Palm Springs Tram (Going Up the Tram)

The way the tram works is, throughout the 12+ minutes to the top, it rotates so that you get to see in all directions while standing in the same spot. If I remember correctly, you end up doing two full rotations on the way up. Taking pictures and video is somewhat difficult here. Partly because of the window in front of you moving and some of the structures of the tram that move into your way because of this. I did get a few shots just to show you what it looks like. This was in the morning looking back down to where we started.A little higher:This was at the top right before I came back down:The Palm Springs Tram (Youtube Version)

Palm Springs Tram (The Inside)

Dean Martin and Sharon Tate run through the entrance of the station:In the previous blog, I was just standing outside of the doors here. This is the entrance they would have gone through for the movie.

They then run through the station to get tickets.

Things have definately changed and modernized, but you should see traces of the windows, the door, and the stairs that appeared in the movie. You purchase tickets on this side now.

In the movie they purchase tickets on the other side.

Now:

There is a point where Sharon is inside a restroom and Dean is down on the floor trying to hide from the villains. I really thought I would be able to get that, but I am not sure that area exists like that these days.

In the above picture, there is a small passageway in the background on the right. We hung out near the chairs by there that morning, and then around 80 people got in the tram to go up the 6,000 ft. The tram is built to keep rotating while you go up and down it. So, you are not always facing one direction, but will have views in all directions in the 12 minutes it takes to do it. In the next blog entry I will show a few pictures of how it looks from inside the tram.

The Palm Springs Tram (Youtube Version)

Palm Springs Tram (The Stairs)

To purchase tickets to get to the tram you have to climb some stairs. In The Wrecking Crew they show Dean Martin and Sharon Tate go up some of the stairs, but then shortly after they show the villains go up all the stairs. Like so:These days:

From the above picture point of view, these stairs take you to the left up to where the camera was. Dean and Sharon here:

You will see they have added a wall:

So, there are some changes here in comparing to how it was over 40 years ago, but you should still be able to recognize this area easily. In the next blog entry I will show you some of the inside where you purchase your ticket and go up the tram. Things are much different now, but you might see a few traces of what was once here.

The Palm Springs Tram (Youtube Version)

Palm Springs Tram Station (Outside)

(GPS: N33° 50.240 W116° 36.840)

This blog starts a series of entries on my visit to Palm Springs. Actually, most of my time was spent near the Palm Springs Tram and not in the desert city. What you are about to see in the next few entries is really at the end of the day right before I started to head home. When I drove out there that morning I got up early and was there after a less than 2 hour drive. I got there before the first tram takes one up the mountainside. Rather than deal with the bad early morning lighting, I decided to wait until I got back down to take pictures. The disadvantage of doing this was I was really tired, and it was very hot at the parking lot. Still I wanted to put something together on this before I left. Believe me, I really had to push myself to just get these pictures because I was really losing my enthusiasm at this time. So, this is one of those that I was more concerned about giving you some approximate locations rather than try to fine-tune and get exacts spots while I was there.

Lots of movies and tv shows have been filmed here. My example for this will be The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin and Sharon Tate. In that movie they are chased in their car up here by the villains in that movie. There is only one way to get here and they use the road below when they enter and the villains are tailing them.

Then turning around from what you see in the above picture, you can see the Palm Springs Tram Station and that is where Dean and Sharon go with their car.My picture to give you an idea of how it is these days here.In the movie, they cross a bridge, turn around, and go back to the front entrance to the station.My picture on the bridge looking up to the station.
The Palm Springs Tram (Youtube Version)

The Palm Springs Tram (Official Website)

The Wrecking Crew (IMDB)