I know. I know you, my dear readers, are getting tired of all my trips. Well, so am I. Getting on an airplane these days is not as pleasurable or chic as it once was. But, if your daughter and two beautiful grandchildren live in San Diego, CA, what is the alternative?

Five and a-half hours after being manhandled, searched and waiting on interminable queues we landed in the land of sunshine - California. Off with the sweaters and overcoats and on with the golf shirts with the alligators and little men swinging a golf club. No snow, no slush, no New York grouchiness and complaints. You are in Happyland!

Immediately, six of us jumped into a Volvo station wagon and headed for the desert - not the Sahara or Gobi desert but the beautiful desert at Palm Springs. The 2 1/2 hour ride from San Diego with the grandkids passed quickly. It is reacquaintance time even in the closeness of a car.

As you approach the Palm Spring desert you see huge snowcapped mountains. Next sight is hundreds of triangular windmills spinning at different speeds to generate electricity for energy-starved California. The desert is stark with grubby little weeds and cactus punctuating the landscape. And then it all changes.

On US 111 you enter a study in contrasts. A thousand Joshua trees, electric green golf courses, dazzling mountain landscapes, hot springs, heated pools and a lush city with wealthy seniors and Hollywood celebrities. It can truly be called an "oasis in the desert."

Crossing streets with names such as Frank Sinatra Drive, Gerald Ford Drive, Bob Hope Drive, Gene Autrey Drive, Fred Waring Drive and my wife's favorite, Dinah Shore Drive (she is a sorority sister) is very impressive to recent visitors. Red Spanish tiled roofs on beige and pastel buildings tastefully dot the sides of the wide streets.

Palm Springs blends into Rancho Mirage which blends into Indian Wells and eventually into Palm Desert. Chic, sedate malls and fashionable restaurants abound. Tennis and golf are the games of the populace. I have watched many a tennis tournament that emanated from this area. It has always been my desire to go there and here I am.

North Canyon Drive on a Saturday night was filled with crowds reminiscent of the Hamptons. We ate at a restaurant called The Deck which offered spectacular desert sunsets and al fresco dining. The kids loved it.

The next day we spent at "The Living Desert" which is a must for the kids. As you walk on nature trails you explore the habitat of the animals and the beautiful gardens of the desert.

Lunch at Sherman's Deli is a must. A kosher-style New York deli in the desert is an absolute incongruity. The great pastrami, knockwurst and beans were fabulous.

The heat during the day was 90 degrees and above, but to us easterners, it was delightful. It hits 120 degrees in the summer and the prices of hotel rooms plummet. It is 20 degrees hotter than San Diego.

The Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa are the crown jewel of Palm Springs. The grounds are an adventureland with 884 rooms, 450 acres, two golf courses and 20 tennis courts. From the lobby we boarded a boat which dropped you off at any one of 13 restaurants. In the desert, water does not seem to be a problem.

The trip, the kids and the desert made for a totally fantastic weekend. As this gritty New York winter winds down (if it ever does), I will use these memories to warm my insides as I wait for the beautiful Long Island spring.