Favorite Spots in Claremont
Ah, Claremontβit seems so small and yet thereβs a thing to do everywhere you look. Something an upperclassman said to me my first year that Iβve never forgotten: βIf youβre bored in Claremont, itβs your fault,β and so far Iβve found it to be pretty true: when someone isnβt throwing a party on campus, your friends are having a movie night, or thereβs a trivia competition/jazz concertβyou 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, thereβs even more to discover.
The first place youβll run into walking into the Claremont Village is Bert & Rockyβs, a very adorable ice cream shop that feels very Mom & Pop soda shoppe. Theyβve got the classics, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, but theyβve 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 & Rockyβs, past the video store and past the hot dog shop, youβll find the Laemmle, Claremontβs 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.Β
And tucked in a back corner, behind Some Crust bakery (which is a must visitβtheir apricot pinwheels and chocolate raspberry croissants are insane) is the hidden gem of the Claremont Village: CK Cafe, a tiny little tea shop. Donβt let its unassuming plain white exterior fool youβinside CK Cafe you will find literally wall-to-wall tea flavors, glass jars full of the coolest kinds of tea youβve everβand neverβheard of. Theyβve got classic leaf tea, iced tea, bubble tea, and other ones Iβm forgetting. And all four walls are decorated with a stunning Alice in Wonderland mural. Itβs truly a magical, mad place in there.
Of course, these are only a few Village treasures: thereβs also Vintage Paradise and Deelux, some delightful vintage stores that never fail to deliver on crazy finds; Pepo Melo and Ubatuba, extremely yummy aΓ§ai bowl spots; and of course the train station that can get you to L.A. in 50 minutes. Life is good here.