Finally California small businesses can breathe a sigh of relief – although still trough face masks as Los Angeles county mandates everyone unvaccinated or vaccinated wear a face mask in public places. And it’s not a bad call considering the Delta variant seems to be sneaking through even the best jabs available so far.
So masked up and ready to explore, my journey began a little clunky with my TPMS tire light turning on about halfway to Claremont from Chula Vista, CA. My first thought was go to the tire store and second was it just needs some air… always go with the first intuition. I go to fill up the front right tire at the 76 gas station in Murrieta, CA and it is just audibly hissing air out. So I call Geico roadside, they send a guy to put on the donut and hands me a ice cold water bottle and across the street I go to America’s Tire where Dave fits me right in the schedule. Literally less than a half hour later, they told me my air valve was leaking and they fixed it for free… so it could have been way worse but oddly it all worked out minus the time suck. But what is life without a little adventure?
I was thankful it all happened before LA rush hour began on a Friday and that I left early to get a jump on the day. Finally arriving at the Claremont Chamber, I told Randy Lopez my tales of travel trouble and he said I needed to get a drink stat and recommended his favorite haunts. With my Claremont, CA press bag in tow, I headed off to the hotel which also wasn’t ready for an early checkin so perhaps it was all meant to work out as it did! I took the extra 20 minutes or so and got some nice shots of the property and was ready to just lay down for a few minutes at this point in the quiet and dark.
Home base for this exploration was hosted at the beautiful Doubletree Claremont.The cookie truck is always a welcome sight and you can snag as many as your stomach can handle at Doubletree Claremont.Even the lobby was a sight for sore eyes at Doubletree Claremont.The outdoor dining space for the Orchard at Doubletree Claremont.Best time to enjoy the pool is early in the morning as you’ll have it all to yourself at Doubletree Claremont.The hot tub at Doubletree Claremont offers some shade so you can boil your blues away.My king bed was so comfy at Doubletree Claremont.A bathroom with a full bath is a rare sight to see anymore at Doubletree Claremont.The view from my balcony overlooking the pool and hot tub at Doubletree Claremont.The balcony view to the left at Doubletree Claremont.And the balcony view to the right at Doubletree Claremont.
Part of the tourism board’s attraction is to purchase hotel packages that includes Claremont Chamber gift cards to their many small business affiliates at Discover Claremont. I had a whole other day planned but since my tire debacle ate up so much time, I was drawn to the cidery straight away to unwind and relax a bit.
I followed my GPS to Ironbark Ciderworks and it was a whole vibe.The owner, Cat and bartender extraordinaire Nick greeted me at Ironbark Ciderworks.I went with a flight, the best way to sample all the things and loved the ginger based Zang! as well as the original cider at Ironbark Ciderworks.Right in the same warehouse plaza was Citrus Grove Distillers with the most outstanding and delicious chai and root beer rum! There’s also gin for those who are not rum fans and also excellent.A couple of best selling cocktails, my favorite was the Chai rum cocktail that tasted like earth and incense and my friend’s was the light, fruity and airy gin based beauty at Citrus Grove Distillers.And the last flight of the night was at Claremont Craft Ales where I tasted every beer but the IPAs and they didn’t disappoint!
I recommended to each business that they have a little “taste of Claremont” booze cruise shuttle so visitors can swing by and enjoy without driving. Fortunately for me, the Doubletree Claremont offers a shuttle that goes within 5 miles of the hotel which is where all the good stuff is anyway!
In the morning I was starving as I skipped dinner and gobbled down this omelette and taters at the Orchid restaurant at Doubletree Claremont. If you’re looking for a fast breakfast, order from your room and pick it up to eat on the go!
All that driving and sitting around made me want to move my body and get some exercise so off I went to explore California Botanic Garden. It’s best to come in the early morning so you’re not overheating in the summertime. According to the website, “California Botanic Garden is the largest botanic garden dedicated to California native plants, promoting botany, conservation and horticulture to inspire, inform and educate the public and scientific community about California’s native flora. The Garden is a living museum with curated collections of more than 22,000 California native plants, some of which are rare or endangered. Spread across 86 acres in Claremont, California, the Garden is located approximately 35 miles east of Los Angeles. The Garden displays about 2000 taxa of California plants and includes those native to the California Floristic Province.”
The ticket booth at California Botanic Garden with low prices for adults and only $4 for kids!The gift shop at California Botanic Garden has honey from its local flowers and honeybees, a great way to taste nature.This funny bird sculpture at the entrance gave me a good chuckle at California Botanic Garden.Where nature loves come to explore at California Botanic Garden.Huge palms loomed above and offered some shade at California Botanic Garden.Beautiful flowers bloomed from the recent rain at California Botanic Garden.Don’t sit on these guys at California Botanic Garden!Not the palm trees you usually see at California Botanic Garden.Tongva Village offered a glimpse into the past at California Botanic Garden.
A sculpture named Intersections caught my eye at California Botanic Garden.Other cool art installations like this one were thought-provoking at California Botanic Garden.Loving the lines on this zen garden at California Botanic Garden.It started to get a little too hot at California Botanic Garden so I left after this stunning shot at California Botanic Garden.But I opted for a more low key and quiet spot to cool down with a tabbouleh salad with a side of chicken and Moroccan mint tea which was so refreshing and delightful at Sacas Mediterranean.Let’s not forget desert at Sacas Mediterranean! My favorites were the rose water that tasted just like roses, double pistachios and of course the chocolate bite of heaven.After a power nap, I met up with my college bestie who lives one town over in Upland, CA and we started the Claremont Art Walk at the bookstore located inside The Packing House, full or restaurants and shops.We met a little boy The Thorny Pirate who created these creepy planters that we loved.Hand crafted purses made with labors of love by Cisele were tempting and smelled like leather.Rebecca Hamm poses with one of her art pieces in the Claremont Chamber office.Another amazing piece from Rebecca Hamm Art.Musician Paico Suave serenades us as we walk to dinner next door in Claremont, CA.Down a dark makeshift hallway we were led to dinner at Viva Madrid!Once you step inside, it was loud and lively on a Saturday night at Viva Madrid!Running of the bull by the bathroom at Viva Madrid!Taking tapas to the next level, we loved all the shared plates at Viva Madrid!You can’t go wrong with a meat & cheese sampler plate at Viva Madrid! flanked by shrimp and mushrooms.The ambiance inside is stepping inside Spain at Viva Madrid!Suits of armor line the wall and balcony above at Viva Madrid!Even the bread was good at Viva Madrid!We had to try the fresh fruit and bacon wrapped dates too at Viva Madrid!Blue cheese spread with spread was my bestie’s favorite at Viva Madrid!Sausage stuffed calimare was so decadent at Viva Madrid!And of course we had to try the Spanish version of creme brulee which was less milk based which I enjoyed more at Viva Madrid!Before I left the next day, I had a matinee brunch show date planned at Candlelight Pavilion for a very special birthday girl!Newly reopened and quite the lunch and a show, Charlotte’s little eyes were wide and sparkling with delight the whole time. It made my heart swell so much! When asked what her favorite part was she said, “All of it!”
To see more about this adventure, check out the Instagram Story highlights on the Explorewithcassie Instagram page. We had such a great time in this fun little town, we can’t wait to return and explore some more!
