Is there a place that speaks to you, a place you talk up to all your friends, a place you can’t imagine life in Baristaville without? “My Favorite Place” is a new Baristanet feature, where we invite readers from all over Baristaville to write in with theirs. We start with Debbie Galant’s favorite haunt, the Clairidge Cinemas in Montclair Center.
I’ve lived in Glen Ridge for 21 years. I’ve seen stores, neighbors and restaurants come and go. But one constant has been the Clairidge Cinemas in Montclair. While others may prefer the summer blockbuster or the screeching car chase, or big chain movie theaters with enormous screens, I’ve always been a pushover for the art film, followed by a stroll on Church Street. Even in the days long ago where getting out meant hiring a babysitter, it was worth it.
According to my husband, whose memory serves better than mine, here are some of the movies we’ve seen at the Clairidge over the years: Like Water for Chocolate (1992), Remains of the Day (1993), Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), Life is Beautiful (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), American Beauty (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). The most recent movie we saw there was the hysterical Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.
Of course, as a movie lover, I’m still nostalgic for the days when Montclair boasted three art house movie theaters: the Clairidge, the Screening Zone and the Wellmont. The Clairidge isn’t perfect — many of the screens are tiny, if you show up late you’re often relegated to the neck-bending front row and they didn’t expand the lady’s room in their 2007 renovation. But it’s still my favorite place, and if it ever went out of business, I might have to move back to Brooklyn. It’s a wonderful combination of familiar (bumping into friends) and exotic (going into the darkness to enter another world). The experience has been improved by the addition of the three vendors of quiescently frozen treats: Applegate Farms satellite branch, Red Mango and Gelato Giuliana. If you want to hang out with me on a Saturday night, find out what’s playing at the Clairidge.
The Clairidge is located at 486 Bloomfield Ave. in Montclair.
What’s your favorite place in Baristaville? Send us a few paragraphs and a picture at tips@baristanet.com.
Does anyone remember the restaurant below the claridge? Kiev? It was some sort of “pick your raw meats and watch them cook it” type place.
My memories of the Clairidge are uneventful, but the Wellmont was a different story. The years leading to their closing I remember such obstacles as “We will only play the movie if at least 10 people want to watch it” followed by a few of us begging movie-goers to see the movie we wanted to watch! Also, 1/2 the theater was roped off because it was unsafe! That, and if you put your popcorn on the floor, there was a good chance that a rat would eat it from the bottom up!
Bellevue Branch Library. You can’t beat it for the quiet, calming atmosphere. Other wonderful places were the Wedgewood Cafeteria on Park St. back in the 1980′s and Hahne’s where you could shop without having to drive all over.
Jimmytown, I believe the restaurant was Khiva. There was one in Morristown, too.
One of the greatest memories of the Clairidge is watching “Jaws” in the front row in 1975. That was when it was all one big theatre…
Ditto on the Wedgewood. Fond memories of lunch with my mother every month after shopping at Hahne’s. Inexpensive, wonderful setting and who can forget the HUGE mural of Old King Cole?
Remembering…..The Class Reunion was the name of the restaurant below the Clairidge in the early ’80′s with Stash O’laughlin at the piano.
I remember that restaurant being a mongolian bbq place, then something else with a bar that had karokee in the early 90′s.
I loved the Bellevue Branch Library as a kid.
My favorite place is any DeCamp bus on a heavily-trafficked day on Route 3…
Mr. Roo, I just returned home, fired up B-net and laughed my ass off. Thank you!!!!
Good ‘ol Egan and Son’s. We’ve lived in Montclair for 4 years and it’s always been the gathering place for all of our out-of-town guests. Now that I think about it, I think they may like the wings better then they like us. D’oh.
As a kid, growing up in Verona, I loved going to Montclair Center, by taking the #29 Public Service bus for 25 cents. One of my destinations, on occasion, was the CINERAMA at the Claidge Theatre; films were shown on a huge curved triple screen, during early to late 60′s. It was such a thrill just to sit back and look up to the large dome, encircled by oval amber stained glass lights and watch it all slowly dim as the movie was about to start. My best film memories were “How the West Was Won”, the all star extravaganza film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and then “2001 Space Odyssey”. I will never forget, afterwards, going to Grunnings for the best ice cream.
You are so easy to please, prof. I’m glad I was able to spread some joy in your otherwise dull, wretched life.
“The Clairidge”…a brief photogragic history
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/75.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/77.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/78.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/81.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/91.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/92.jpg
http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/93.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y231/billhuelbig/Clairidge6.jpg
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=jersey&catpagesize=25&ProductID=30000
Wow, localguy. Thanks for sharing these … absolutely amazing. It sure would be amazing to get that old sign back up there, as seen in http://www.quickpix.com/JPGMLIBRARY/IMAGE/025332/92.jpg
Nice pics, localguy.
The bad thing about The Clairidge before it was first split into a tri-plex was they still had that old curved Cinerama screen but not the proper lens for it to show 35mm films. So movies were in focus in the middle of the screen, but the sides of the picture, which were a few feet closer to the audience, were blurry.
Some movies I remember seeing at The Clairidge: The Blues Brothers; Rocky II; E.T.; The Trip to Bountiful; Swan in Love; Au revoir les enfants; Who Framed Roger Rabbit?; A Fish Called Wanda.
Warm and fuzzy-good feelings for the Clairidge Theater ! With a still wet driver’s license in pocket, the very first place I ventured to that was
outside of my “turf” of Maplewood/South Orange, was to go there and see the movie, “It’s a mad mad mad world! I recall being very uneasy that after the movie, it would be dark, and could I find my way back home, from far away Montclair
Blessings on the Landmark !
Ruthie’s BBQ
I had some great times at the Clairidge. Me and my friend would watch a movie and then try to meet girls afterwards. We even got some phone #’s on a few occassions.
It’s funny you mention Khiva. I drove past the Clairidge the other day and thought about that restaurant. Is there anything in that space now? I remember taking the elevator down as a kid.