Sparrows Lodge (left); Bootlegger Tiki.    (Photo: Courtesy of the venues)

Illustration by Murphy Lippincott

A night out with David Richey, founder of creative consulting firm Not Normal Collective.

“I feel like Palm Springs is not any less of a party town than it was in the ‘old days’ — other than the fact that post–Ace Hotel and Coachella, younger people are actually moving in and starting businesses rather than just vacationing here. You’ll see some young artist and an older woman dressed in head-to-toe Pucci partying together. It’s so good! I’d start an evening with a Pod Thai cocktail at the tiny Bootlegger Tiki (1101 N. Palm Canyon Dr.; 760-318-4154) before heading over for crispy-beef noodles at midtown’s Rooster and the Pig (356 S. Indian Canyon Dr.; 760-832-6691). Palm Springs gay bars can be heavy on the beefy, worked-out, white-guy techno music. I prefer our kitschy dive bars: The best is SpurLine (200 S. Indian Canyon Dr.; 760-778-4326), which projects movie clips. They’ll pass out props like little wire hangers while Mommie Dearest is playing. If it’s Thursday, I’ll end things at the Amigo Room at the Ace Hotel (701 E. Palm Canyon Dr.; 760-325-9900), where DJ Day does a hip-hop-and-soul night called ¡Reunión! You can order the fried-egg sandwich till midnight.”

Where he’d crash: “Sparrows Lodge (from $129; sparrowslodge.com) feels like achic mountain lodge but in the middle of the desert. And there’s a communal fire pit.”