20241124_103227Strolling Harvard campus (November 2024)

My partner and I had a half day in Boston before we had to head to the airport to fly back home to Los Angeles. Therefore, we took it easy that day, spending most of our time in Cambridge, a city situated 5 miles (8 kilometers) northwest of Boston across the Charles River. It is considered part of the Greater Boston Area, and it is a notable university town with great schools like Harvard and MIT.

Named after the University of Cambridge in England, Cambridge in Massachusetts is one of the oldest cities in Massachusetts, founded back in 1630. It is a major hub not only for higher education, but also for tech startups thanks to the MIT campus. Cambridge is a small, but mighty city home to over 118,000 inhabitants, and it is an affluent area with one of the highest costs of living in the state.

My partner had concluded her work conference the day before, so we woke up around 8h00 the following morning to pack up and check out of our hotel. We caught an Uber over to Cambridge, where we met up with a friend of mine, “S,” whom I knew during our teaching days in France. We had a tranquil breakfast at a café that “S” had proposed to meet at, which turned out to be nice and cozy. I especially enjoyed my creamy latte and decadent pain suisse, and we spent about an hour hanging inside the café before it got busier with patrons.

20241124_083746Pastries and lattes for breakfast

Just down the street was Harvard Book Store, and the three of us headed over there to check it out. The store not only sold a lot of books– fiction and non-fiction– but also plenty of Harvard merch like hats, T-shirts, even tote bags. As Harvard University is such a world-renown institution, who wouldn’t want to rep a prestigious school? Even if one doesn’t even attend Harvard, one can purchase the school’s swag as a souvenir!

From the Harvard Book Store, my partner and I said “goodbye” to “S” before we continued our visit on Harvard University’s campus. It had been years since I last visited the school, as I had done a tour of it as a teenager. The campus, especially of Harvard Yard, was gorgeous, decked out in fall foliage. Honestly, the autumn leaves were a recurring look during our short time on the East Coast, as we don’t really get seasons in sunny and temperate Los Angeles!

20241124_103227Harvard Yard on the campus

We also came across the well-known John Harvard statue, in tribute to the 17th century minister, who upon his deathbed bequest a school, which soon became Harvard University. Constructed in 1884, this statue is an interesting one, as it actually isn’t of John Harvard– in fact, there were no drawings or portraits of Harvard himself when he was alive, so there was nothing to model him on. Instead, the statue was based on the face of a then-Harvard student, and it definitely depicts the clergyman in a regal posture. I found this fact very amusing when I first visited years ago, and it still held up on my return!

20241124_103208“John Harvard” statue (1884)

Next, we headed across Harvard campus to visit The Harvard Museum of Natural History. It was $15 USD/person to enter, and we were especially there to check out a fascinating collection of hyper-realistic glass flowers that were created by Czech glassmakers in the early 20th century. If you didn’t look closely, you would’ve assumed that they were real flowers…but they’re not!

20241124_104959Can you believe these are made of glass??

Besides the glass flower exhibit, my partner and I also saw the mineral room, filled with many colorful stones and crystals from around the world. I also enjoyed touring the paleontology and marine biology sections, which had complete bones and more glass sculptures of dinosaurs and sea creatures, respectively. We spent perhaps an hour-and-a-half inside the museum, which is a lot larger than you think.

20241124_111836Minerals

20241124_113050Dinosaur bones

20241124_112434Glass jellyfish

Finally, we headed out to visit a yarn store for my partner, before grabbing lunch in Cambridge. We picked a random restaurant, which turned out to be quite nice– it was an upscale brunch spot that served tasty food, and I especially enjoyed the fried artichokes and my partner’s short rib Eggs benedict.

20241124_124547Fried artichokes

20241124_125656(1)Risotto

20241124_125700Short rib Eggs benedict with potatoes

Stomachs full, it was then a matter of heading back to our hotel in Boston to grab our belongings and getting to the airport for our flight home. We took off at 16h00, and it was a smooth, six-hour journey back, and soon enough, we landed in Los Angeles at 20h00 local time.

20241124_163019Last views of Boston from the plane

…so there you go! That concluded our time in Boston and the surrounding area from last fall. It was our last trip of the year, and honestly, it was a great way to cap off the many travels done in 2024. The trip was short and bit rushed, but fun all the same. From re-visiting Boston to exploring Cambridge and Providence in the neighboring Rhode Island, it was a good time seeing the East Coast, and it would be another few months in the following year that my partner and I would get back on the road for more adventures.

Thank you for reading this Boston (and surroundings) series, and I assure you more travel posts are coming soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

40 thoughts on “Destination: Cambridge, Massachusetts”

  1. OMG long memories of yeaaars ago! The family that we came to visit in Boston was a graduate of Harvard and were fanatics about it; took us for a grand tour! Thanks for the memories! Nice picture, Cheers

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  2. Awesome article! Thanks for all the info! I love the last views you captured of Boston from the plane, dear Rebecca – it’s so beautiful. Soaking in Boston’s intellectual vibe at Harvard University and thinking about all the great thinkers from all over the world who studied at these ancient institutions would be rather humbling. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks, Aiva! Cambridge was a great place to end our time in the greater Boston area. Harvard has a beautiful campus, and it’s true that it’s one of, if not the #1, institutions for higher learning in the US. Thanks for reading, and more adventures are coming soon!

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    1. Indeed! Harvard was gorgeous, and the glass flowers were a lovely touch. My partner and I had a short, but wonderful time in Boston, and I hope you get to visit the glass flower exhibit some time, Tricia!

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    1. Yes! Cambridge was a solid end to our time in the Boston area. I enjoyed visiting the Harvard bookstore, and while it would be fun to purchase Harvard apparel, I ended up not getting anything there. The glass flowers were a highlight of my time in town, and I highly recommend the exhibit!

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  11. The fall foliage against the blue skies is so beautiful. So too are those glass flowers! Hyper-realistic really is the right word to describe them. I’m glad to hear that this short trip to Boston turned out really nice, Rebecca, however short it was.

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  12. When I went to Boston for a conference many years ago, I stayed at a hostel in Back Bay which was near the Mass Ave bridge so I walked from Boston to Cambridge! I got to visit the MIT and Harvard campuses. I agree the Harvard campus is so pretty. I didn’t know that statue of John Harvard wasn’t really of him! What a fun fact!

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    1. It’s great your accommodation was conveniently-located near Harvard and MIT, both top-tier schools! Yes, the statue isn’t actually of John Harvard, but rather an idealized image of him! Glad you had a good time in Boston yourself, Darlene!

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  13. I remember the statue (and the golden boot!) from when I visited the campus, but I had no idea that they didn’t have a picture of Harvard himself to base the statue off. Great fact! I love those glass flowers too – what a neat exhibition.

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    1. Yes! The statue isn’t of John Harvard, and honestly, we don’t know how he actually looked in his lifetime! The glass flower exhibit was a highlight of our visit in town, and I recommend the museum for that alone! Cambridge is a gem of a place, and the perfect way to end our time in Boston 🙂

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  15. It’s interesting to see your interest in Cambridge. It is indeed a place famous for its universities. I went to Harvard, as a visitor, and enjoyed seeing John Harvard’s shiny shoe. Rubbing it is supposed to bring success in exams, but I tend to believe that it also takes a little hard work.

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    1. Haha, true! Cambridge in Massachusetts is, indeed, named after Cambridge in England! Beautiful all the same, home to world-renown universities and a great little food scene in town. It was the perfect end to our time in the Boston area!

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  19. I never made it to Harvard when I was in Boston, but it looks like a beautiful campus with a great little museum. Lovely photo from the plane as well! Glad you enjoyed your time in Boston!

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