hangout for celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. There's even a bit of folklore about Jim Morrison of The Doors leaping off of the balcony of townhouse #29 into the pool here. Today the Movie Colony is a 16 room boutique hotel, and for me, it was my hub for a week during travel shoots for my Roadside California series.

Architect Albert Frey

Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California

A few visuals of the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. 

Plaza Hotel in New York City

Welcome to the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City.

"Howdya do, this is Peter McCallister. The faaaaaaather."

With my Talkboy, two turtle doves, and my vintage collector's cards in hand, I made my way to the Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

I didn't run into any former presidents in the lobby, but I was honored to be in the company of guests of the new Celebrity Ding Dang Dong. The rest of my family was in Florida while I watched "Angels With Even Filthier Souls" and ran up the in-suite ice cream tab. I didn't come all the way to New York to get my naked rear end spied on though. 

Are all these Home Alone 2 references landing? Because as far as travel shoots go, this was actually a dream come true.