First settled in 1630 by English Puritans, Cambridge developed as an agricultural town and was not really convenient to Boston until bridges were built over the Charles River in 1793 and 1809. The latter of these opened up East Cambridge for industrial development led by furniture and glass factories. A major influx of penniless Irish immigrants fleeing the potato blight in 1845 increased the Irish population to 22 per cent in the next ten years. Toward the end of that century they were followed by immigrants from Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Germany. French Canadians and Russian Jews also came at this time. A small African American population had been growing from colonial times, attracted by the integrated schools.
The result today is a highly diverse population augmented and further diversified by brilliant men and women drawn to Cambridge over the years by Harvard, Radcliffe, M.I.T., and more recently by the local high technology companies. "Cantabrigians" (from the city's Latin name, Cantabrigia) are regarded as progressive and tolerant. As industrial activity moved south in the early 1900s, the Cambridge steamed forward on the power of its educators and innovators. Universities are the major employers, but cutting edge companies in information technology and biotechnology such as Akamai Technologies, Google, Microsoft, Genzyme, Biogen Idec, and Novartis are located adjacent to the MIT campus in the Kendall Square area.
The liberal city sometimes referred to as the "People's Republic of Cambridge" now advertises itself as "a city where counter-culture still lives, classic culture thrives, and multicultural is a way of life." "Boston's Left Bank: A little funkier, a little spunkier and definitely spicier than Boston."
See
African American Heritage Trail,
[21]. Twenty historic plaques across the city honor notable African Americans who were abolitionists, authors, educators, and office holders in Cambridge from 1840 to 1940.
Mount Auburn Cemetery,
[22]. Yes, it's a cemetery. It just happens to be the first landscaped cemetery and in fact the first large-scale designed landscape in the U.S. The tower provides visitors with a breathtaking panoramic view of the cities of Boston and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding countryside to the north. The fact that it's the final resting place of some of the area's most influential figures (Sumner, Gardner, Eddy, and Longfellow) cements its status as a National Historic Landmark.
Museums
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MIT Museum, 265 Mass Ave. (Central Sq), Phone: +1 617-253-4444 [23]. Has a huge collection of holography, a hall of hacks (practical physical jokes that get placed around the institute -- like the police car that once graced the top of the great dome is in the hall of hacks), plus rotating exhibits. Great hands-on exhibits for kids, including moving sculptures and a shadow room.
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Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Phone: +1 617-495-3045 [24]. Drawing from the University's vast natural history collections, the HMNH displays the famous Blaschka 'Glass Flowers' collection, dinosaurs (the world only mounted 42-ft. long Kronosaurus), minerals, meteorites, gemstones (a 1,642 lb. amethyst geode), and hundreds of 'stuffed' animals and birds. Fun for the whole family. It's an 8 minute walk across the historic Harvard Yard from Harvard Square (Red Line MBTA). Lectures & educational programs for all ages.
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Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave. One of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology, it houses one of the most comprehensive records of human cultural history in the Western Hemisphere.
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Busch-Reisinger Museum, 32 Quincy Street, Phone: +1 617-495-9400, [25]. Devoted to promoting the informed enjoyment and critical understanding of the arts of Central and Northern Europe, with a special emphasis on the German-speaking countries.
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The Fogg Art Museum, 32 Quincy Street, Phone: +1 617-384-8310, [26]. Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular strengths in Italian early Renaissance, British pre-Raphaelite, and nineteenth-century French art.
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Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 32 Quincy Street, Phone: +1 617-495-9400, [27]. Superb collections of ancient, Islamic, Asian, and later Indian art.
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Cambridge Arts Council Gallery, 344 Broadway, Phone: +1 617-349-4380, [28].
Presidential Places
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Washington Elm, Cambridge Common at Mason St. On July 3, 1775, Washington officially took command of the Continental Army at ceremonies beneath the tree, which stood at the edge of the training grounds used by the troops. A small bronze plaque marks the spot. The history of the Washington Elm is included in the "Harvard Book" [29], the electronic history of Harvard and its surroundings.
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Longfellow National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., Phone: +1 617-876-4491, [30]. Washington made his headquarters here during the siege of Boston from July 1775 through April 1776. From 1837 until 1882, it was the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow while he taught at Harvard. The site's collections deal mainly with Longfellow, but there are some Washington letters as well.
Do
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Double Decker Bus Company, CambridgeSide Galleria, Phone: +1 617-679-0031, [31]. Yep, a piece of London in old Bean town.
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Charles Riverboat Tours, CambridgeSide Galleria, Phone: +1 617-621-3001, [32]. Sightseeing tours on the Charles and Boston Harbor.
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Fresh Pond Golf Course, 691 Huron Av., Phone: +1 617-349-6282, [33]. Public. Apr-Dec. 9 holes.
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Walk/Ride along the Charles River: +1. Cambridge has paved pathways for walking, biking, and skating along the Charles river. A pleasant walk would start at Kendall Square T-Stop (head towards the river and then head west) for about 2 miles until Kennedy Street. You will enjoy views of the river (sailing, rowing), and Boston skyline. At Kennedy street you may turn right and end up in Harvard Square.
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The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, 617-876-6837, The Brattle shows the best in classic, cutting-edge, foreign, and art-house films. The Brattle Theatre has been operated by the non-profit Brattle Film Foundation since 2001.
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The American Repertory Theatre and The Zero Arrow Theatre, www.amrep.org, named one of the top 5 regional theatres in the U.S. by Time in 2003. Also shows student productions.
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show, AMC 11 Church Street, midnight on Saturdays all year 'round.
Climate
Boston has a continental climate with some maritime influence, and using the −3 °C (27 °F) coldest month (January) isotherm, the city lies within the transition zone from a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) to a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa),[82][83] although the suburbs north and west of the city are significantly colder in winter and solidly fall under the latter categorisation; the city lies at the transition between USDA plant hardiness zones 6b (most of the city) and 7a (Downtown, South Boston, and East Boston neighborhoods).[84] Summers are typically warm to hot, rainy, and humid, while winters oscillate between periods of cold rain and snow, with cold temperatures. Spring and fall are usually mild, with varying conditions dependent on wind direction and jet stream positioning. Prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore minimize the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.[85]
The hottest month is July, with a mean temperature of 73.4 °F (23.0 °C). The coldest month is January, with a mean of 29.0 °F (−1.7 °C). Periods exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) in summer and below freezing in winter are not uncommon but rarely extended, with about 13 and 25 days per year seeing each, respectively,[86] and the most recent sub-0 °F (−18 °C) reading occurring on January 24, 2011; several decades may pass between 100 °F (38 °C) readings, with the most recent such occurrence July 22, 2011.[86] The city's average window for freezing temperatures is November 9 through April 5.[86][b] Official temperature records have ranged from −18 °F (−28 °C) on February 9, 1934, up to 104 °F (40 °C) on July 4, 1911; the record cold daily maximum is 2 °F (−17 °C) on December 30, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 83 °F (28 °C) on August 2, 1975.[87]
Boston's coastal location on the North Atlantic moderates its temperature, but makes the city very prone to Nor'easter weather systems that can produce much snow and rain.[88] The city averages 43.8 inches (1,110 mm) of precipitation a year, with 43.8 inches (111 cm) of snowfall per season.[86] Snowfall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city (especially north and west of the city)—away from the moderating influence of the ocean.[89] Most snowfall occurs from December through March, as most years see no measurable snow in April and November, and snow is rare in May and October.[90][91] There is also high year-to-year variability in snowfall; for instance, the winter of 2011−12 saw only 9.3 in (23.6 cm) of accumulating snow, but the previous winter, the corresponding figure was 81.0 in (2.06 m).[86][c]
Fog is fairly common, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane can threaten the region, especially in late summer and early autumn. Due to its situation along the North Atlantic, the city is often subjected to sea breezes, especially in the late spring, when water temperatures are still quite cold and temperatures at the coast can be more than 20 °F (11 °C) colder than a few miles inland, sometimes dropping by that amount near midday.[92][93] Thunderstorms occur from May to September, that are occasionally severe with large hail, damaging winds and heavy downpours.[88] Although downtown Boston has never been struck by a violent tornado, the city itself has experienced many tornado warnings. Damaging storms are more common to areas north, west, and northwest of the city.
VISA. The Harvard International Office provided me all the information for getting the corresponding VISA.
ACCOMMODATION. Webpages like craiglist.com and sabbaticalhomes.com are very useful for long-term stays.
