We recently covered the adventures of Mike and Sebastian Hilscher, a Vienna-based gay couple who have recently moved to Palm Springs, California with their daughter, Mia. We’ve been following their journey as they transition into life in Palm Springs, living both as a local but with a tourist’s eye towards living life to its fullest with all of these new-found wonders available to the three of them, as an LGBTQ+ family.
So why California? “It was always clear to us that it had to be California,” says Mike Hilscher. “We just love this state. Coming from Austria, where two-dad families are viewed skeptically and gay acceptance is questionable, it’s just relaxing for us to live in an environment where we’re not the oddballs.”
Their original plan was actually to become Angelenos. “We had even already chosen an apartment, but then we noticed that Los Angeles might not be so family-friendly,” Mike shares. “When we happened upon the Greater Palm Springs area and looked it over, we fell in love immediately. There is no better place for us. We are absolute fans.”
For anyone following the weather in California over these past few months, they’ve been hit with quite the surprise… considerably more cold weather with lots and lots of rain. But this hasn’t deterred them from soaking up what Greater Palm Springs has to offer year round, including these newly-minted snow-capped mountains surrounding the entire Coachella Valley.
“Among many other things in Palm Springs, we are excited about the incredibly wide range of things to do, Mike adds. “Tennis tournament, glow in the dark in the zoo, cat cafe, hiking, parties, social events, theater, concerts …. and I could go on like this forever. We really have a hard time choosing because there are so many great things to do.”
They were particularly enthusiastic about Glow in the Park, https://www.livingdesert.org/events/upcoming-zoo-events/glow-in-the-park/
With a young daughter in tow, an event at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens had to include a more thorough exploration. Check out some highlights of their day at the zoo!
One of their next stops was to check out the Palm Springs Night Street Fair, a tradition that makes sense during the hot summer days, which has permeated into Palm Springs life year round. Donning warm jackets, they explored the vendors offering everything from arts, crafts, food and entertainment.
Mike and Sebastian were very fortunate to be in Palm Springs in March, so that they could experience the annual Red Dress Party, an annual event benefitting the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. Dubbed as the biggest party in Palm Springs, it’s a guaranteed night of community, FUN and fantasy, including a dance party at the Palm Springs Air Museum and an after-party at Reforma PS.
“The Red Dress Party was a special event,” Mike quips. “For a good cause, the Palm Springs Air Museum was transformed into a red magical world that we were allowed to immerse ourselves in. Anyone who follows our story knows that the origin of their love story was a pair of glittery red pants, and guess what, those pants have finally been worn again after 8 years.”
We asked Mike and Sebastian to sum up their thoughts on this first month in Palm Springs.
“Not only the life is great here, but also the work. After our resettlement, the question naturally arose as to where we would be working here from. We work from a shared office in Palm Springs that leaves nothing to be desired. We could hardly imagine a nicer place and we really enjoy our time there. https://flanneryexchange.com/“
“The weekly market on Thursdays is also a highlight that we visit often. Delicious food, music and great stalls await you here and we always have a lot of fun.”
“The lantern festival was a very personal highlight for our family (says Mike). a wonderful day with music, fun games, where you can reflect on wishes, dreams and thoughts with the children and then send them on their way with the lantern. simply magical!”
“The school that Mia goes to is just wonderful. She felt part of the class from day one and the teachers take special care that Mia has English as a second language and slowly and in a playful way introduce her to the level of the other students. Fantastic. Mia loves this school.”
“After a short time we made a lot of connections and friends here and almost feel at home.”
“Was it the right decision to choose Palm Springs: YES and we would do it again and again.”
Greater Palm Springs, with its large and vibrant LGBTQ+ community, is known as a welcoming and inclusive travel destination. Nine distinct cities – Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella – make up this Southern California oasis, where visitors can enjoy world-class resorts, boutique hotels, a lively nightlife scene, cultural attractions, and signature events like Greater Palm Springs Pride.
https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/lgbtq/