One cool thing we did in Palm Springs was to rent bikes and check out the mid-century modern architecture—we kinda combo'd the bike shop map with the architecture map from PS Modern. Definitely consider e-bikes if you want to get into the hills for Kaufman House & the House of Tomorrow/Elvis Honeymoon House, it's a climb.
I remember that the Art Museum was really interesting, didn't get into the Robolights folk art yard but did check it out from the sidewalk, quite a few tiki bars like Tonga Hut and Bootlegger Tiki, and the SHAG store is fun if you're a fan of his art.
...and *I* am chuffed to be on that same list with you in Jillian Hess's NOTED! To be associated in any way with two of my favourite Substack newsletters has me feeling honoured and has definitely made my week 🫠
In Palm Springs - walk around the neighborhoods with the mid century modern homes and take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Even though it’s a tourist attraction, it’s really neat to see the views while going up and you’ll probably have snow at the top. Plus there are hiking trails.
I couldn't write that post about notebooks and not include you! I've got an Amtrak journey this afternoon and I've queued your video for it. I love everything about your notebooks!
Also, I swore I'd never use fountain pens because they seem overpriced...but and then I became friends with some enthusiasts on Substack. I can attest the Lamy Safari is wonderful! But my heart belongs to the Kaweko Sport. It's little and very portable--and half the price of the Safari.
https://shieldsdategarden.com This place is right up your alley, Austin! The date shakes are terrific and the whole place is a special step into the wierdness of the socal desert experience.
My grandparents had a card shuffler. They were avid bridge players with arthritic hands. We loved to play with the card shuffler whenever we visited (about once a year for several weeks in the summer. I don’t know what happened to the shuffler but its image sticks in my mind. When I was in art school I did an etching project about Gramma’s house based on the game of Clue. The game board was my remembered layout of the house (a Queen Ann Victorian in St. Paul, MN that a kid could get lost in) and the card shuffler was one of the “instruments” that got moved from room to room.
The fountain pen I think you’d love is the Majohn Q1, it’s relatively inexpensive (for a fountain pen) but it’s the most fun pen, and pen that brings me the most joy. It’s a chubby little transparent pen that has a fude or bent nib, that give an almost brush like line.
This was a stellar list! Especially loved the Shakespeare story—so meaty in so few words. And a long lost memory—I worked for Chapters (a big box bookstore in Canada) back in the 90s and LAMY pens were one of the few products we sold. We had to take a course on fountain pens and the LAMY pens in particular. They are really good ones!
I went down the fountain pen rabbit hole during the pandemic, and 4 years later I’ve got about 30 pens and 50 bottles of ink. Some are dirt cheap, some very expensive. I come back to one pen brand more than any other and to me it feels like the most utilitarian Kleon pen there is - The TWSBI Eco and the TWSBI 580. These are workhorse pens, super reliable, and write well beyond their price tag. Safari is nice to look at, but their steel nibs tend to be scratchy and vary from nib to nib. If you love Lamy though, the Lamy 2000 would be your lifer pen. It’s perfect in just about every way, smooth as butter gold nib and all that.
I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much info right now, but fountain pens are super fun once you get in the swing of things, excited for you!
One cool thing we did in Palm Springs was to rent bikes and check out the mid-century modern architecture—we kinda combo'd the bike shop map with the architecture map from PS Modern. Definitely consider e-bikes if you want to get into the hills for Kaufman House & the House of Tomorrow/Elvis Honeymoon House, it's a climb.
https://www.bikepsrentals.com (map at the bottom)
https://psmodcom.org/psmodcom-map/
I remember that the Art Museum was really interesting, didn't get into the Robolights folk art yard but did check it out from the sidewalk, quite a few tiki bars like Tonga Hut and Bootlegger Tiki, and the SHAG store is fun if you're a fan of his art.
https://www.psmuseum.org
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robo-lights
http://www.shag.com
...and *I* am chuffed to be on that same list with you in Jillian Hess's NOTED! To be associated in any way with two of my favourite Substack newsletters has me feeling honoured and has definitely made my week 🫠
In Palm Springs - walk around the neighborhoods with the mid century modern homes and take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Even though it’s a tourist attraction, it’s really neat to see the views while going up and you’ll probably have snow at the top. Plus there are hiking trails.
Another suggestion for Palm Springs - check out
http://www.moortenbotanicalgarden.com/
It’s small but with an interesting history - a bit quirky and lots of cool cactus
I couldn't write that post about notebooks and not include you! I've got an Amtrak journey this afternoon and I've queued your video for it. I love everything about your notebooks!
Also, I swore I'd never use fountain pens because they seem overpriced...but and then I became friends with some enthusiasts on Substack. I can attest the Lamy Safari is wonderful! But my heart belongs to the Kaweko Sport. It's little and very portable--and half the price of the Safari.
https://shieldsdategarden.com This place is right up your alley, Austin! The date shakes are terrific and the whole place is a special step into the wierdness of the socal desert experience.
My grandparents had a card shuffler. They were avid bridge players with arthritic hands. We loved to play with the card shuffler whenever we visited (about once a year for several weeks in the summer. I don’t know what happened to the shuffler but its image sticks in my mind. When I was in art school I did an etching project about Gramma’s house based on the game of Clue. The game board was my remembered layout of the house (a Queen Ann Victorian in St. Paul, MN that a kid could get lost in) and the card shuffler was one of the “instruments” that got moved from room to room.
I write with a 30 year old Pelican Pen - it has assumed my personality.
Don’t miss: Date Shakes !
The fountain pen I think you’d love is the Majohn Q1, it’s relatively inexpensive (for a fountain pen) but it’s the most fun pen, and pen that brings me the most joy. It’s a chubby little transparent pen that has a fude or bent nib, that give an almost brush like line.
https://www.amazon.com/Fountain-Transparent-Eyedropper-Filling-Capacity/dp/B097GK2G1C?th=1
You can totally use the Lamy Safari. I’ve been drawing with it for nearly a decade. I just can’t use any other pen!
I need to add pockets to my journals. I always find scribbled bits that don’t have a home.
I’ve never played UNO and feel like I’m the only one. Only child woes.
This was a stellar list! Especially loved the Shakespeare story—so meaty in so few words. And a long lost memory—I worked for Chapters (a big box bookstore in Canada) back in the 90s and LAMY pens were one of the few products we sold. We had to take a course on fountain pens and the LAMY pens in particular. They are really good ones!
I highly recommend the Oblique Strategies app for iPhone. There is also an Android version available. It's great, check it out! https://apps.apple.com/de/app/oblique-strategies-se/id1104927011
Austin,
I went down the fountain pen rabbit hole during the pandemic, and 4 years later I’ve got about 30 pens and 50 bottles of ink. Some are dirt cheap, some very expensive. I come back to one pen brand more than any other and to me it feels like the most utilitarian Kleon pen there is - The TWSBI Eco and the TWSBI 580. These are workhorse pens, super reliable, and write well beyond their price tag. Safari is nice to look at, but their steel nibs tend to be scratchy and vary from nib to nib. If you love Lamy though, the Lamy 2000 would be your lifer pen. It’s perfect in just about every way, smooth as butter gold nib and all that.
I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much info right now, but fountain pens are super fun once you get in the swing of things, excited for you!