Boston Guide
Cambridge
Cambridge resembles a bow tie, with Harvard Square forming the knot. On its southern border is the sinuous Charles River, with Boston on the opposite bank, while the concave northern side is shared with the large, mostly residential town of Somerville, popular with locals for its restaurant and café scene centering on the alternative vibe of Davis Square. Cambridge proper, meanwhile, is loosely organized around a series of squares – actually confluences of streets that are the focus of each area's commercial activity. By far the most important of these is Harvard Square, which radiates out from the T stop.
Roughly coterminous with Harvard Square is Harvard University; together, these two areas make up the cultural and academic heart of Cambridge.Old Cambridge, the clean, impeccably kept colonial heart of the city, is easily accessible from Harvard Square; sights here include impressive mansions – most notably the Longfellow House – and peaceful Mount Auburn Cemetery. East from here, on the other side of the university, Central and Inman squares represent the core of Central Cambridge, and are of primary interest for their atmospheric bar scene. As with Central Cambridge, East Cambridge grew up around industry rather than academia, but its proximity to Downtown Boston has led to increasing real estate prices and an "upscaling" of residents; there's not too much to see here, as this area is known mainly for its shopping mall – the CambridgeSide Galleria. East Cambridge draws most of its modern-day interest from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world's premier science and research institutions. Home to some innovative – if at times peculiar – architecture and an excellent museum, MIT spreads out below Kendall Square, which itself is home to a cluster of stalwart high-tech companies. Finally, above Harvard, Northwest Cambridge is an ill-defined corner of the city, a catchall term for some of the places not identified with its more happening districts – and as such is easily overlooked. Despite some good shopping and decent restaurants, especially along Huron Avenue and around Porter Square, the area is more of interest to residents than to travelers.