All About Cambridge

OK - maybe not all about Cambridge, but over the last couple of weeks I did spend a lot of time there. Here's my mini travelogue.

I spent a week in Westford, MA and a week in Sudbury, MA. Both of these are to the northwest of the Boston and Cambridge area.

Westford, MA: The best thing to do while in Westford is to go to Cambridge or Boston. You can also go to Burlington Mall (see below for details and directions).

Sudbury, MA: The best thing to do while in Sudbury is to go to Cambridge or Boston. Even Westford is a better place to go. Just get out! Actually, I didn't really give Sudbury much of a chance other than lunch spots.

Burlington Mall: This large shopping center is located at highway 3 and I-95. It has all the things you'd expect from a large mall. I think that it's also the only place in the area that has a Legal Seafood. In the area, there is also a large Barnes and Noble, and a Circuit City. It's tough to get there off of I-95. You may need to do like I did - get off on highway 3, realise you screwed up, turn around and take another run at it. The exit off of hwy 3 is the Middlesex turnpike.

Cambridge
I don't think that it would be possible to include everything that there is to know about Cambridge in one blog entry. Here's some of the details.
Cambridge has a lot of "Square" neighbourhoods. The squares all have a large number of bars, coffee shops, restaurants, bookstores and so on. I love that the squares provide a focal point for the different communities where people to go to eat, drink, and just hang out.

Davis Square
This is a lively square near Tufts University. I'm not sure how to get here other than walking the bike path from Mass Ave (around Cameron Ave. It's visible from the Satellite view in Google Maps). It's about a 10 minute walk. I think that Davis Sq is technically in Somerville, MA (not sure if this will affect GoogleMapping).

Johnny D's - 17 Holland St.
Bar and grill with live music every night. There's no cover if you're not sticking around for the show. Good food and friendly staff.

The Burren - 247 Elm St.
Irish bar. Good music and atmosphere and a younger crowd.

The Joshua Tree - 256 Elm St.
Quite a mixed crowd here - everything from business types to college students. Supposedly, it's a bit of a pick-up joint, but we didn't really see much of that. Trivia nights on Tuesdays.

Central Square
There are many good spots here, although there's a bit of a seedy element here.

Rangzen Tibetan Restaurant - 24 Pearl St.
Nice little spot on Pearl St. just off of Mass Ave. Light curries and simple food. Good stuff if you don't feel like something really heavy (I've only had vegetarian dishes here - maybe the meatful dishes are heavier).

Wish and Tavern - 730 Mass Ave.
I'm not sure what the name of this place is supposed to be (I think Wish is the restaurant side). Watch for the sign which says "Tavern in the Square". The pub's cozy and slightly upscale. Supposedly, the food's good at the Wish, but I haven't eaten there. The front windows open to the street when the weather's good.

Harvard Sq
If you're looking to see Harvard university, this is it. Lots of students and Harvard business types hanging around here.

Grendel's Den - 89 Winthrop St.
Well-known Harvard Sq hangout. Great atmosphere and a super place to relax over a drink or five. The food is cheap and good with lots of Mediterranean-style options. Portions are not huge, so if you're really hungry you should order an appetizer. At these prices you can afford it anyway. There's a one-dollar menu on Sunday nights. Give yourself time to hang around and enjoy a couple of drinks.

Boston
Like Cambridge, there is so much to do here that you couldn't possibly do it all in a short trip. There are tons of "Freedom" things if you're into American Revolutionary history. There are tons of great bars and restaurants if you're not.

MJ O'Connor's - 27 Columbus Ave. at Arlington St.
Great Irish pub, with a warm, comfortable atmosphere, and great food, although a little thin on the vegetarian and non-fried stuff options. They have good bartenders that know how to do things right - for example, the hot toddies have a slice of lemon with cloves floating on top just like they should. The bar is in the front, but there's a whole restaurant area in the back. Also in the area: Boston Park Plaza hotel, Legal Seafood, Maggiano's, and McCormick and Schmick's (seafood a la Legal). To get here on the T, take the red line to Lake St, transfer to the green line, and get off at Arlington. Walk a block South (away from the park) and make a left onto Providence St.

From O'Connor's, you can walk a block to Boylston where you got off the T (don't be afraid to ask your server which way that is), make a left and keep going. There are numerous bars along the way.

Getting Around
I'm not going to lie to you. Driving in the Boston area is absolute hell. From a seasoned professional who is used to getting dumped in cities where he's never been, Boston is hands-down the worst city in the US for driving. After years of going there, I finally made my first trip last week where I didn't get lost. Get a good map and make sure you have good directions before you set out. Do not try to improvise your route - you will get lost. Trust me on this.

Parking is hard to come by as well. Expect to pay at least $20 if you're parking just for dinner. Don't even try to find something on the street. Side streets are permit-only, and anything that's not permit-only will be taken. Bite the bullet and park in the first garage you see.

Better yet, don't drive. Boston has a great subway system. In Cambridge, the red line stops at the major squares - Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central, Kendall, ... It then goes into downtown Boston where you can change lines in a number of places. The red line continues as far south as Quincy and Braintree.

Directions

Into Cambridge from the airport:
From the airport, follow the signs for the Sumner tunnel. Do not take any tunnel other than the Sumner tunnel. Note that all tunnels leading from Boston have a $3 toll (exact change is not necessary). From there, follow the signs to Storrow Drive (this is not as easy as it sounds). Storrow Dr. is a nice road that runs along the Charles River. Follow it past the Copley Sq exit to the Mass Ave. exit on the left side. Watch carefully for this! It's a ramp on the left that goes upwards and is quite easy to miss. At the top of the ramp make a right and cross the river into Cambridge. You are now on Mass Ave. (aka Highway 2A) in Cambridge in the middle of the MIT campus. Pat yourself on the back if you made it here without getting lost.

Into Cambridge from the I-95.
Take highway 2 (not 2A - 2!) East into Cambridge. Follow it to the end of the highway and you have three options: Exit to the right to Alewife station. This is the last stop on the red line. There is a large parking lot where you can park all day for $5 (you will never see a deal like this anywhere else in the area). From here, take the T inbound to any square in Cambridge or downtown Boston and beyond. The second option is to take Highway 16 East. To do this, make a left at the lights and follow the narrow lanes. The first set of lights is Mass Ave. Make a right and you're heading in towards Porter Sq (where the road forks) and beyond into Cambridge and Boston. The third option is Highway 16 west. I've never taken that. Follow it and you're on your own.

Keywords: Boston, Cambridge, Sudbury, Burlington Mall, Westford, Massachusets, Harvard, Central Square, Davis Square