Cambridge

1369 Coffeehouse

Coffee shop and arthouse combined. You'll probably visit the one in Central square, however.

Mon-Fri 7AM-10PM, Sat Sun 8AM-10PM

A4cade

Roxy's Central

Beer, grilled cheese, and arcade games, what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, there's pinball too.

Mon-Fri 5AM-1AM, Sat noon-1AM, Sun noon-midnight

Aleppo Palace

Located in a tiny "castle", this inexpensive Middle-Eastern restaurant serves up delicious shawarma, kebab, and their namesake falafel.

Mon-Sat 11AM-11PM, Sun 11AM-7PM·Sandwiches $5-9, platters $7-10

Armageddon Shop

Started in Providence, this is the second location of this niche shop for punk and metal records. Browse music, flyers for upcoming shows, and all the assorted paraphernalia.

Mon-Sat noon-8PM, Sun noon-6PM

BIDA contra dance

Try out an energetic social folk dance native to the region, whose ease of learning makes it a welcoming option for travelers. Live traditional fiddle music.

Sundays 7PM-10:30PM·$5-$15 (sliding scale)

Basta Pasta

Gourmet Italian food, at fast food prices. The owner, Altin, used to work in high-end Italian restaurants, but decided to strike it on his own. By appearances it ain't much (formica booths, no table service), but the food is spectacular. Fresh homemade pasta daily. The major drawback is they have no liquor license, and since the Cambridge constabulary eats there nightly, won't let you bring your own.

Mon-Sat 11AM-10PM, Sun 3PM-10PM·$8-12

CambridgeSide

From American Eagle to TJ Maxx, a thorough mall experience. Come for the fluorescent lighting, stay for the recycled air. 120 stores with low, low prices on all consumer electronics and also tube socks. The mall runs a free shuttle here from Kendall station. See website for coupons.

Mon-Sat 10AM-9PM, Sun noon-7PM

Charles River Canoe & Kayak

The best way to do this is to rent a boat and paddle upstream to Allston from Kendall Square. Vice-versa is great too, the river has no current to fight against. It'll take less than 2 hours and is amazing.

8AM-10PM·$15-20 per hour, $40-60 per day

Charles Riverboat Company

CambridgeSide

Sightseeing, sunset, and architectural tours on the Charles River and Boston Harbor.

May-Oct 10AM-7PM daily·$10-28

Charlie's Kitchen

In business since 1951, Charlie's is considered one of the last remaining businesses from the Harvard Square of old, before the big box chains moved in. It may be a dive, but it's an eco-friendly one; and boasts a great jukebox and three season patio to boot.

Sun-Wed 11AM-1AM, Thu-Sat 11AM-2AM

Christophers

A great place if you need both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. They are very vegetarian friendly, but also have good burgers and beer, and some more yuppie-ish options.

Mon-Wed 11:30AM-1AM, Thu Fri 11:30AM-2AM, Sat 10:30AM-2AM, Sun 10:30AM-1AM·Starters $5-10, burgers $8-12

Cooper-Frost-Austin House

Built in 1681 and owned by the same family for over 250 years. The oldest residence standing in Cambridge. It is open for tours seasonally.

$10

Flour Bakery

A delicious sandwich, coffee, and desserts shop constantly rated in Boston magazine in the "Boston's Best" rankings that also has its own nationally-available cookbook. Another location at the end of Albany Street, one in Harvard, and several more in Boston.

Mon-Fri 6:30AM-8PM, Sat 8AM-6PM, Sun 8AM-5PM

Grendel's Den

Serving basic American bar food, this dark and crowded Harvard tavern would be unremarkable, if it weren't for their incredible happy hour special, the quirky staff, and its proximity to the Harvard campus. From 5-7:30PM everything on the menu is half price with a beverage purchase of $3 or more. Skip the burgers... if you can get a table. Non-happy hour entrees $5-12.

Mon-Sat noon-1AM, Sun 4PM-1AM

Grolier Poetry Book Shop

A one-room bookshop focused entirely on poetry. It regularly hosts poetry readings, check website for schedule and signup.

Wed-Fri and 1st Sat of each month: 11AM-7PM

Harvard Art Museums

This collection of museums includes three once separate entities. The Fogg Museum, known for western art from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular strengths in Italian early Renaissance, British pre-Raphaelite, and 19th-century French art. The Busch-Reisinger Museum, which is devoted to promoting the informed enjoyment and critical understanding of the arts of Central and Northern Europe, with a special emphasis on the German-speaking countries. Finally, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum holds a superb collection of ancient, Islamic, Asian, and later Indian art.

10AM-5PM daily·$15, seniors $13, students $10, under 18 free

Harvard Book Store

Independent shop, nice and cozy, has a wide selection, and has interesting staff recommendations glued to the book stalls. Used and remaindered books are located downstairs.

Harvard Bridge

The bridge connecting Cambridge to Boston across the Charles river. Located at the edge of MIT, not Harvard University. It's well known in the nerdy folklore of MIT: the distance across the bridge is marked in "smoots" (1 smoot = ) after Oliver Smoot, an MIT student who allowed himself to be laid end-to-end to measure the distance across the bridge, as part of a fraternity prank.

Harvard Lampoon building

Home of the Harvard Lampoon, a student humor publication. The west end of the building, fittingly, resembles a cartoonish face wearing a spiked helmet. The building was finished in 1909.

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Drawing from the University's vast natural history collections, the HMNH displays the famous Blaschka 'Glass Flowers' collection, dinosaurs (the world's only mounted long Kronosaurus), minerals, meteorites, gemstones (a amethyst geode), and hundreds of 'stuffed' animals and birds. Fun for the whole family. It's an 8-minute walk across the historic Harvard Yard from Harvard Square (Red Line MBTA). Lectures & educational programs for all ages.

9AM-5PM daily·$12, student/senior $10, under 18 $8

Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

formerly Semitic Museum

See a collection of over 40,000 artifacts from the Near East across multiple ancient civilizations.

Sun-Fri 11AM-4PM·Free

Harvard Yard

The center and oldest part of the Harvard campus. An enclosed grassy yard including picturesque buildings dating as far back as 1720. While somewhat architecturally uninspiring, the freshman undergraduate dorms are located in Harvard Yard, which means that a long list of famous intellectual and political figures have lived here. Near the center is a statue of John Harvard, for whom the university is named. Tour guides will tell you that students rub the statue's left foot for good luck before exams, and the foot is indeed rubbed shiny. But in reality, most of the rubbing is probably done by tourists rather than students. It is also school tradition of some secret societies at Harvard to pee on the boot of the foot, but this may also be a lie.

Harvest

Regional contemporary American cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients. A wonderful outside dining terrace and one of the best Sunday brunches (prix fixe, $33) in Greater Boston.

Mon-Thu noon-2:30PM, 5:30PM-10PM; Fri Sat noon-2:30PM, 5:30-11PM; Sun 11:30-2:30, 5:30-10PM·Lunch $20-30, dinner $40-60

Lamplighter Brewing

Get ready to wait in line! Once you cross the threshold, sample some of these sought after craft beers that are the talk of the town. Brewers will often use Brettanomyces in their brews which produces a "funkier" flavor. They don't go overboard with it, but still, it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Tue-Sat 11AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-10PM

Landmark Kendall Square

One Kendall Square

This great theater has all the newest Hollywood blockbusters, plus all the arty flicks you never knew you wanted to see. Big garage next door, so parking here isn't as big an issue.

Leavitt & Peirce

An amazing array of cigars, chess, and game sets. A small selection of "old fashioned" razors and jewelry is also available. In business since 1883, it's no exaggeration to say this shop is a fixture of Harvard Square.

Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun noon-6PM

Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

Longfellow National Historic Site

Washington made his headquarters here during the siege of Boston from July 1775 through April 1776. From 1837 until 1882, it was the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow while he taught at Harvard. The site's collections deal mainly with Longfellow, but there are some Washington letters as well.

Lord Hobo

A wide selection of interesting independent draught (pints in the $5-8 range) and bottled beers, wine and upscale bar food (entrees in the $10-20 range).

Mon-Fri 4PM-1AM, Sat Sun 11AM-2AM

Lynch Family Skatepark

Shred your face off in this concrete paradise designed for you to bust out your sweetest ollies and kick-flips. Graffiti is encouraged on the "free walls", and there's an Artist-in-Residence program in the summer. Established in 2016.

Dawn-10PM·Free

MIT Great Dome

A monumental dome with an oculus at its center, similar to the Pantheon in Rome. Located in MIT Building 10 (most MIT buildings are referred to by numbers rather than names, as befits the university's technical orientation).