Favorite Spots in Claremont
Ah, Claremontāit seems so small and yet thereās a thing to do everywhere you look. Something an upperclassman said to me my first year that Iāve never forgotten: āIf youāre bored in Claremont, itās your fault,ā and so far Iāve found it to be pretty true: when someone isnāt throwing a party on campus, your friends are having a movie night, or thereās a trivia competition/jazz concertāyou can get up to any number of activities, just within the one square mile of campus. But off-campus, one quick 10-minute walk southwards, thereās even more to discover.
The first place youāll run into walking into the Claremont Village is Bert & Rockyās, a very adorable ice cream shop that feels very Mom & Pop soda shoppe. Theyāve got the classics, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, but theyāve also got crazy flavors like butterscotch and lavender. All homemade, all delicious (and while ice cream is their main gig, you have got to try their caramel apples).
Walking past Bert & Rockyās, past the video store and past the hot dog shop, youāll find the Laemmle, Claremontās movie theater! My friends and I go here at least once a month to catch whatever goofy-sounding flick we heard is playing. It makes for a delightful Friday evening, and guarantees inside jokes about whatever we saw for at least the next month.Ā
And tucked in a back corner, behind Some Crust bakery (which is a must visitātheir apricot pinwheels and chocolate raspberry croissants are insane) is the hidden gem of the Claremont Village: CK Cafe, a tiny little tea shop. Donāt let its unassuming plain white exterior fool youāinside CK Cafe you will find literally wall-to-wall tea flavors, glass jars full of the coolest kinds of tea youāve everāand neverāheard of. Theyāve got classic leaf tea, iced tea, bubble tea, and other ones Iām forgetting. And all four walls are decorated with a stunning Alice in Wonderland mural. Itās truly a magical, mad place in there.
Of course, these are only a few Village treasures: thereās also Vintage Paradise and Deelux, some delightful vintage stores that never fail to deliver on crazy finds; Pepo Melo and Ubatuba, extremely yummy aƧai bowl spots; and of course the train station that can get you to L.A. in 50 minutes. Life is good here.