September 2026 Revision

This is a must-have guidebook for anyone visiting Palm Springs and for anyone living in or around this desert resort city! What to See in Palm Springs is written by journalist and historian John Stark, a full-time Palm Springs resident and experienced tour guide. His descriptive words and photographs of Palm Springs will transform you from a casual sightseer to a knowledgeable, well-informed tourist. With more than 300 pages and 200 photographs, the book provides an in-depth, A-to-Z look at everything you’ll want to see when visiting Palm Springs, half of which is on tribal land. Best of all, you can see these sites from your car windows for free! Many are known only to Palm Springs’ residents.

John worked with the Palm Springs Historical Society and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to assure the book’s accuracy. What to See in Palm Springs gives you the who, what, where and why of every site in the book. It includes John’s one-on-one interviews with innovative architects who have made Palm Springs the modernist capital of the world. What to See in Palm Springs delves into Palm Springs’ celebrity past with discussions and photographs of the stars’ lives and homes here. As a former Senior Entertainment Writer at People magazine, John personally interviewed many of these late, great stars. In this book you’ll also meet the strong cowboy women who founded this desert town, feminists long before their time.

Informative “Fun Facts” and “Personal Notes” add to the book’s depth. Included with many of the sites are “Detours,” which are related places you can see outside Palm Spring’s city limits that are easily reachable by car. Dozens of historical photos add to the book’s knowledge and enjoyment. There’s a front-of-the-book historical overview and a back-of-the-book city map. There’s even a never-before-published photograph of Marilyn Monroe being discovered in Palm Springs. What to See in Palm Springs is a guidebook like no other!

“A fabulous piece of living history. What a marvelous and engaging read. We suspect that when one finishes this marvelous book, it will be difficult not to immediately hop a plane to experience Palm Springs’ charm and beauty. Bravo!” – Ron Oliver, film director and screenwriter

“Having been a resident of Palm Springs for more than 60 years, I have read many ‘guide books’ to the City. This book is very different in that it incorporates the history as well as the ‘Fun Facts’ to each site, thus contributing to a better understanding and enjoyment of a very special place.” Chris Mills, architect

“This is a must-have book!” – Howard Hawkes, H3K Design

In his career, John R. Stark has had staff positions for People magazine, the SF Examiner/Chronicle, Cooking Light magazine, Martha Stewart’s Body + Soul, Cooks Illustrated, and Walking magazine. John's stories have featured in print publications such as The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Newsday, AARP magazine, The Boston Globe, and The Desert Sun. John also served as a founding editor of PBS’ “Next Avenue."

John R. Stark is a veteran journalist and editor who has had staff positions on the SF Examiner/Chronicle, People magazine, Cooking Light magazine, Martha Stewart's Body + Soul, Cooks Illustrated and Walking magazine. His stories have appeared in such print publications as the Sunday The New York Times, Newsday, AARP magazine, The Boston Globe, and the Desert Sun. John was a founding editor of PBS' "Next Avenue" website for boomers, where he wrote 100 blogs and features. John spent two years with the New Jersey State Troopers writing an on-the-job book called "Troopers." John has also written for The Huffington Post and PurpleClover.com. John holds a master's in journalism from Boston University. Currently, he is semi-retired and lives in Palm Springs, where he has become well-versed in the sights, history, and stories