“Structures desolate for decades have sprung to life. In the 300-north block of Palm Canyon Drive, Lighthouse Marijuana Dispensary and Bluebird Days coffeeshop occupy a former food court. On a 300-south corner, Four Twenty Bank Dispensary & Lounge repurposes a former bank building with a stage for live entertainment and the vault converted into an arcade.
Meanwhile, construction promises a hotel along the main street, a vast Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, a historical gem of modern architecture called Aluminaire House, and a public park.
You can still buy “Palm Springs” T-shirts and souvenirs downtown — after all, tourism drives the city’s economy — but you’ll also find a purveyor of French fashion, local brewery pubs, gourmet shops, a Santa Barbara County winery’s tasting room, and trendy national chains mixed with locally owned boutiques…”