Around Town
Reclaiming Rat City
Many now see the name “Rat City” as an opportunity for local pride. “It takes all of those experiences and it gives all those communities an anchor to rally behind at times,” Meinke says.
Bar None
Harvard Square (and Cambridge more broadly) is in desperate need of sports bars. What gives?
Queer Joy at Queen’s Head
The Prom was advertised with a masquerade theme — but there was not a single mask in sight. Guests arrived proudly unmasked and confidently expressive, sporting glitter eyeshadow, black lipstick, and impressive wings of eyeliner.
Aiming High with Harvard Pickleball Club
This newly-founded club sport team has something of a rags-to-riches story. The group was founded by two varsity student athletes who needed a break from the whirlwind of Division I athletics and stressful academics. HPC’s open-play practices welcome newcomers; its leaders run the group with an entrepreneurial mindset, seeking out opportunities for growth and business partnerships.
Lexington’s Resurrection of the Revolution
A few minutes later, a group of children perched in a tree above our heads alert us to the imminent arrival of the British regiment. The force, with bright red jackets, muskets in hand, and feathers in their hats, marches into the town common to the jaunty sound of drums and pipes. The first shot of the battle rings out, as it did a quarter of a millennium ago, just after dawn.
Among Crêpes and Poetry, Artists Find Creative Resistance
On the first Friday of April, we head to the café for the latest installment of Cambridge Night Readings, a weekly series partnering with the Cambridge Arts Council for National Poetry Month. Though we are among the first to arrive, every seat in the coffeehouse is filled within minutes.
Five Stories of Memory at the Cambridge Antique Market
The post had been intriguing enough that she and her friends chose to spend their last day in Boston sifting through vintage designer clothes and multicolored jewelry. They are not alone in this experience.
Preserving the Past, Embracing the Present: Art in the Houses
There is often little room for modern or student-produced art. The Houses “have a particular architecture,” Luise Mörke says, that “already determines what is possible in a given space, or what works in a given space.” Conformity to these past styles, she says, is often what contemporary art “is up against.”
The Urban Agriculturalist at North Allston Farms
Founder Rita L. Vaidya sees North Allston Farms not simply as a business, but as a garden and space of education for anyone hungry and curious. When not tending to her crop, she hosts workshops throughout Allston, advertising “the joy of tasting and growing microgreens while learning where your food comes from.”
Under One God: Bible Studies Across Harvard’s Campus
Bible studies across campus don’t just provide social spaces for students — they are also part of Harvard’s academic fabric.
An Aviation Paradise
“Traditionally, you don’t think of aviation as necessarily an interest or topic because you would write someone off as an avgeek,” he tells me. “You just embrace the identity. I mean, I love planes.”
Luxor Cafe, After Dark
People are crowded around tables, playing cards, Connect 4, Othello, and other games taken from a nearby communal shelf. One wall is decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphics, another with a span of Polaroids.
The 16,000 Generation Yeast
Michael M. Desai, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and of Physics, hopes to leverage the common fungus to answer an age-old question: How did we come to be?
The Million Year Picnic: A Hidden Comic Haven
Ornamented with hundreds of graphic novels, daily comic editions, and more, the shop makes use of every corner and inch of space. Titles such as “Asterix,” Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” and daily strip collections “The Phantom” line the walls. Each section of The Million Year Picnic is brimming with life.
The Twelve Steps to Internet Sobriety
As attendees of Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous take turns telling their personal journeys, I’m struck by how much we have in common.