Meat Me At Mudd: Traveling to Food Across the Claremont Colleges

As college students, we all have busy schedules. It only makes sense that we maximize our free time by minimizing the time we spend walking to and from dining halls. Of course, as CMC students, the obvious way to achieve this is to eat at Collins and the Hub.  But most Claremont students won't stand for such limited choices with only five or six entrees to choose at every meal, a full salad bar and dessert table, and vegan options. We want variety. At CMC, we are lucky enough to be more or less the proverbial hub within the culinary spokes of the 5 Cs. But where should we go? Taco night at Pitzer? Burrito bar at Frary? Dare I say, steak night at Mudd? The reason against such action is of course, the distance between the dining halls and our dormitories. But how far away are they, exactly? The Forum is here to finally answer your questions to which dining halls are most accommodating to your location. Here are some ground rules. I'm going to have two center focus points: North Quad and South Quad. I feel like this adequately covers the CMC community. Seniors in the apartments use the dining halls less and Mid-Quadders can figure it out based on which quad they are closer to. Secondly, the unit of measurement I used is the average size of a Claremont city block. To put this in perspective, the distance between Stark Hall and Boswell is approximately 2.5 blocks. I think this will be easier to think about than something like "2,834 feet to the Muddhole", and much easier for me to measure.

The dining halls we will cover are Scripps/Motley, Pitzer, Frary, the Coop, and Hoch-Shanahan/Muddhole. I feel like these are the most popular destinations. Also, this article is based solely for travel purposes. If you want to read something that discusses quality, there was a recent article written about coffee and Claremont that also reached out for my professional opinion (the last paragraph!). Anyway, back to business.

South Quad: If you live in the South Quad, you are just under two blocks from Collins, your closest dining hall. Branching out, Frary is only a slightly further walk, and would probably be the same if it wasn't for the construction.  The Hub is a little over two blocks and Scripps comes in exactly at three as the crow flies. Pitzer is a medium distance of four blocks. The real treks start to occur when you try to eat at the Coop or at Mudd. The Coop is five blocks away, while Hoch comes in at a whopping 7, over half a mile.

Consensus: If the food looks better at Scripps or Frary, go for it. A half mile for Mudd? No thanks.

North Quad: Since Collins and The Hub are right at your front door, I'm not even going to acknowledge them with a distance. Just walk outside. However, Scripps and Pitzer are also excellent options at only two blocks away. Mudd is still pretty far at about 4.5 blocks, but it's really just on the other side of Scripps. As for the Pomona eateries, Frary is about 3 blocks, while the Coop, with construction, is almost 7.

Consensus: Pitzer and Scripps prove the easiest alternatives to CMC food. Mudd is doable if you have some time, but unless you are meeting some friends on the weekend or after Pub, I really don't see any point in venturing over to the Coop.

Well, there you have it. The dining hall distances are broken down.  Of course, if you are rushed for time, Collins is still the easiest, but some of the others are surprisingly closer than I initially though. In any sense, we'll all probably still end up trekking seven blocks to the Muddhole next Saturday for one last steak quesadilla before bed.