By Porter Reyes ’25
On a sunny Friday afternoon, my friends Rebecca, Ruthie, and I wanted to unwind without going too far off campus. Laying in the sun is one of our go-to de-stressors, so we decided to head over to Pendleton Pool. While Haldeman–Pomona’s 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor Olympic-sized pool–is also nice, we settled on the smaller Pendleton because it is the closest pool to South Campus.
At Pendleton, we saw students doing a variety of things. Some of our peers used the diving board and swam casually in the deep end, while others were swimming laps in the enclosed lanes. After scoping out the scene, we walked over to a sunny spot to tan and caught up with a group of sophomores who were doing homework at a nearby table.
After the pool, we headed to the Village for a midday pick-me-up. There are many remarkable, locally-owned businesses in the Village, Claremont’s downtown, to explore. One of our favorite spots is the Last Drop Café – they have great food and even better coffee. I got an iced latte; it was delicious! Ruthie invented a new drink with a taro milk tea base and a shot of espresso. She dubbed her creation “a dirty taro tea.” I highly recommend it.
Next, we went to DeeLux, a great thrift store with a wide variety of used clothes. I bought a baggy pair of pants with a logo from a company I had never heard of. Regardless of the lack of name-recognition, I love the style of the pants, and they are now one of my wardrobe favorites!
Once we finished shopping, we walked back to Pomona’s campus and headed to dinner at Frank Dining Hall. Overall, we had a great day of fun and relaxation–all within a fifteen-minute walk from campus!