The Coachella Valley Number ‘One’ Desert Local Newspaper
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PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
November 9, 2016 Vol. 9 No. 90
Pan Am ‘Retro”
It was time to say goodbye to this wonderful crew who made The Pan Am Experience a hoot and a half. Photo by Beverly Cohn
Pan Am’s Flight To Nowhere Recreates the Golden Age of Travel By Beverly Cohn Have you ever longed for the good old days when luxury travel was, well, luxury travel? Back in the day, there were no security lines or body scanners and whoever accompanied you to the airport, could actually sit with you at the gate until you were ready to embark. When you walked onto a Pam Am plane, let’s say, you were greeted with lovely, smiling hostesses who were not being distracted by cell phones and most cordially
escorted you to your seat. Well folks, if you would like to relive that glorious time, I have just the spot for you. Air Hollywood, a wellknown motion picture studio specializing in films requiring interior or exterior shots of airplanes, has launched The Pan Am Experience. A joint venture of the studio’s CEO and Founder Talaat Captan and Anthony Toth, they have created the interior of a Pan Am Boeing 747, including First and Clipper Class cabins, as
well as the nostalgic spiral staircase connecting First Class to the Upper Deck dining room. Toth has spent years scouring the world for authentic original Pan Am seats, tables, silverware, dishes, stemware, and serving carts as well as different sections of the plane and vintage uniforms. The recreation is absolutely perfect for as you enter the plane, you are immediately catapulted back to that luxurious time. Before boarding the plane for our “flight to nowhere,” I
Story and Photos by Pat Krause The Annual Palm Springs Pride Parade was held on Sunday Nov. 6th. Approximately 200 entries were in this year’s parade. I was told that almost 500 teens from a lot of the local and surrounding high schools attended. I also heard that there were over 300 students in the bands that participated. The parade lasted almost 2 hours. Of course, there was the usual floats and rainbow colors. Beautiful Cars held the honorees and celebrities.
The streets started lining up early along Palm Canyon Drive. People wanted to get a good spot to see as thousands came to see the parade. I noticed a lot of people had to park a couple blocks away and walk to the parade site. People brought their children to see this really fun and colorful parade. The kids loved the clown characters and the people on stilts. They also liked it when the parade walkers handed out beads and candy. The adults liked it too as many were seen with lots of colored
beads around their necks. There were local politicians in the parade, some already in office and others seeking office. There were participants who came from San Diego and Fontana and other cities near by. Local businesses were in abundance also with large numbers of walkers. There were a few very huge floats and many big balloons and colorful parasols. There were people dancing on the larger floats like the square
Palm Springs Pride Parade
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checked in at the reception desk where tickets cost anywhere between $200$300. I was issued a Pan Am Experience Boarding Pass for flight 811 to Hawaii, Seat 7J in Clipper Class. The reason for the Hawaii “destination,” is that the airline, which was in business from 1927-December 4, 1991, would have celebrated 50 years of flights to the island. Commemorating that event, lovely women, accompanied by a small band playing Hawaiian music, entertained us with
Dottie and Maude. Phtoo by Pat Krause
traditional Hula dancing. It is said that Pam Am set the bar for glamour and sophistication as well as giving the masses the opportunity to travel. The “waiting room” is filled with historic memorabilia showcasing the people, places, and aviation paraphernalia germane to particular eras. Pre-boarding drinks were served in the boarding area and soon an announcement was made that Flight 811 to Hawaii was now boarding First Continues on Page 10