Harvard La

This is the sixth article in a Lifestyle series profiling Boston-area neighborhoods and the culture that surrounds each.

“[Harvard] is another planet, man – another universe. Totally unlike the one we know. Filled with big blonde guys who eat ivy and row boats.” – Eddie, Empire Records

Have you ever fantasized about being a student at Harvard University? Throw on those glasses you never wear because you think they make you look too studious, put on a blazer, pack up that laptop, hop on the T and for the low price of a $1.25 you can go over to Harvard Square and find out. Have a seat at the Au Bon Pain made famous by Good Will Hunting and do some homework. Tourists have no idea who actually goes to Harvard; they just see someone sitting, doing some kind of intelligent work, and assume that this student must be one of the select few geniuses in the world destined to save the world from whatever the next crisis may be.

Walking around Harvard, one can hardly ignore the iron gates that surround the campus. Some might think the wall of iron was erected to keep the “riff-raff” out of the university, but walking around Harvard Square, the fences act as a barrier to prevent the pretentiousness from leaking out onto the casual, hip streets of the square.

Feel like putting your brain to the test? Take a chess lesson at the stone chessboards with a master who needs no Harvard degree to prove his prowess in the game.

There are tons of great ethnic restaurants here, ranging from the Bombay Club, an Indian restaurant that provides fine cuisine with a beautiful view of the square, to Hong Kong Restaurant, a Chinese family restaurant since 1954. No college town would be complete, of course, without a place that sells every college student’s second favorite beverage: coffee. Harvard Square is definitely not at a loss for coffee shops.

There are tons of cafés and independent coffee shops that cater to students and other visitors, including Dado Tea to break up the monotony of a regular brew. Harvard Square also offers a bevy of stores, from the trendy to the truly unique. And the square is also home to many shoe stores, such as the Tannery. Feeling adventurous? Head over to Chameleon Tattoo, the first licensed tattoo parlor in Cambridge.

Looking into the vastness of Harvard Yard and the buildings surrounding it, there is a lack of diversity. The structures follow the same pattern: red brick façade with white window treatments. But it’s the action outside the wrought iron gates that makes Harvard Square the cultural hub of Cambridge. m