Cambridge (Massachusetts)

Introduction

Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a city located across the Charles River from Boston. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent universities, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With about 100,000 inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell.

Neighbourhoods

• Kendall Square
• Central Square
• Harvard Square
• Porter Square
• Inman Square
• Lechmere Square

Sights and Activities

• Harvard Museum of Natural History - Address: 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, Phone: (617) 495-3045, Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Price: $12
• Mt. Auburn Cemetary - Address: 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, Phone: (617) 547-7105

Events and Festivals

Holidays

• New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
• St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
• Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
• Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
• Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
• Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
• Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
• Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

• Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
• The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

Weather

Cambridge is in a continental climate with winds blowing off the Atlantic. The summers are usually hot and humid while the winters are snowy and cold. In summer, temperatures usually are between 24 °C and 29 °C during the day and around 17 °C at night. Winters are slightly above zero during the day but averaging around -7 °C degrees at night. Absolute records are plus 40 °C in July and -28 °C in February. Precipitation is quite evenly distributed throughout the year, around 85 mm in about 10 or 11 days. May and September are pleasant months for a visit.

Getting There

By Plane

Logan International Airport (BOS) is located in east Boston and is one of the busiest airports in the United States with over 27 million passengers a year. It is a major hub for American Airlines, Delta Airlines, US Airways and JetBlue Airways. There are many daily international flights and all major domestic cities have direct service from Boston.
Some of the main destinations served include Dublin, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, London, New York, Seattle, Rome, Aruba, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Amsterdam, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Bermuda, Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis, Madrid, Reykjavik, Frankfurt, Munich, Lisbon, New Orleans, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, Zürich, Cancun, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Nassau, Santo Domingo, Tampa and Philadelphia.

By Train

Masschusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA):

• Subway - The Red Line stops from Kendall/MIT station to Alewife station (except Davis Square, in Somerville) are in Cambridge. The Green Line has a terminus at Lechmere station, near Lechmere Square in East Cambridge.
• Commuter rail - The Fitchburg line has a stop in Porter Square. This line serves the northwest suburbs and ends in Boston's North Station where you can connect to other northbound commuter rail lines.

By Car

Interstate 90 to Exit 18, or Interstate 93 to Exit 27, "Storrow Drive" to Monsignor O'Brien Highway (Rt. 28) to Cambridge.
Route 2 comes into Cambridge from Interstate 95 to the northwest.

By Bus

Check the MBTA website for buses to Boston, or Greyhound for longer distances. Otherwise travel via Boston for much more options and companies.

Eat

• Toscanini's Ice Cream - Ice cream parlor. Address: 899 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, Phone: (617) 491-5877, Hours: Weekdays 8am-11pm. Weekends we are open from 9:00am-11:00pm., Price: <$10
• Craigie on Main - Fine dining. French cuisine. Address: 853 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, Phone: (617) 497-5511, Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday. Dining Room: 5:30pm-10:00pm (10:30pm Fri & Sat). Bar: 5:30pm-Midnight. Bar Dinner Menu: 5:30pm-11:00pm. Bar Drinks Served: 5:30pm-Midnight. Brunch: Sunday 10:30am-1:30pm, Price: $65

Sleep

Budget

Learn

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the best engineering schools in the world and has several excellent programs.
• Harvard University is one of the most famous universities in the world. Known as the most elite among the Ivy's many people try their hardest to attend here. Although there are schools in the United States that are much harder to attend.

Keep Connected

Internet

There is a very small internet bar/cafe culture in the USA. Even then most of the internet bars/cafes tend be located in major urban centers. Accessible WiFi networks, however, are common. The most generally useful WiFi spots are in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and bookshops, but also restaurants and hotels more and more have a network to connect on. Some of them might require you to buy something and you might need a password too, especially in hotels.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The general emergency phone number is 911. The USA has a great landline phone system that is easy to use. The country code for the U.S. is +1. The rest of the telephone number consists of 10 digits: a 3-digit area code, and a 7-digit number. Any small grocery store or pharmacy has pre paid domestic or international phone cards. These phone cards are very cheap and offer good rates. The once ubiquitous pay phone is now much harder to find. Likely locations include in or near stores and restaurants, and near bus stops. The cellphone network in the states is slowly getting better but is still not as good when compared to other western countries. Cell phones tend to operate using different frequencies (850 MHz and 1900 MHz) from those used elsewhere in the world (2100 MHz). This used to prevent most foreign phones from working in America. Phones must be tri- or quad-band to work in the U.S. Fortunately, technology has meant that most phones should now be able to pick up one of the U.S. networks. Prepaid phones and top-up cards can be purchased at mobile phone boutiques and at many discount, electronics, office supply and convenience stores. A very basic handset with some credit can be had for under $40.

Post

The US Postal Service is a very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. Although some might keep longer hours, most are open at least between 9:00am and 5:00pm. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. First-class international airmail postcards and letters (up 28.5 grams) cost $1.10. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS, TNT and DHL, which might be better value sometimes and are generally very quick and reliable too.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website