One last stop before you hit Boston proper is erudite Cambridge (pop. 95,802), an inseparable sibling to the big city but very much a place in its own right. Best known for its top universities, Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge is a liberal, earthy, and open-minded foil to the big money and social pretension that so often characterize its big brother across the water.
The two universities and their many fine museums (especially Harvard, which boasts world-class collections in the Fogg Art Museum, the Sackler Gallery of Far Eastern Art, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology) are the main draws for visitors, but the “town” away from the “gown” is equally worth exploring, despite the recent outbreak of chain-store disease around Harvard Square. For an antidote, head two stops north on the T subway to Davis Square in neighboring Somerville, where a classic 1940s Worcester diner, The Rosebud (617/666-6015), off Elm Street at 381 Summer Street, serves up the highest quality meals all day, with nary a Starbucks in sight.
