Tuesday, February 08, 2005

A moment of silence...

for Shield's Date Gardens in Indio, which will be closing in April, after more than 80 years in business. Here's a little write-up by Jane and Michael Stern for the Splendid Table. Not only was this a great place to get a date shake or buy some date crystals, where else could you see a film about the romance and sex life of the date? Going to Shield's -- a trip equal in importance to visiting Hadley's, the dinosaurs and the tramway -- was like taking a trip back to a sleepier time, when date groves carpeted the desert floor and swamp coolers ineffectually chilled the blast furnace summers.

R.I.P. Shield's Date Gardens

2 comments:

Rachael Narins said...

I have the best childhood memories of that place...I am so sad. I will have to make a goodbye journey out there asap. Thanks for the update!

Robyn said...

Pat, I linked to you on this story. There's a follow-up on my site. Shield's is not dead. They've been bought!