Cambridge, Massachusetts

What’s your favorite part about living or visiting Cambridge?

moving here ~2 years ago after living in suburbia MI is a dream. my older coworkers question why 'you youngins blow money on rent in dirty small apartments', but joke's on them cause I can walk/bike to literally every single thing i'd need, and chances are I have a local business option to opt for rather than only big box chain stores and restaurants.

example, my grocery runs have evolved from driving to Kroger (before move)->driving to supermarket->walking/biking there->changing to organic store->finally getting to farmer's markets (which has been blissfully accessible with remote work). Hell this year I gave up my car and intend to never own one again if I can help it.

That's just one example, being here has transformed my life in many ways that make every family member back home scratch their head at me.

I guess i should include something to work on so this isn't only sunshine and rainbows. honestly a lot of y'all could be driving WAY better, and IMO it's both stupid and dangerous to own a car larger than a midsize in a dense town like this

What’s your favorite part about living or visiting Cambridge?

Lived there for five years. Honestly, the Camberville food scene, hands down. I grew up in the type of area that has Italian, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants, and that’s it. Cambridge is the only place I’ve ever lived where no matter what ethnicity of food you want, you can have it. Tibetan? Sure. Nepalese? Check. Peruvian? Two across the street from each other in Union Square. Uyghur? Inman Square. Eritrean? Take your pick, fool! I recognize different styles of Indian cuisine now. You can get General Gao type Americanized Chinese, or you can get dim sum, or you can get hot pot, or you can get dumplings. I’ve had samosas from Indian, Turkish, Afghan, Pakistani restaurants, plus I’m sure more I’m forgetting. And the endless fusion restaurants are their own post entirely.

I honestly learned more about other cultures from reading up on what I should experience from all these restaurants than I ever did in school (meant definitely as an insult to my schooling). Sorry for not sticking directly to Cambridge—all the surrounding areas’ restaurants count in my book because it’s part of living in Cambridge.

Moving to Cambridge, MA. What are the most awesome things to do there?

Boston is awesome! I went to college there. Where in Cambridge? Here are some of my favorite Cambridge/Boston places:

Mary Chungs - great and cheap chinese near central square

S&S Diner - great diner in Inman Square. Actually, all of Inman Square is pretty awesome, so you should definitely explore there.

Bartley's Burgers - awesome burger place in Harvard Square. all of their burgers have cool names too. They also have delicious frappes and onion rings.

Sunset Grill and Tap - AWESOME bar in Allston. Most number of beers on tap in Boston and it has amazing food. One of the best bars in Boston I'd say. Allston is kinda like a the hipster, college ghetto of Boston. They have realllllly good cheap food joints. Definitely worth a few trips.

There's a ton of other cool things to do too. North end has great Italian food. Newbury Street and the Prudential Center have awesome shopping. Downtown Crossing has great cheap shopping. Boylston Street (in the Back Bay) is great for bar hopping. Chinatown (near DT Xing) has great Chinese food. You should go there some weekend morning for Dim Sum. The Fenway/Kenmore area has a ton of really fun sports bars. Coolidge Corner (in Brookline) is also super awesome. A TON of great food places there and an old-school movie theater.

Yeah, so you won't be disappointed. Boston/Cambridge is awesome. :)

Is Cambridge a safe area for a woman to live alone ?

Cambridge is very safe almost anywhere, even at night and alone. You'll be fine.

The most dangerous thing that happens to people is bumping into a college student, too focused on their phone to pay attention to the walkways.

If you're on Clinton Street, be aware that around Central Square Train Station (in front of the Holmes Building), there are some homeless & mentally ill folks that hang out. It may be a little unsettling if you're not acclimated to living in a city, but they're pretty much harmless.

Otherwise, that's a very nice area with lots to do, great food, close walk to galleries, music spaces, parks, boutique shops, etc. Enjoy!

The Pros and Cons of Living in Cambridge MA!