by jessica t.
So many memories in Boston - and most of them lead back to Harvard Square. From Andrew climbing onto John Harvard's lap, placing his Rockets hat upon Harvard's glistening head in front of a mass of Japanese tourists - to the truth behind what really makes Mr. Harvard's foot so shiny. And let me tell you that it is not due to an abundance of kisses from tourists for good luck; which I would definitely advise against , after learning of an icky Harvard custom. There was many a night spent waiting for my housemates' mystery 'platonic' date at Brother's Jim. Uneaten burritos, so my other housemate, could try his hand at asking out the uninterested counter woman. And when I was in the mood for tacky 'Euro' night - the Redline was a perfect fit. Hacking up lungs in cars, to lost cars, to CVS afternoons, to meeting old friends for Cheech adventures, it was all so good. Harvard Square - I fell in love with you back in Middle School as I traipsed around you with siblings and parents in tow. Later, a litlte older, probably not much more mature, I fell back in love - as I sat in Au Bon Pain. Sitting, while watching the belligerent retired 'Boxer' bum, a Harvard legend, perfect his social skills. His mantra being to smile politely at all women and then growl and challenge all men to a full on boxing match. This Thansgiving we have a date. I'll bring the Californian charm, you bring the freezing cold weather.
by Josh W.
God I hate it here. It's a shame I've vowed never to return because there is some damn good food there. Doesn't make up for the awful bars and corporate stores.Harvard Square is dead to me.
by Kiwi H.
I know it's frequently filled with tourists and students. For the past several months, it's had almost intolerable construction all around it. BAH! There aren't really any grocery stores nearby, and there aren't as many cool apparel/accessory shops as I might have once thought, but I still adore Harvard Square. Why?The Garage mall for fun, Newbury Comics for fun browsing, Chameleon for tatts and piercing, 9 Tastes or Spice for Thai, Rendang (ex-Penang) for those delicious flat rice noodles with beef and bean sprouts, BERRYLINE for addictive-as-crack frozen yoghurt, Algiers for mint tea and ambiance, Oona's for fun vintage and costumey goodness, Wagamama for a quick bite of chicken katsu. Bombay Club for curries and naan and poori, Boston Tea Stop for ice tea, Tealuxe for lemon cake and teas, EMS for sporting gear. 24-hr Kinkos for copies, Henrietta's brunch (ouf oh my!), Le Pli for magically painless waxing and incredible massages.Urban Outfitters bargain basement! Upstairs on the Square's whimsicalness, patio goodness at Red House, Grafton, Grendel's and Daedalus. Drinks at Noir, John Harvards, or Redline for dancing and beats too. Pinnochio's for luscious pizza. Bartley's for incredible burgers and malt shakes! Berk's for shoes. Monello (ex-Jasmine Sola), The Tannery, Mudo, Baak Gallery, Beauty Main and more to make you purdy. Schoenhof's for an excellent selection of foreign books and out of town news for international publications. Globe bookstore to take you to another world, and other bookstores (including the Harvard Coop) abound! Cardullo's for delicious picnic-basket-stuffing delights.Curious George goes to Wordsworth for a magical world of stories and more. Boloco for wraps and Felipe's for burritos. So close to so many things: Porter, Davis, Central, Charles River. Taxi stand when needed. Peet's coffee and tea and perhaps a John Malkovich sighting. Silly trinkets and fun browsing at Hidden Sweets and Black Ink. Yoga studios for stretching out. Used CDs at Planet. Cinemas, theatres, museums to enhance or edify the cranium. Hotels to rest your pretty little head.Little patios of green areas to stretch out on and relax. Live music often everywhere in warmer weather days. Concerts and festivals all the time, from bazaars to plays (some free) to festivals. Turning it into Hogwarts Square for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release, oh how I'll never forget that for the rest of my life! And so much more.Harvard Square, as evident, is a gem. Sure, it has its faults, but nowhere is perfect and that me a good thing. It's got all those things that tug at my heartstrings, and always calls out to me with its charm and appeal. Love.
by Dan C.
Oh such bittersweetness in this entry.I still like Harvard Square. It's got a depleted but still significant share of one of a kind/few of a kind gems...Algiers, the Brattle Theatre, Burdick's, Bartley's, Pinocchio's, Cafe Pamplona, random stuff in the Garage...lots of great bookstores with different themes...the Harvard museums, Harvard Film Archive, lots of activity in general. Every time I go there though it always brings mixed emotions, for a few reasons:-I feel like everytime I visit, something I used to like is gone and has been replaced by one of the three types of suckage 1) a bank 2) a chain 3) something really overpriced and unaffordable-every time I visit something I like, I can't help but feel like the next time I come back it will be gone only to be replaced by one of the above-overall, it could just be so much betterAlso, while one chain is kind of depressing enough in this area, Harvard Square seems to double up on a lot of them too...2 ABPs, 2 CVSs, 2 Starbucks, 2 Dunkin Donuts, 2 C'est Bons...egh stop!Still, like I said there are still good places to go to, a good mix of people, and of course it's still a very historically significant area and all that.Oh the other thing I have to say is take advantage of Harvard musical events at Sanders Theatre and Paine Hall. The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra is a really good college orchestra, and Sanders Theatre brings in enough well-respected performers in general. Also, though they are not well publicized, a lot of end-of-term concerts put on by Harvard classes are very very good and free at Paine Hall (I am of course talking about mainly classical music)Oh, and cover your ears if you are walking in front of the Coop/Bank of America - the Chinese guy who can't play his erhu/Chinese violin that everyone's talking about, he sits there haha
by Matthew E.
3.5 stars...Harvard Square is a bit touristy but still has a bunch of great little spots and a few nice shops. There's a train stop that drops your right by the college so it's really easy to get to but unless you really want to walk though Harvard (which is beautiful) you're better off strolling through Beacon Hill or Newbury Street in Boston (or the North End if you're into history).
by Dan C.
If I were to use some antiquated youth pop culture reference involving a game in which tiny monsters battle each other in a gladiator manner for their masters chance at fame, and a television show that induces seizures, "I choose you, Harvard Square"Let me start by saying my square could kick your square's ass. Central...too dirty. Porter...a wanna be Harvard Square. Inman? Forget your Inman Square.Want to get the full flavor of Cambridge...well you came to the right place. Harvard is the heart of Cambridge and reflects every part of it (the loads of pan handlers are the delegates from Central Square). If you have to pick a place for a date, Harvard has a lot of restaurants, as well as a number of ice cream and dessert shops. One possible date idea would be: Cambridge 1 for a gourmet pizza and some beers, off to Finale's for dessert, take a walk through Harvard yard at night, then off to LA Burdick's for the deal sealer (a gourmet cup of hot chocolate).Harvard Square can get a little busy, but that just adds to the local flavor, keep an eye out for May Day, and if you have a chance stop by the ART for a show. Also you can bring your parents to watch the spray paint artist...spray paint stuff.Bottom Line: Gotta catch 'em all? SEIZURE TIMEEEE.
by Garth S.
Many complain that Harvard Square is full of chain stores and lament that it's no longer the funky, independent area it once was. Quite frankly, however, I wonder how the old Harvard Square survived all those years existing as it did in the shadow of Harvard University, undoubtedly one of the most corporate of all Establishment mega-corporations. At Harvard Square, you can have breakfast at IHOP, browse for books at the Harvard Coop (really just Barnes Noble), have lunch at Au Bon Pain, stop for refreshments at Dunkin' Donuts, and pick up some clothes at the Gap or Urban Outfitters. What's not to like? Four stars for now but Harvard Square will get five once it's finally enclosed and the bums that litter the streets are relocated to Central Square. Why do I want to be reminded about Life's unfortunates when I'm hanging out at the mall?
by Hubert H.
Boo - all the cool stuff (The Tasty, The Crimson) have left; and now Out-of-Town News might be closing, as well as Herrell's Ice Cream. Shameful. The younguns are too young to know that there was a time when Grafton Street Pub (and places that looked like it) didn't exist. And where did the spare change guy go? "Hellooooooo, young lady! Helooooooooo young man!"
by Jennifer N.
Land of ATMs and burrito shops (Qdoba, Chipotle, Boloco, and Felipes...). And yes, a lot of the quirky stuff- think The Tasty- is gone. And yes, a lot of the things that made Harvard Sq a distinctive and special place are gone.So thank god for the things that are the beating heart of the place. Thank you Harvard Bookstore, thank you Berks Shoes, thank you Algiers, thank you Out of Town News, thank you Nini's Corner, thank you Curious George...
by Devon M.
This is by far one the lesser squares within Boston, in my opinion. Reasons Harvard Square rules:1.) Cheap food and drinks at Charlie's, often consumed on the patio.2.) Scorpion bowls and taking over big sections of the restaurant portion of the Hong Kong.3.) Having options of what comic/music stores to go to.Reasons Harvard Square sucks:1.) Parking is a NIGHTMARE. We arrived in Harvard Square this morning to see a movie and on top of getting a parking ticket on a broken meter, we circled for at least 20 minutes2.) Tourists. They make me so mad when they clog up the square so bad that you can't even walk, particularly when you really just want to get your errands done.3.) Students. Enough said.4.) Kids who hang out in the pit during the day, and go home to mommy and daddy at night. 5.) Massive corporate takeover of a once more townie place.The negatives far outweigh the positives.
