Can a city make you happy? Tens of thousands descend on Palm Springs each year during Modernism Week to see for themselves. Because it's here, in the haunts of Sinatra's rat pack, that an architectural dream—a legacy of the 20th century's optimistic middle years—has been preserved beneath the desert sun.

The modernists had their heyday here—Richard Neutra, Albert Frey and William Krisel are the ambassadors of the grand experiment of Palm Springs. The city's pavement even has stars for architects alongside those for Hollywood darlings like Sophia Loren and Bob Hope, who made this place their fresh-aired respite from Los Angeles.

Those glorious houses were often second homes, filled with brave, giddy furniture choices. (Many of these collections are being redistributed today, at bargain prices, in a dozen vintage shops in the uptown district.) The experiment extends to fashion, cars and food—even to the blameless, big-smile personalities you encounter here. It's an inheritance of optimism. Something to do with the sunlight, no doubt, as much as with the boundless future that mid-century Americans saw stretching before them.

We may be less optimistic souls today, but we can still sample the dream they laid out. There is an eager, suntanned city waiting a brief flight (and a world) away.

PALM SPRINGS SHOPPING

You see some of these pieces and automatically envision a coiffed woman setting her Hans Wegner dining table for supper, or a bespectacled screenwriter working at that green-keyed Olivetti Praxis typewriter. Or, best of all, the cantankerous star fixing an old-fashioned at the "futuristic" curve of a lacquered Pierre Cardin bar. Some furniture has fingerprint marks that never come off.

There are more than 30 furniture shops packed into a few short blocks in the uptown district. These two could furnish the best of lives:
Modern Way The granddaddy of modernist furniture stores. Consider a pilgrimage to Modern Way as important as a trip to any architectural gem (745 N. Palm Canyon Dr., 760-320-5455, psmodernway.com).
20 First Vintage and Modern These guys are always at the forefront of discovery. While the rest of the world has woken up to '50s and '60s decor, 20 First has begun stocking forgotten pastel treasures from the '70s (1117 N. Palm Canyon Dr., 760-327-5400).

HE GREAT HOMES OF PALM SPRINGS

Frey House II Small and brilliant, Albert Frey's cliff-side home is worth touring if you can get yourself on the list. Boulders literally break through into the house's interior, and you won't easily beat the view of town from the intimate pool deck.

Kaufmann House This paradigmatic International Style residence is a Richard Neutra masterpiece. A five-bedroom beauty with sliding glass walls that sits perfectly in its desert landscape.

Steel Houses The great Donald Wexler's prefab steel houses are gems of modernist design. Rising steel prices, though, meant that only seven were ever built. Try to spot which one belongs to the editor of GQ.

Alexander Tract Houses These were the first mass housing projects to incorporate real design. The Alexanders built over 2,000 in the area from just a handful of floor plans. In every one you'll spot: stone walls, open carports, decorative blocks and the occasional butterfly (or, rarer still, reverse-butterfly) roof. Tickets for bus tours and private house tours available at modernismweek.com

WHERE TO STAY IN PALM SPRINGS

The Riviera
The Feel Since opening in 1959, the Riviera has been known as a playground of the Hollywood elite. Elvis and Sinatra have both lounged by its pool. It's now a decadent and '60's-influenced take on modern, ever since a $70-million renovation. Sprawling over 24 acres, the Riviera can feel vaguely corporate (and, indeed, hosts many conventions) but its glamour—and the lemon-tree scented air—is undeniable.

The Food Yes, it's disconcerting when you do the math on your room-service dinner and realize each of the five ravioli on a plate cost $8. But the kitchen redeems itself when you find yourself eating crispy fish tacos while lounging poolside.

The Moment Book a Watsu massage, which takes place inside the Buddha lounge's waterfall pool. Fair warning: the lounge is open to others, who sip lemon water from womb-like seating and pretend not to watch.

The Parker
The Feel A design-savvy crowd of 35-and-ups drifts through 13 acres of lush garden. These are folks uninterested in show. This is the only hotel designed by the home-decor giant Jonathan Adler—and his trademark whimsy is found throughout. You'll find bocce ball and croquet courts, plus a giant-size chess set. The tone is elegant yet relaxed (meaning nobody balks if a woman takes her top off). Book a villa—each comes with an enclosed patio. Feeling flush? The magnificent and private Gene Autry house (which goes from more than $5,000 per night) awaits.

The Food No need to leave the grounds. Norma's is a sorbet-coloured five-star diner that does great bennies. At night, ensconce yourself in a dark corner of Mister Parker's, the hotel's romantic on-site bistro.

The Moment A Parker lemonade, made from the estate's own lemon trees and procured from the lemon shack in the gardens.

The Viceroy
The Feel A well-travelled set that arrives full of big-job stresses and ends up playing Twister with Miley Cyrus by the pool (yes, it actually happened). It's not an accident that Fashion Week cronies and several magazines choose the Viceroy's grounds for their photo shoots. The Kelly Wearstler design is clean and minimalist, yet utterly at ease. Spend the evening stationed on one of its lawns, monitoring the purpling of the mountains during sunset.

The Food Do hit the California-eclectic menu at Citron whether you're staying here or not. This 75-person room bends over backward. When Martha Stewart arrived with five friends and no reservations, the fact that a table apparated in the booked-solid room is more a testament to the restaurant's whatever-you-want attitude than Stewart's star power. They happily customize meals. Post-meal, take your digestif (plus a cigar purchased at the bar) to poolside.

The Moment The beignet at Citron. It takes 15 minutes to prepare and each plateful is baked only when ordered. If it weren't for the weight of the icing sugar, these beignets would hover off the plate. Rip one open and stuff with coconut ice cream and banana curd. Bliss.

The Ace
The Feel A hipster clientele, mostly on leave from creative jobs in L.A., is testament to founder Alex Calderwood's branding genius. Very much the party house of local hotels, and the most boisterous of the four Ace experiences (verging, at times, on a dorm mentality). While the compound's motel exterior is largely intact, each room feels like your slightly cooler friends' bachelor apartment. The kids here leave blinds wide open, making for peek-a-boo voyeurism; the easiness continues at communal fire pits and a party pool.

The Food That gorgeous modernist building that houses their King's Highway diner? Used to be a Denny's. Which suits the Ace's persistent paradox: Ironically Authentic. Just because you're dining in an Eames chair doesn't mean you won't order a Pabst; and just because you ordered a Pabst doesn't mean you won't enjoy the (falling apart, deeply satisfying) black-bean veggie burger. The food, and the crowd, is what a truck stop would be if taken over by art-school dropouts. Stumptown coffee in the morning heals the headache created by partying post-dinner in their noisy, den-like Amigo Room.

The Moment Swim with the cool kids until 2 a.m. while getting slightly buzzed on cocktails served out of a trailer they've stationed on the pool deck. wl