

Ask YC: Things to do in Cambridge, MA - smanek

I just moved to Cambridge and classes don't start for a while. So, any suggestions on interesting groups to join, places to go, or people to meet?<p>Just catching up on my reading (a pre-req for a project I'm working on) doesn't seem like taking full advantage of my limited down-time in one of the greatest cities in the world.
======
markbao
1\. Do NOT miss WebInno Boston. Next meeting is July 15th, 2008, so you came
at a good time. Literally hundreds of web/mobile entrepreneurs, angels, VCs
(it's lead by VC David Beisel of Venrock) and other enthusiasts.
<http://www.webinnovatorsgroup.com/>

2\. Also, hang out at OpenCoffee Boston every Wednesday at 8:30 AM for coffee
with tech entrepreneurs.
<http://boston.going.com/event-122245;OpenCoffee_Club>

3\. Consider Boston Entrepreneur Meetup at Exemplar. Good place to learn about
general entrepreneurship from both tech and non-tech entrepreneurs.
<http://entrepreneur.meetup.com/674/>

4\. Xconomy is the single best source of information that I have found for
Cambridge news and events wrt tech and etc. Keep an eye out at
<http://xconomy.com/>

5\. Keep an eye out at myEventGuru - <http://boston.myeventguru.com/index.php>
\- for networking events and meetups.

6\. Going.com (awesome startup in Boston, a person from the team sometimes
comes to networking events) and Upcoming.org are always great resources.

7\. MarksGuide.com is a guide for Boston networking events.
<http://www.marksguide.com/>

8\. General hacking areas include the cafes - DanGrover from here likes Diesel
Cafe. Good hacking environment. They also have WiBuddy which allows you to
connect with other people inside the cafe.

9\. Keep an eye out on Hacker News for events such as DevHouse Boston, and the
one I'm organizing, Facebook Developer Garage Boston 2.

Welcome to Cambridge, it's nice to see you here, and I hope you have a good
time.

Sources: side dish presenter at WebInno Boston November. Used to be regular at
Boston Entrepreneur Network (JayNeely also.) Information from crusade
searching for Boston/Cambridge networking events :)

~~~
dangrover
Yeah, huge fan of Diesel. I code a lot there.

And Randall Munroe apparently goes there a lot, because he started an IRC
channel for Diesel folks!

~~~
jacobolus
Speaking of Randy: <http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/Boston>

------
ardit33
"in one of the greatest cities in the world." -- Calm down. It will get boring
within the year. Not near the league of many other cities. When I think
greatest cities of the world, I think of NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore,
Shangai, Bejing, Seul, Chicago, San Francisco, Berlin.... you get the point.

Boston is about two-three noches down.

1369 coffee is always full with semi-hipsters over educated types, and you can
hear intersting conversations

Check out Davis sq. in Somerville, and especially Diesel Cafe. You see hackers
there working with their laptops once and a while. The problem is that people
are unfriendly, and if you just randomly start talking to somebody with their
laptop open, they might snub you. Unfortunately it is not California. In here
if you randomly start talking to somebody, they will talk kindly back to you,
in the "who knows, something might come out" away. Over there they will talk
back to you in the way "Why the frick you talking to me. Do I know you?". Big
difference.

Finale-s in Harvard sq. has some really good desserts!

Harvard Cooop is my favorite bookstore ever. It has a certain "air", very
inspiring place (like: you should be smarter, and try harder, kind of
inspiration).

But here is my favorite activity while I lived there: Learn how to Sail in the
charles river. In the boston's side of Charles river, at the beginning of the
esplanade, there is the community Boat House. You pay something like 120$ per
year, and you learn how to sail (all lessons are free), and you can go there
and get a boat (you will start with small sail boats), or canoe out anytime
you want. It is actually really fun, if you have the patience to learn. Since
it is not even a real lake, and winds are not that strong, it is very easy to
learn. And if you get good at it, it would be a great activity for a second
date. Worth every penny.

~~~
pingswept
I lived in California for 13 years and in Cambridge for 4. My impression is
that people are of uniform unfriendliness in the two areas.

I do agree with the recommendation of Davis Square. The Somerville Theater,
which is in Davis, is pretty sweet.

~~~
ericb
My initial reaction to the grandparent post was offense, but then I thought
about it.

I live in Boston, and I have to say it is _much_ unfriendlier than new york,
where I grew up. I am sad for california if what you say is true (although
that was not my experience _at all_ when I spent time there).

Even when I visit NYC I don't feel that people are so hurried, pushy, and
selfish as boston. When you penetrate the shell, and aren't in traffic, a
line, or on the T, Boston folks can be friendly. Sadly, my very pregnant wife
frequently is left standing on the T in boston--often no one offers her, or
the 80 year old who happens to be on board, a seat.

~~~
carterschonwald
Really? I've grown up in NYC as well, and I've found thats its much easier to
be friendly in Boston than in NYC, but that might just be a consequence of the
fact that when I'm hanging out in boston, its generally over in the MIT area,
which is certainly a very unique culture, combined with that fact that being
in one's 20s in boston certainly very different from being in Boston and not
being in one's 20s.

~~~
ericb
To clarify--I grew up in central new york and was a vistor to NYC, so you are
more qualified to comment re:NYC. I just meant that NYC had had a reputation
in that regard, and my personal experience in Boston was worse comparatively.

------
andr
Some places I like, mostly in the Central Square and Harvard area.

Best view: Find a way to get in the John Hancock building, go to one of the
corners of the floor and lean against the glass. You'll get a 210°+ panorama.

Food:

Indian - any of the dozen places on Mass Ave is good.

\- Indian Food and Spices (80 River Street) is an excellent one-man operation

\- Desi Dharba (on Mass Ave and Main) and Indian Pavilion (Central Square)
both have very good buffets in the $8 range.

Mexican:

\- Felipe's is great for take out. Mount Auburn Street, next to the 7-11.

\- Border Cafe is an extra delicious sit down places yet prices are really
low.

Japanese:

\- Wagamama - great fusion food

Don't know any good sushi places, though.

After 12pm:

\- Falafel Palace on Western Ave and Mass Ave (sometimes open till 3)

\- IHOP on Brattle Street, Harvard

Bars:

\- Om Bar near Harvard

\- Grafton Street is one of the typical Harvard hangouts

\- John Harvard Pub make their own beer

\- So does the Cambridge Brewing Company on Kendall Square

\- The Estate next to the Boston Common. Not a very good club but all the
house/dance DJs go there. Tiesto's coming next week.

\- Middle East and 2 others next to it on Central Square always have live
music.

\- The Enormous Room (above Central Kitchen on Central Square) is a nice
club/bar with great music, one of the few places that stays open after 2pm.

Parks & Walking:

Not much in the park area unfortunately. Best bet is to go to the far west
parts or to go to the Charles River park by following Main St or Mass Ave
until you cross the river.

Cambridgeport (what's north of Mass Ave, east of Harvard) is quite nice for a
quick walk to clear your head. People on the street say hi. The area around
the YC house is also cool.

Check out the markings on the pavement of the Harvard Bridge (it actually
leads to MIT). Details here: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot>

NB: When you go to Kendall be careful as there are two places about 10 minutes
away which are both called Kendall Square. One is the real Kendall with the
namesake Red Line stop and the Marriott, the other one is an office park north
of it.

------
mdakin
Both The Tasty and The Greenhouse have closed. Go to Pinocchio's Pizza and and
Charlies Kitchen before they too are replaced with useless mallstores!!

There are a lot of good ice cream places including Herrell's, Emack and
Bolio's, JP Licks, Toscanini's. Conduct a long term comparative study.

Coolidge Corner Theatre is a great place to watch movies.

I've not hung out with them for years and I've heard it's changed quite a bit
but consider going to a MITERS party [1]. It used to be more about conceptual
art. I think it's now more about technology. Either way though you can't go
wrong if you click with the people.

Boston is a great beer town. If you like beer go to some of the Beer Advocate
beerfests. One is coming up very soon [2].

[1] <http://miters.mit.edu/node/5>

[2] <http://beeradvocate.com/acbf/>

------
RobRistroph
One of the few things I miss about the Cambridge area is the quality and
variety of the bookstores. I recommend MacIntyre and Moore for technical used
books; Quantuum and SoftPro for new stuff; and Victor Hugo books on Newbury
St. for more general stuff.

<http://www.mcintyreandmoore.com/> <http://www.quantumbooks.com/>

While looking for links, I discovered that Victor Hugo books and SoftPro are
probably gone now. As I look at the shelf of books I choose to place within
arm reach of where I code, probably half came from SoftPro and a goodly armful
from Victor Hugo.

If the internet didn't offer a way to buy used editions from anywhere in the
nation, I'd have to make a yearly pilgrimage back to Cambridge with a buying
list. Thank god for that.

~~~
pivo
Victor Hugo closed years ago, and Quantum is no longer in the Cambridge
location. Sad, they were some of my favorite book stores too.

------
christefano
1\. GET A MAP. Boston's roads are paved cowpaths and the city is a huge Celtic
knot. Yes, Boston was designed by cows.

2\. On Fridays and Saturdays, go to Haymarket (Haymarket stop on the Orange
Line) if you want to save a ton of money on food but live very, very well. I
could write a whole article about Haymarket, but the short of it is that it's
a superb open air market with fresh produce, fish, meats and cheeses. I
recently walked away with 24 pints of organic strawberries for $6.

3\. The best place for a game of chess is in Harvard Square at the Au Bon Pain
courtyard (Harvard Square on the Red Line). I did write an article about it,
so search for my name if you want to. Keep in mind that there are always more
players than there are boards to play with, so bring a board unless you like
to watch.

4\. The Esplanade along the Charles River is gorgeous in the summer and is
great for biking, running, rollerblading and people watching. It's also a good
place for free concerts during the summer.

5\. The best thrift stores are Boomerangs in Jamaica Plain and Savers on Route
9. I've found Armani shirts for $5.

6\. The Museum of Fine Arts (Ruggles stop on the Orange Line), or the MFA as
locals call it, has free admittance on Wednesdays.

7\. The greenest, most socially responsible bank you'll find in Boston is
Wainwright Bank. I haven't been to their newest branch, but I heard it uses
natural light and things like the counters and flooring are made of cornstalk
and bamboo.

8\. There is a Trader Joe's that's accessible by the T (Hynes Convention
Center on the Green Line) but it's a dry store thanks to the Massachusetts'
law that prohibits them from selling alcohol at more than 3 locations in the
state. The Trader Joe's on Memorial Drive in Cambridge is the best location.
For whatever reason, the lines are shorter and the staff seems happier.

9\. I know you're already in school, but one of the greatest resources in
Boston is the Independent Activities Period at MIT (Kendall/MIT stop on the
Red Line) every January and February. I have great memories of a 20 hour
course I took with Tim Berners-Lee.

10\. If you have a dog, you are required to go to Franklin Park in Jamaica
Plain. It's the city's largest greenspace and it was designed by the same
Frank Law Olmstead who later designed Central Park in New York. It's also home
to the Franklin Park Zoo, where a gorilla actually escaped a few years ago and
was seen waiting at a bus stop.

~~~
christefano
Sorry, #5 should say "Route 1" and #10 should say "Frederick Law Olmstead."

------
tom
I'll avoid the "Boston stinks because ... " part and just tell you about a few
things that rock here.

1\. If you're old enough to sit in a bar (you are, but for others reading
this), go to Chez Henri (<http://www.chezhenri.com/>). Get a cubano (they go
great with a Manhattan btw). I've been to Miami (never Cuba though) and never
had one as good as the bar menu one at Chez Henri. If you don't eat meat, get
the veggie one, still amazing, but not quite as.

2\. The Kendall and Brattle Theatres. Awesome REAL movie theatres. Great for
dates or just getting away from the next, big sequel of crap.

3\. Getting gifts for the folks back home? For some you just have to get
Harvard / MIT clothing (it's just a fact), but for those who are a bit cooler,
or not parents, grandparents - go to Joi de Vivre on Mass Ave just south of
Porter (<http://www.joiedevivre.net/>). A store where you, as a grown up, will
actually want to play with stuff.

4\. Get some rockin pizza at Cambidge1. I haven't been to the new one by
Fenway, but the one in Havard Square rocks hard. The lines during weekend
prime time don't though - so you've been warned. Their pizza is way better
than their website (<http://cambridge1.us/>).

5\. Those ten books in your queue not enough? Challenge yourself by reading
something in another language. Schoenhofs is an amazing resource.

And then pretty much everything everyone else said. Have fun. Cambridge is a
great place to be in the Summer (Winter, not so much ...)

~~~
menloparkbum
cambridge1 is great. tech trivia: one of the co-owners of cambridge1 started
android and now is VP of Mobile at Google.

------
mankins
Find a great book at Lorem Ipsum Books outside of Inman Square.
<http://www.loremipsumbooks.com/>

~~~
smanek
Looks like a great place - and under a mile from my apartment. Thanks, I'll
probably check it out this weekend.

Although, I already have a queue of about 10 books to get to ... A visit there
will likely just make me feel more guilty for not reading enough ;-)

------
brentr
If you have the ability to travel, I recommend heading down to Foxwoods (about
2 hour drive) around 11pm on Friday or Saturday. Most people are enebriated by
then, and the Texas Hold'em tables are like an ATM.

EDIT: Sorry, I assumed that you were over 21. Don't bother going if you are
only 18,

~~~
smanek
I'm 22, but I don't have a car ;-) Thanks anyways though.

~~~
pivo
Well then you should get a Zipcar account: <http://www.zipcar.com/>

------
pingswept
The MIT Museum is pretty sweet. There are a bunch of Arthur Ganson's insane
kinetic sculptures and some old robots. It's $7.50 for adults, but I think
there is a student discount, free if you're an MIT student. Open 10-5 every
day.

~~~
something
free on Sunday mornings

------
flavio87
checkout MIT CSAIL

<http://www.csail.mit.edu/index.php>

just walk in and ask someone to show you around. they got some pretty cool
stuff going on

~~~
smanek
Really? If I just come by, they'll let me look around? I don't go to MIT ...

~~~
flavio87
yeah. what I did is that I emailed some professors or phds and asked them if
they or someone I knew could show me around. just tell them you're a student
and interested in what they are doing. they certainly like to show you their
stuff. just pick the areas from the website above that interest you and email
the folks, most of them are very open.

~~~
jmzachary
If you can bring a pretty woman with you, it works even better. My wife and I
visited the MIT campus a few years back, and she attracted more attention to
us than I would have alone. She knows next to nothing about technology, but it
didn't matter. Note, I'm not trying to knock MIT girls, just giving you a tip
to get into some labs. Also, MIT folks are very nice and open, not elitist at
all, in my experience.

------
cowmoo
Sorry to hijack the thread - but I think that this is pretty appropriate
nonetheless. I just recently moved to Cambridge/Boston, MA as well. Would
someone enlighten me, as to what might be some great software/web companies in
the area that a young CS grad should consider and apply to? I feel a little
bit lost here, as there are certainly lots of tech companies in Boston but I
only saw a few walking in downtown and Kendall Square.

~~~
bokonist
Hey cowmoo, our startup ( www.hubspot.com ) is hiring now. We're VC funded,
have a great crew, located in Kendall Square, and we're looking for someone
with data mining expertise. Shoot me an email if you're interested -
pfitzsimmons a-t hubspot d-t com Would love to chat.

------
ericb
I suggest a scorpion bowl at the Hong Kong if you're young but legal, and like
people watching.

John Harvard's is good for microbrews, relaxed atmosphere.

Memorial Drive is closed on sundays and is nice to walk, roller-blade, jog,
watch pretty girls, etc.

Harvard Square: Graton St. (dinner), The Greenhouse (brunch)

Also, in Harvard Sqare: Hot chocolate/Candy/Dessert/dates at L.A. Burdicks

If you're new to town, the duck tour and freedom trail are good.

The MFA is good if you're solo, or otherwise, and I _highly_ recommend the
museum of science.

~~~
pingswept
s/Graton/Grafton/

Also, the Greenhouse went out of business a few months ago (though it was good
while it lasted). Maybe try Daedalus on Mount Auburn Street. It's relatively
expensive, but good.

~~~
ericb
Wife suggested greenhouse... Note: we haven't lived there in a bit, so ymmv.

The correction is appreciated! Grafton|Graton was a typo but the edit link has
expired, so my perfectionist tendencies will be left wanting.

------
jojoleflaire
A few things:

1\. Many have rightly noted that Davis Square in Somerville is a cool place to
hang, yet no one has mentioned its crown jewel: Redbones. Do you people really
live here?

2\. For excellent pizza, check out Emma's on Hampshire near Kendall Square.

3\. Flat Top Johnny's near the Kendall Square Cinema is an OK place to play
pool and have a beer. But watch out: their computer keeps track of how much
you drink and you will get cut off if it thinks you have had too many too
soon. Infernal Machines!

4\. Games People Play on Mass Ave.

------
timcederman
Cambridge Brewing Company. Go get a growler of their pale ale. Yum.

------
mpc
go to the Cambridge Common on mass ave between Harvard and Porter sq. 24 brews
on tap and some of the best food around. (I recommend the English Burger).

There is also the Lizard Lounge in the basement of the same building with
great live music

------
twism
redLine

