Claremont students tend to be strongly attached to their end-of-night rituals. Before friends go their separate ways, after the party has been shut down and the midnight cravings begin to hit –– a sporadic plan always arises.
This past Saturday, Sept. 13, was no different. Lines spilled out of just about every major late-night spot on the campuses. As the speakers died down at Green Beach, friends dressed in white-lie tee shirts, cowboy boots, swimsuits and other miscellaneous costumes filed out onto Claremont McKenna College’s main pathway and made the midnight march to The Hub.
Renowned for its fried chicken sandwiches and unique ability to foster conversation across friend groups that otherwise might never cross paths, The Hub is a beloved post-function destination for many students.
On Saturday nights, students collapse onto couches and cluster unevenly on the carpeted floor. Music is constantly blasting, echoing off the white walls as bouts of laughter break out across the room. The pool table is always in high demand, and with every shot — successful or not — comes a wave of clapping and hooting. Some students commented that the fluorescent lights,just a little too bright,seem strangely comforting on nights like these.
“I could realistically get a snack from anywhere, but multiple times I have run into class friends or people I know from other campuses at The Hub,” Sammy Natesan SC ’27 said. “During this time, The Hub is just so bubbly. I have become such close friends with people there because of the lively atmosphere.”
After a day’s toil, waiting in line with friends often gives students a second wind of energy. They share funny snippets from their day, complain about professors and assignments and daydream about the coming weekend.
Others are drawn to Jay’s Place at Harvey Mudd College, as it offers students a bowling alley-esque atmosphere, complete with ice cream sandwiches, nine-inch pizzas and dim lighting. The darkly lit space creates a far less hectic feeling, with the tables and couches arranged in clusters. Students shared that, in contrast to The Hub, this environment feels more fitting for smaller conversations.
“[There are usually] no more than six or eight [people] in pretty distinct groups of friends, maybe mingling,” Lydia Moore SC ’27 said.
In many ways, Jay’s and all the other late-night spots emulate the unique aspects of Claremont College classrooms, acting as a melting pot for students from all five colleges. Boisterous athletes, stressed out computer science majors, the perpetual library goers and aspiring filmmakers in flowy skirts and flip-flops — at the end of the night, everyone is waiting in line for a slice of warm pizza.
Like many students from across the campuses, Moore has made it a habit to go to Jay’s Place at night before retiring to her dorm.
“I almost always crave some sort of hot food, so sometimes if the night ends early, I’ll [go to] Jay’s with friends and also order the mac and cheese, quesadilla or maybe a sub,” Moore said. “Ending the night off with food and Dance Moms is my go-to.”
If Jay’s Place and The Hub don’t feel quite right, there’s always the Shakedown. Wednesdays through Sundays, Pitzer College’s poolside cafe is a surefire spot to find colored lights, tacos and horchata. In the years prior, students would sign their names and write sweet messages on the chalkboard wall that has since been painted over.
The removal of the chalkboard wall is not the only thing that’s changed over the last couple years. When asked to describe the Shakedown, Noura Coulibaly PZ ‘27 struggled to respond. ”It’s very low-vibrational in there,” she said. “I’m having a hard time describing a vibe, because there’s a lack of a vibe.”
Like many Pitzer students, Coulibaly started off college living in the freshman dorms that form a semi-circle around Pitzer’s outdoor pool. “I ate at the Shakedown very often, like multiple times a week,” she said. Now in her junior year, however, Coulibaly said the Shakedown’s early closing time of 10:30 p.m. and constantly hectic atmosphere have encouraged her to venture elsewhere for her late-night snack.
“If I stay in the Shakedown too long, I start to feel like Tinkerbell,” Coulibaly said. “Specifically in that scene when people need to applaud Tinkerbell so that she can get more energy. If I’m in there too long, I start feeling like I haven’t had my energy-applause in a long time.”
“If I stay in the Shakedown too long, I start to feel like Tinkerbell,” Coulibaly said. “Specifically in that scene when people need to applaud Tinkerbell so that she can get more energy. If I’m in there too long, I start feeling like I haven’t had my energy-applause in a long time.”
When on-campus spots start to feel a little bit overwhelming, students opt to take a short walk into the Claremont Village for a more intimate, relaxed setting. Local cafes become the perfect location for first-dates, friend group hang-outs or solo study sessions.
Under the street lamps’ soft glow, students sit on the big red lawn chairs and wooden benches outside of Bert & Rocky’s, 21 Choices or Yogurtland. As new friends line the quiet sidewalks, stories and laughter float up into the night air. Even though it’s only a couple of blocks away from campus, students often feel that the distance soothes their school anxieties, giving them a brief respite from demanding days of meetings and readings.
Many of the various spots around the campuses and in the Village are more than just a destination – they’re repositories of memories. From froyo to pool tables, from drunk men singing karaoke (badly) at the Shakedown to girls complimenting each other in The Hub bathroom – there is a little piece of Claremont for everyone at the end of each night.
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