This weekend I am in the city of Claremont which is located in the greater LA area. We came here because it is family weekend at the Claremont Colleges and we are a Claremont family. Our son goes to Harvey Mudd and our daughter just got accepted at Pitzer.

I love the town of Claremont. In fact, I’d even consider moving here if it weren’t for the poor air quality. My Asthma and this area don’t get along very well.

Besides the air quality, Claremont is a very charming town. It’s a college town. You’ve got the 5 Claremonts, quiet streets with adorable little houses I assume the professors live in and a thriving downtown area full of great places to eat and shops. Claremont is actually one of the Top Best Places to Live according to Money Magazine it is number 5.

Yesterday my parents drove up from The OC to visit me here in Claremont. I took them on the college tour pretending I was the college student since our kids decided snow boarding sounded more fun than parents day at school. Walking around the Claremont Colleges is like walking around a botanical garden. It is so beautiful and each campus has a totally different feel in plant life, architecture and student culture. We first walked through Scripps which has Spanish architecture and beautiful old flowering plants and trees and secret gardens. We then went to Pitzer which is the more eco friendly school with modern green resident halls and  gardens full of cacti and other environmentally friendly plants for this area.

On a clear day the views from campus are breath taking. I got this picture yesterday.

After we toured the campuses we went downtown. We wanted something light and healthy and were delighted to find the restaurant So Fresh Salads.  This place is great! You can build your own salad. It’s not a salad bar but you tell them exactly what you want in your salad and they make it to order. I had a mixed green salad and Broccoli Cheese soup. Very, very yummy stuff! My mom had a chicken-lettuce- sundried tomato-artichoke heart-wrap. My dad had vegetable soup and a green salad. We were all satisfied customers. The salad was super fresh and crisp. So Fresh Salads is almost like fast food but fresh and healthy food. I love that a restaurant like this is next to the university. Our world could really benefit from more restaurants like this and less of those other fast food types.

For dessert we were happy to discover a Yogurtland nearby.