August 21 Daily Briefing: Selling city’s home on the Web, tram maintenance planned, and more

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Since it’s election season, we’re sure your mailbox is filled to the brim with flyers. Some of them could be legal but unethical, reports the CV Independent. Others are just plain confusing. Case in point: A postcard sent from the county’s Registrar of Voters that seems to state you don’t need to do anything if your address on the mailer is correct, but also that if it’s correct you should check a box and mail it back. One reader went straight to the source and asked the county what he was supposed to do. And while at first the person on the phone seemed unaware of the postcard, she later confirmed you can just throw it away if the address was correct. “The motive may be good, but the execution was dreadful,” the reader wrote.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me” by Mose Allison

LEADING OFF

Popular city address could cost millions, but you can never live there

It’s arguably one of the most popular addresses when you think of Palm Springs, even though you can only visit it online. Now, its owners are hoping to earn millions by putting it up for sale.

Driving the news: David and Michael Castello acquired the palmsprings.com web address in 1995. Now, nearly 30 years later, David said it’s time to part ways with the internet domain. 

What they’re saying: “Palm Springs is an incredible destination and the people are wonderful,” David said Monday. “However, you must maintain a physical presence to properly monetize it. I left Palm Springs in 2011 and the site has been on autopilot ever since. Realizing that neither of us has plans to relocate to Palm Springs, the decision was finally made to sell.”

Looking back: The late Milt Jones, publisher of Palm Springs Life magazine, once recognized the domain’s significance as “the brand for Palm Springs” and came close to purchasing it, Castello said. 

• “Unfortunately, we never did a deal and I regret it to this day,” said Castello.  

State of play: The brothers, who own a host of popular web addresses, sold Whisky.com for $3.1 million in 2014. They are confident that websites associated with popular cities will continue to sell at a premium. 

• For example, Castello said the owners of vegas.com purchased LasVegas.com for $90 million.

Bottom line: “From the beginning, I believed that if we owned palmsprings.com we owned Palm Springs on the internet,” Castello said. “My intuition proved to be correct. We made millions and had a blast doing it.”

Details: If you’re interested in making an offer on palmsprings.com, you can contact the broker for the deal at Fred@GeocentricMedia.com.

Dive deeper with our full story here

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IN OTHER NEWS

🍔 1501 Uptown Gastropub, started by Willie Rhine and Chad Gardner in 2020, is now owned by the family that operates four Casa Blanca restaurants in the Coachella Valley. [CV Independent]

🚡 The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will close next month to undergo annual maintenance, operators announced on Tuesday. [City News Service]  

🎤 Agua Caliente Casinos has named a new director of entertainment, overseeing music and more at properties in Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs and Cathedral City. [Pollstar]

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Sunshine Sisters Breakfast
7:50 a.m. | Elmer’s
Join other Palm Springs Sunshine Sisters for breakfast and conversation! To learn more about joining the group, go here.

Trivia Night
6 p.m. | Hunter’s
Hosted by Miss Norma Lee High, this trivia night features surprises and drink specials!

LOOKING AHEAD

• Palm Springs Genealogical Society meets on Aug. 23 and monthly after then.
  
  
• Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus Auditions at the Mizell Center on Aug. 27.
  
  
• Friends of the Palm Springs Library Book Sale at the Palm Springs Public Library JC Frey Building on Aug. 31.
  
  
• Mrs. Frisky’s Cats & Bakewell Tart Night at Frisky Business on Sept. 6.
  
  
• PSUSD Diversity & Racial Equity Conference at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Sept. 7.
  
  
• Audition for the Modern Men Chorus on Sept. 9 and Sept. 14 at United Methodist Church of Palm Springs.
  
  
• Business Expo & Taste of Palm Springs at Indian Canyons Golf Resort on Sept. 18.
  
  
• Healthy Desert, Healthy You summit on Sept. 20 and 21.

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AND FINALLY …

🐾 Each week, The Post partners with a local animal shelter to feature one or more of the many animal companions ready for a new home in our community. 

Today we invite you to meet Emma and Max, a special pair available for adoption at the Frisky Business Cat Cafe.

• “We’re hoping to find a patient and loving home where they can continue to build their confidence at their own pace,” wrote owner Claire Rogers in this heartfelt Facebook post. “It’s important that they find a forever home committed to supporting them through any socialization setbacks so they don’t have to face the stress of returning to a shelter.”

If you’re interested: You can visit Frisky Business at Rimrock Plaza (where Von’s is located) at 4781 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Suite F. Look for the cafe’s current hours here.

• All cats available at Frisky Business come from the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. They are spayed or neutered and can be adopted while you sip a delicious beverage or enjoy a tasty treat. 

But wait: Don’t want to adopt but still enjoy cats? You can book a time to hang out in the cat lounge by clicking here.