Visiting Claremont Colleges - tips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last October we took in three schools there over two days. Uber Pool from LAX was insanely cheap, maybe 30-40 bucks to carry two (my wife was already there with one kid, traveled by car). There is a hotel listed on the school’s site that is a big local favorite, it tr*mps the Doubletree, we stayed there and loved it plus it was more easily walkable than the Doubletree. Somehow our kids didn’t adore it as much as my wife and I - we were ready to move and retire there in a second. I think they sensed the cultural differences, such as the Pitzer query as to what pronoun the kid wants to go by.

As we were leaving, Friday afternoon, a couple of serious but fun looking guys were set to drive to the beach to go surfing, 40 minutes away in Orange County.

Tell me again, why is the capital of the U.S. located here in this swampy, mosquitoey city right on the fall line?

Forty minutes without traffic, bro. Without traffic. So it’s more like an hour and a half.

[Anonymous]

I’ll say this about Claremont. There are better restaurants in that small town than there are in the entirety of northern virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have never driven in CA, then renting a car from LAX and driving to these colleges will jangle your nerves.

I find California drivers better than DC area drivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have never driven in CA, then renting a car from LAX and driving to these colleges will jangle your nerves.

I find California drivers better than DC area drivers.

Maybe, but LA is its own driving ecosystem and occasionally wild. I had a guy wave a pistol at me once while driving in LA because he thought I cut him off. Hard to drive with your heart pounding!

[Anonymous]

Second the recommendation for taking Ontario instead of LAX. LAX sucks. Ontario is close to the airport and a Lyft to Claremont is only $25. Check Southwest for the most flights + 2 free checked bags perks.

There are two hotels in Claremont: Doubletree and Casa 425. I strongly recommend the latter as it is in the heart their beautiful, walkable downtown core called the Village and also within walking distance to both the colleges and the train station to LA.

There are a number of nice restaurants in the area. Student favorites are Some Crust Cafe Bakery, Eureka Burger, The Back Abbey, and 21 Choices. There's a movie theater in the village called the Laemelle and numerous shopping places in the Packing House. All of these places are situated very close to each other and it's worth sight-seeing just to check them out. If you go to the upper roof of the Packing House you can view the sunset and the beautiful mountains/scenery of the area; it's free via the elevator and really nice. A new musuem opened up but I've never been there. If you can go a little further, there's this phenomenal thai restaurant in the city called Sanamluang- it's slightly past the Village but still walkable (about 1.0 mile from Casa 425).

The real attraction are the colleges, no doubt. Definitely sign up for a tour to all 5 colleges if possible, and ask your child to stay overnight at their colleges of interest. However, I will say there is a lot of appeal to checking out these colleges in your own time. Pomona, Scripps, and Pitzer are breathtaking campuses with tons of artwork and beautiful vegetation that barely get featured in tours. McKenna and Harvey Mudd are very modern and parts of the Pomona/Pitzer campus are as well. We were in awe by how beautiful some of the dorms were. The tour never takes you to the central library facility which is also worth checking out. The key thing is to get a sense of how close all 5 of these colleges are- literally cross a street over to the next campus.

One thing you'll feel is that these campuses are empty- the whole area is big for a tiny student body. To see students, visit student hubs like the library, dining halls (I recommend Scripps and Mudd if you want to eat there), campus student centers, and in-school cafes/eateries. Ask around for what events are happening as there are performances/speakers/etc. occurring daily open to the general public.

If you're in the area for a while, definitely explore LA. There is too much to do so it's totally up to you and your family for what interests you. Some possible itineraries:

* Take the San Bernardino train from Claremont to LA Union Station. From Union Station you can walk around in Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, China Town, the Arts District, and Downtown LA. Your train ticket serves as an all day pass for LA Metro rail/bus which expand your options. You can board the Red Line to Hollywood & Universal Studios. You can take the Gold Line to Pasadena (home to Caltech). You can transfer from Red --> Expo Line to get to USC and Santa Monica Beach.

* Disneyland. Anaheim is only 40 minutes away from Claremont. You'll want a car, though.

* Shopping. Local malls are the huge Ontario Mills (10 miles away) and decently big Montclair Place (3 miles away). My favorite malls in LA are the Americana at Brand (Glendale) and the Grove.

* Musuems/Entertainment. LA is home to so many nice musuems, and a number of them are free. The prominent free ones are the Getty Center, Getty Villa, Griffith Observatory, and the Broad. LACMA is the most famous paid museum and also within walking distance to the Grove if you want to hit up both at once. The Broad is in Downtown (close to Union Station- where the train drops you off) and in close proximity to a number of really nice destinations like Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Last Bookstore, and Grand Central Market.

This is a bit overwhelming but I hope it gives some suggestions! Feel free to ask if you have any questions Don't forget to pack sunscreen and keep yourself hydrated; it can get hot there!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have never driven in CA, then renting a car from LAX and driving to these colleges will jangle your nerves.

I find California drivers better than DC area drivers.

Oh my! Californian here. From DC originally. California drivers at bat shit crazy. Just saying. 65 is the legal speed limit. But if you dare go as slow as 80mph, people will be on your ass. sorry for language.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all the helpful feedback and suggestions. I will definitely look into Ontario and check out the mentioned hotel and restaurant options.

-OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have never driven in CA, then renting a car from LAX and driving to these colleges will jangle your nerves.

I find California drivers better than DC area drivers.

Oh my! Californian here. From DC originally. California drivers at bat shit crazy. Just saying. 65 is the legal speed limit. But if you dare go as slow as 80mph, people will be on your ass. sorry for language.

Watch out for those motorcyclists going between lanes. Just one false move from being sued into the poor house!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Second the recommendation for taking Ontario instead of LAX. LAX sucks. Ontario is close to the airport and a Lyft to Claremont is only $25. Check Southwest for the most flights + 2 free checked bags perks.

There are two hotels in Claremont: Doubletree and Casa 425. I strongly recommend the latter as it is in the heart their beautiful, walkable downtown core called the Village and also within walking distance to both the colleges and the train station to LA.

There are a number of nice restaurants in the area. Student favorites are Some Crust Cafe Bakery, Eureka Burger, The Back Abbey, and 21 Choices. There's a movie theater in the village called the Laemelle and numerous shopping places in the Packing House. All of these places are situated very close to each other and it's worth sight-seeing just to check them out. If you go to the upper roof of the Packing House you can view the sunset and the beautiful mountains/scenery of the area; it's free via the elevator and really nice. A new musuem opened up but I've never been there. If you can go a little further, there's this phenomenal thai restaurant in the city called Sanamluang- it's slightly past the Village but still walkable (about 1.0 mile from Casa 425).

The real attraction are the colleges, no doubt. Definitely sign up for a tour to all 5 colleges if possible, and ask your child to stay overnight at their colleges of interest. However, I will say there is a lot of appeal to checking out these colleges in your own time. Pomona, Scripps, and Pitzer are breathtaking campuses with tons of artwork and beautiful vegetation that barely get featured in tours. McKenna and Harvey Mudd are very modern and parts of the Pomona/Pitzer campus are as well. We were in awe by how beautiful some of the dorms were. The tour never takes you to the central library facility which is also worth checking out. The key thing is to get a sense of how close all 5 of these colleges are- literally cross a street over to the next campus.

One thing you'll feel is that these campuses are empty- the whole area is big for a tiny student body. To see students, visit student hubs like the library, dining halls (I recommend Scripps and Mudd if you want to eat there), campus student centers, and in-school cafes/eateries. Ask around for what events are happening as there are performances/speakers/etc. occurring daily open to the general public.

If you're in the area for a while, definitely explore LA. There is too much to do so it's totally up to you and your family for what interests you. Some possible itineraries:

* Take the San Bernardino train from Claremont to LA Union Station. From Union Station you can walk around in Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, China Town, the Arts District, and Downtown LA. Your train ticket serves as an all day pass for LA Metro rail/bus which expand your options. You can board the Red Line to Hollywood & Universal Studios. You can take the Gold Line to Pasadena (home to Caltech). You can transfer from Red --> Expo Line to get to USC and Santa Monica Beach.

* Disneyland. Anaheim is only 40 minutes away from Claremont. You'll want a car, though.

* Shopping. Local malls are the huge Ontario Mills (10 miles away) and decently big Montclair Place (3 miles away). My favorite malls in LA are the Americana at Brand (Glendale) and the Grove.

* Musuems/Entertainment. LA is home to so many nice musuems, and a number of them are free. The prominent free ones are the Getty Center, Getty Villa, Griffith Observatory, and the Broad. LACMA is the most famous paid museum and also within walking distance to the Grove if you want to hit up both at once. The Broad is in Downtown (close to Union Station- where the train drops you off) and in close proximity to a number of really nice destinations like Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Last Bookstore, and Grand Central Market.

This is a bit overwhelming but I hope it gives some suggestions! Feel free to ask if you have any questions Don't forget to pack sunscreen and keep yourself hydrated; it can get hot there!

Don’t forget the botanical garden in Claremont, beautiful downtown Upland (seriously) with its library designed by the Kennedy Center architect, a nearby winery whose name escapes me, and some damn good Italian restaurants whose names escape me.

[Anonymous]

Ditto the recommendation to fly into Ontario. Rent a car. It's LA, you need a car.

[Anonymous]

another Californian chiming in here to say, Mt. Baldy is right there...you can take a ski lift up to a restaurant and then have the most pleasant hike down on a wide fireroad.

OP, Dr. Pimple-popper's office is there too, you can stop by and if she's free she will take a picture with you (my DD has a picture with her. She won't visit colleges, so it was the only way I could entice her to drive out to see them.) Now I'll just say YUCK but to each their own

[Anonymous]

No direct flights from DC area to Ontario airport. If we have to connect, might as well fly straight to LAX and then drive.

Unless somebody knows of a non stop to Ont.

[Anonymous]

I just check airline schedules. I don't see any direct flights from BWI or DCA to ONT.

[Anonymous]

I found using Ubers entirely was cheaper and less stressful than renting a car. We flew into LAX late and avoided traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last October we took in three schools there over two days. Uber Pool from LAX was insanely cheap, maybe 30-40 bucks to carry two (my wife was already there with one kid, traveled by car). There is a hotel listed on the school’s site that is a big local favorite, it tr*mps the Doubletree, we stayed there and loved it plus it was more easily walkable than the Doubletree. Somehow our kids didn’t adore it as much as my wife and I - we were ready to move and retire there in a second. I think they sensed the cultural differences, such as the Pitzer query as to what pronoun the kid wants to go by.

As we were leaving, Friday afternoon, a couple of serious but fun looking guys were set to drive to the beach to go surfing, 40 minutes away in Orange County.

Tell me again, why is the capital of the U.S. located here in this swampy, mosquitoey city right on the fall line?

Forty minutes without traffic, bro. Without traffic. So it’s more like an hour and a half.

Seriously. I laughed at that too. Maybe if you flew.