<p>Ice cream at Herrels in Harvard Square is always on my must do list. The Fogg is a nice art museum, very pretty. Corbusier’s only building in American is on the Harvard campus. (Those have all been there for more than 10 years though!) Burdick’s Chocolate Shop and Cafe (both for hot chocolate and ones you put in a box) at 52 Brattle Street is wonderful.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion for Ethiopian food at Central Square.</p>
<p>I spent three days in Boston a few years back. Went with low expectations, having decided that San Francisco was my favorite city. I completely fell in love with Boston while there. It’s like a San Francisco – hills and water and architecture and character and great food – but a bit more muscular and authentic feeling. What a fantastic experience - Congratulations! So cool to be going because your child is taking part in a prestigious academic competition instead of just sight seeing.</p>
<p>Tokenadult: Congratulations and good luck to your son!</p>
<p>If you do tour around Harvard, make sure to take a walk through all of the residential houses on the river. They were not included on our first tour, and we never even knew they were there until we went to the accepted students weekend!</p>
<p>Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and history of Widener Library.</p>
<p>Hasty Pudding will be in season</p>
<p>"FABLE ATTRACTION SHOWTIMES
CAMBRIDGE
February 15 - March 16 2008
12 Holyoke St, Harvard Square
Wednesday - Saturday evenings at 8pm
Saturday matin</p>
<p>Has anyone mentioned the glass flowers at Harvard? I’ve seen them so many times and I’m still not tired of them. </p>
<p>Mary Chung’s on Mass Ave at the MIT edge of Central Square is the quintessential MIT hangout Chinese restaurant. And my son eats breakfast each and every day when he’s at MIT at Sunny’s. [Sunny’s</a> Diner - Cambridge, MA 02139](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunnys-diner-cambridge]Sunny’s”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunnys-diner-cambridge)</p>
<p>I know a long ago MIT graduate now living on the West Coast who returns to Cambridge once a year or so. He seems to divide his time between Mary Chung, Royal East (in his days, it was called Colleen’s, but, despite the Irish name, it served Chinese food) and Herrel’s. Oh, Toscanini is gone 
Central Square still has very interesting ethnic restaurants, however.</p>
<p>I second the glass flower exhibit:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.journalofantiques.com/Feb04/featurefeb04.htm[/url]”>http://www.journalofantiques.com/Feb04/featurefeb04.htm</a></p>
<p>Actually, all the Harvard museums are pretty good.</p>
<p>It’s becoming very easy to understand why one can spend four years in college in Cambridge or Boston and not run out of things to do.</p>
<p>Harvard has a nice hotel right on the campus. I believe that it is the Harvard Inn. It is worth considering, although it is often sold out–so try to book your hotel room now.</p>
<p>We had a great time at MIT for a Scholars Bowl competition a few years ago. We stayed right near campus, I think at a Sheraton. Nice, but pricey. We didn’t have time to do much except compete, but it was fun. Enjoy!</p>
<p>[Irving</a> House - Home - Bed & Breakfast - Cambridge, MA](<a href=“http://www.cambridgeinns.com/irving/]Irving”>http://www.cambridgeinns.com/irving/) </p>
<p>We stayed here last March. It was clean, close to the campus, but on the opposite side of Harvard from Harvard Square, so if you get off of the redline at Harvard Square, you will have to walk across the campus to get to the B and B. Not the end of the world, but be prepared if you book this.</p>
<p>I’ll be staying at a pricey hotel on Kendall Square to be near the organizer of my son’s team. I’ll be paying for the convenience of bopping back and forth on the T.</p>
<p>Kendall Square is at one edge of the MIT campus - quite convenient for your MIT visits.</p>
<p>There is a Legal Seafoods in Kendall Square at 5 Cambridge Center. Pricey, but worth it. <a href=“http://www.legalseafoods.com/index.cfm/pid/11279/page/Locations[/url]”>http://www.legalseafoods.com/index.cfm/pid/11279/page/Locations</a></p>
<p>I have daughters (well, a son too but he hasn’t been to Boston), and when we were there, they actually loved some of the low-key things: the Freedom Trail walks, Newbury Street restaurants (Piattini (<a href=“http://www.piattini.com/[/url]”>About - Piattini) is a favorite), and all the used bookstores in both Boston (good ones near Boston Common) and in Cambridge scattered around the outside of Harvard Yard. And they loved the Harvard Coop (and there is one at MIT too I believe?); I had to kind of pull them out of the bookstore and they would have loved to get more than the allotment of books they finally did buy. </p>
<p>We adored our hotel but you are all set on that end. (the Fairmont Copley Plaza, the Boston Symphony Suite on the concierge floor–amazing service and gorgeous suite, free upgrade-- for anyone else thinking about Boston).</p>
<p>Congrats and have fun!</p>
<p>And if you hit Newbury, don’t forget Filenes! We did the Freedom Trail and got emotional about US History. Recommend.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Kroks/Dins concert in Sanders Theater is on the 29th…I take it that’s the weekend after you will be in town.</p>
<p>If you want to splurge on Sunday brunch, Henrietta’s Table in the Charles Hotel (Harvard Square) has what may be the best brunch buffet in the world, featuring fresh local produce and seafood.</p>
<p>All the Harvard museums are wonderful. My favorite is a tiny, little-known museum in the basement of the Science Center called the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. The History of Science department preserves and displays all kinds of equipment used to study and teach science throughout the history of Harvard (and earlier). <a href=“http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/chsi-exhibitions.html[/url]”>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/chsi-exhibitions.html</a></p>
<p>It’s the kind of thing a mathlete might enjoy. :)</p>
<p>I’m wondering what the walking time is between Kendall Square and Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I am aware that both places are along the red “T” line, and I have walked in the environs of each, but never between them in one walk. And how is the safety of the walk? Would you make that walk at any time of the day or night? On the walk, what is the intermediate time to Central Square? I love Boston for its walkability, and have been all over Boston, but I’m less familiar with walking in Cambridge.</p>
<p>^^I made that walk in about 25 or 30 minutes. It was during the day and seemed quite safe. I have less knowledge about how safe it is at night.</p>
<p>It should be very safe as you will be walking along Mass Ave. Central Square can be “sketchy”–my S’s way of putting it-- in the late evening. Apparently, some youths from less desirable parts of Boston ride the T into Central Square.<br>
I agree with Coureur about the time it should take between Harvard and MIT.</p>