Tourists flock to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving week
As Thanksgiving week kicked off Monday, Palm Springs began filling up with more people at restaurants and hotels.
Hotel managers said their rooms were being booked up by the day; the downtown sidewalks were heavily trafficked. But some are worried more people means more risk.
Mary Douglas is spending the holiday week with her family in Palm Springs. She's hoping to keep coronavirus exposure minimal.
"My sister wanted to have a big family get together for Thanksgiving and we decided to remove ourselves from having to do that," Douglas said. "It's kind of surprising how busy it is."
"Thanksgiving is going to be a very busy weekend," said Aftab Dada, managing director of the Hilton Palm Springs.
Dada said room bookings there are now exceeding those of this time last year, up nearly 10 percent. And with outdoor dining closing down in Los Angeles later this week, he's hoping that business will come here instead.
"Definitely we will be the biggest beneficiary because of LA's complete closure," Dada said.
Lee Morcus at Kaiser Grill Palm Springs is cautiously optimistic of the uptick in business. "It's a tough road back and we're doing okay," he said.
He's worried that despite the holiday travel, restaurants could still be in trouble.
"As winter is coming, it gets pretty cold and outside dining is not enough in these cold desert nights to sustain any sort of financial success in the long term," Morcus said. "We still have summer to contend with."
And for some, the more full downtown feels, the more concern there is about potential coronavirus exposure.
"It's (the balance between) constantly trying to support local businesses while keeping ourselves as safe as we can possibly be," Douglas said.
Visitors said for the most part they feel safe downtown, despite the crowds.
But several said anxiety continues to linger aobut whether a more serious shutdown could be around the corner.
You can reach Jake on Twitter, Facebook or email him at jake.ingrassia@kesq.com.
