When I visited Palm Springs, California, I had no trouble remembering where I was. I had trouble placing when I was.

The city is well known for its impressive array of  Mid-Century Modern buildings — many of which have been preserved, some of which have been tragically lost.

The sleek aesthetic of the middle 20th century has always struck me as incredibly futuristic, which is what creates that “wobbling in time” feeling — don’t ask me to tell you what year it is when I’m looking at fifty year old building that seems like it belongs to an era that won’t happen for another fifty years.

Adding to this time travel effect were my Palm Springs accommodations. I stayed at the Riviera, which takes its design mission very seriously — there were lots of “oh my” moments, from the lobby’s curved orange wall, lit up, with a floral metal lattice work dwarfing small check-in desks in the lobby, to the swank Rat Pack pool, to the never-ending collision of patterns in the hotel’s labyrinthine hallways –  but not so many clues about what year tops the current calendar.

I will now confess that my estimate of fifty years of temporal flux in either direction was no rough estimate.  I’m not too proud to say that my earliest impression of Mid Century Modern came from watching The Jetsons, and they “lived” in 2062. Exactly fifty years from 2012.

Anyway, the best way to get to know Palm Spring’s Mid-Century Modern architecture, also known as “desert modernism”, is to head there for Modernism Week, February 16th to the 26th, 2012.  There are tours by foot and tours by bus, parties, lectures, films. Check out the full event schedule here.  And if you’re heading to Palm Springs another time, be sure to get your mid-century bearings at the Palm Springs Visitors Center, pictured above left, which started its life as a fabulous gas station, constructed in 1965.

If I could spend a day going all over the US, with instant transport from one place to another and an unlimited budget, here is where I’d go and what I’d do in 2012….some of these places I discovered in 2011, others I’ve known for a long time and one I’ve never visited….

Morning

Wake up at:

• The Down East perfection of the Pentagöet Inn, Castine, Maine or
• The homey Library Suite at the Prairie Moon Bed & Breakfast, Hutchinson, Kansas or
• A Southern grande dame, the King Edward Hotel, Jackson, Mississippi or
• A giant of literary history at the Algonquin Hotel, New York City

Breakfast at:

• Bah’s Bakehouse (muffins! scones!) near the Castine waterfront or
• Billy’s Downtown Diner (omelettes!) in downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania or
• The Homemade Cafe (pecan waffles! home fries!) in Berkeley, California

Spend the morning:

• Thinking and learning at the National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri or
• Bodysurfing on the Na Pali Coast, Kauai or
• Marveling at musical craftsmanship at the American Banjo Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma or
• Stepping back into the Revolution at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Lunch

Feeling seafood-ish for my midday meal at:

• Paia Fish Market, Maui (or these other places to eat in Paia) or
• Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Afternoon

Afternoon spent:

• Shopping in gracious Savannah, Georgia or
• Heating up in a mud bath at either Dr. Wilkinson’s in Calistoga, California or the Bath House in Jemez Springs, New Mexico or
• Taking a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent-led river cruise past incredible buildings in Chicago, Illinois or
• Going for a swim in Wekiwa Springs, Florida or Barton Springs in Austin, Texas or the spring-fed pool at Balmorhea State Park in western Texas (I’ve always wanted to see Balmorhea.)

Mid-afternoon snack:

• Garrett Popcorn in Chicago (The Chicago Mix flavor, of course) or
• A Ted Drewes frozen custard at the original stand on Route 66, St. Louis, Missouri

Evening

Sunset:

• Key West, Florida or
• Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

Dinner at:

• Brady Tavern, Tulsa, Oklahoma or
• The Old Lahaina Luau, Maui or
• Really, any BBQ joint in Memphis, Tennessee

Wrap it up with:

• WaterFire in Providence, Rhode Island or
• YOUR recommendation down in the comments! Give us some ideas, from anywhere in the US, for an evening activity.

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It’s not often that I’m able to make a direct connection between Zambia and the small Texas town of Bastrop.

Thanks to this year’s Passports with Purpose – the annual travel bloggers’ fundraiser – I can support both education in Africa and a town near me that is recovering from terrible wildfires.

We’re working to raise US$80,000 through PwP to build two libraries in southern and eastern Zambia.  Wow. That’s the building construction, all the books and educational materials, teacher training and support for three years.

Last year we raised enough money (mostly in US$10 increments) to build an entire village in southern India in partnership with Friends of LAFTI.  This year, PwP is partnering with Room to Read for the libraries.

It works rather like a raffle – in addition to the goodie we’re showcasing below, you can browse through this full list of travel-related prizes and bid for chances to win whichever ones appeal to you.  At the end of the fundraiser – it runs through December 16, 2011 – one winner of each prize will be randomly selected from all of those who have bid for it.  A $10 donation per bid is suggested, but if you don’t want to make a donation, mail one self addressed stamped envelope to: Passports with Purpose, P.O. Box 16102, Seattle WA 98116.  Include the name of the prize you are entering to win.

A huge thank you to Hyatt Hotels, who sponsored the prize featured here on the Perceptive Travel Blog:  a two-night stay at the lovely Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Bastrop (near Austin.)

This prize is special to me because I enjoyed a stay at the resort with my family awhile back;  the room was nice and comfy, food was very good, the staff was helpful and friendly and the water park/pool area (complete with a Lazy River) was a huge hit.

We didn’t get around to some of the other recreational offerings on the Colorado River running through the property, or in the adjacent 1,100-acre McKinney Roughs Nature Park, but that simply means we’ll have to return!

More importantly, the unique Lost Pines area where the Resort is located suffered absolutely devastating wildfires this past September. Record high temperatures, particularly severe drought and high winds contributed to the destruction of most of the distinctive loblolly pines, two people were killed and 1600+ homes burned.

It was the most destructive single wildfire in Texas history, and I could smell and see the smoke from it in my front yard more than 30 miles north.

Consequently, even though the quaint Main Street town of Bastrop (a National Trust Distinctive Destination) and the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort are just fine and are open for business, tourism has suffered and the downtown Bastrop businesses are struggling to convince visitors that the whole town didn’t burn down.

Offering this prize is one small way to both support Passports with Purpose and highlight the recovery of a special place.

For a chance to win this prize or one of many others, go here to the PwP Prize List/Donate page and follow the directions.

(Note: our Hyatt Lost Pines prize is for a two-night stay 1/1/2012 – 12/30/2012. It’s good for nights Sunday through Thursday – based on availability – and is not valid during holiday periods or Spring Break.)

Thanks for your support of Passports with Purpose, and I look forward to showing off some photos of the libraries in Zambia in the next year or so.

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This is the lobby of the historic King Edward Hotel in downtown Jackson, Mississippi as it was before renovations began in the fall of 2006.

This is the same lobby in the fall of 2011, when I stayed there on a short road trip through central and northern Mississippi. It’s now operated as the Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown, but everyone I talked to still calls it the King Edward.

When Marika Cackett from the Jackson CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) told me that the place had been an empty, blown-out mess for 40 years before restoration, with garbage all over the lobby where we sat visiting, I could not get my head around it.  A huge thanks to people like local Jackson developer David Watkins who can look at a disaster area and see infinite possibilities, just as I found with the spectacular SteelStacks redevelopment project in Pennsylvania.

Cackett also mentioned that she’s heard of many older African-American couples who like to stay at the hotel, partly because they were not allowed to enjoy its hospitality during the days of segregation and Jim Crow.

Interestingly, the Mississippi Blues Trail historical marker out on the front sidewalk says that there used to be recording studios in the hotel: OKeh Records in 1930 and the American Record Corporation in 1935. Blues artists cutting records there included Bo Carter, Robert Wilkins, Joe McCoy, Isaiah Nettles and the Mississippi Sheiks.

Some poignant thoughts from the Preservation in Mississippi blog on the day after the hotel re-opened in 2009:

“As I walked down Capitol Street with friends, we saw other groups of people going in the same direction. As we got closer to the King Ed, the trickle became a stream, and past the Mayflower [cafe, still open today] the stream became a river of people. It was a wonderful feeling to be a part of a crowd on the sidewalk in downtown Jackson….One thing that struck me was the almost perfect balance between blacks and whites in the crowd, a hopeful sign for the city and for Mississippi, showing civic and business cooperation to bring this incredibly complex and difficult project to completion. This was not a “white” project or a “black” project. It was an Us project.”

Room rates were reasonable, WiFi was free, my room was super-comfy and more businesses and restaurants are springing up nearby, including the new Farish Street Entertainment District.

If you’re ever in Jackson, don’t stay in some suburban box hotel. Get yourself downtown to this gorgeous property.

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Stay at Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego and you could take advantage of their one night surfing package that includes not only surfing lessons but also a how-to book on surfing, board shorts, and a surf ‘n’ turf supper.

There’s only one catch – this package is only for dogs.

Although I’m sure, if asked, the resort would be able to cater for two-legged traveling companions as well.

This is just one of the many deals highlighted in The Privileged Pooch, a specialized travel guide to pet-friendly places in Southern California. Written by travel journalist (and dog owner) Maggie Espinosa, this book offers a fascinating look at luxury hotels, eateries, and shops that cater for the four-legged travel companion.

After reading The Privileged Pooch, it’s clear that many hotels are not simply providing a convenient service to entice clients. They are actually whole-heartedly embracing their canine guests, offering everything from in-room massages, a canine room service menu, and even four legged yoga classes.

Covering San Diego (voted ‘America’s Best City for Dogs’ by Dog Fancy magazine), Palm Springs, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara, the book provides in-depth information on 69 hotels and almost as many bistros, activities, and shops that are seriously dog friendly.

Even if you’re not planning on traveling with a dog, this book is well a read, especially if you have an interest in the history behind many of the luxury hotels in Southern California. Plus, there’s the added bonus of discovering new and interesting eateries and shops that you might otherwise never have learned about.

(Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary review copy of The Privileged Pooch to read and review)