Palm Springs has always felt magical to me. Warm, open, welcoming in a way that feels almost effortless. But researching this episode showed me that the ease I feel there has a history behind it. People went to Palm Springs to hide, and to live, sometimes at the same time. That tension is part of what shaped the place.
It's a reminder I keep coming back to: we rarely know the full history of the places that draw us in. The places that feel safe and supportive didn't become that way by accident. Someone built that, often at great personal cost. So the next time I visit Palm Springs, or any place that feels like a refuge, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the people and the stories that made it what it is. That history deserves to be seen.