Three squares a day is less a meal plan than an itinerary through some of the quirky crossroads of Somerville and Cambridge. Both of those cities are organized around village-like ‶squares″ (none of them actually rectilinear). Strung together, these neighborhood centers make a colorful patchwork where commerce, dining, and entertainment flourish.
As Cantabrigians, we’re partial to the ever-so-ironic, collegiate, and multicultural vibes along the Red Line stops of Davis Square in Somerville and Harvard Square and Central Square in Cambridge. The three squares make a fascinating day where interesting (and sometimes zany) shops, restaurants, and people coalesce. Navigation is easy on the Red Line, though shuttle buses may replace the subway during part of July. All three are also close enough together to traverse via Bluebikes or on foot.
DAVIS
Given that it’s summer, don’t push yourself to get too early a start. Most Davis Square merchants open between 10 and 11 a.m., so plan to arrive after 9 to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Old friends and people looking to make new ones tend to meet up at Diesel Cafe (257 Elm St., diesel-cafe.com), self-proclaimed as “Somerville’s fueling station since 1999.” Diesel is a daylight-only version of a 24-hour diner — but with pool tables. You might start the day with a breakfast sandwich, a fruit smoothie, or an avocado toast.
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If you’re in the mood for something more decadent, head to Davis Square Donuts & Bagels (377 Summer St., davissquaredonutsandbagels.com). The doughnut shop serves bagels and egg sandwiches at breakfast, but doughnuts are the raison d’être. Playing on Somerville local pride as the birthplace of Marshmallow Fluff, DSDB created the Somerville Cream. The bakers pump the yeast-raised doughnuts full of fluff and strawberry cream cheese and top them with crushed graham crackers. If that’s not enough sugar overload, the shop also sells chocolate-glazed Whoopie Pie doughnuts on Saturdays and Sundays.
Whimsy is probably the defining characteristic of Davis Square shops. The illustrated arts (comics, graphic novels, sci-fi movie figurines) beckon collectors to the crowded shelves of Comicazi (407 Highland Ave., comicazi.com). Next door, Davis Squared (409 Highland Ave., davissquared.com) expands on Somerville- and MBTA-branded souvenirs (mugs, tea towels, tote bags, salt and pepper shakers) with an impressive collection of cocktail paraphernalia. Across the street, Magpie (416 Highland Ave., magpie-store.com) challenges shoppers to feather their nests with shiny objects, including assorted minerals and nail polish with attitude from Death Valley Nails. Bring a touch of elegance to your table with artisan-made glassware from Glass Ripples (200 Elm St., glassripples.com) or reinvent your wardrobe (and your image) with vintage wearables from Buffalo Exchange (238 Elm St., buffaloexchange.com).
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HARVARD
Practically surrounded by Harvard University, it’s no surprise that Harvard Square has a bookish bent. Harvard Book Store (1256 Massachusetts Ave., harvard.com) is one of the country’s leading independent booksellers. Check the street level shelves for new releases and bestsellers. Remainders and used books are in the basement. Even in this age of e-books, there’s something satisfying about lying in the grass in the shade, lost in the throes of a discounted mass market paperback. (BTW, grass and shade abound on Cambridge Common.)
If you love the random surprises of used bookstores, Rodney’s Bookstore (23 Church St., facebook.com/rodneysbookstore) is packed to the rafters. You could get an excellent general education in art, literature, politics, and all-around serious thought with volumes from its shelves. Lovers of verse count the Grolier Poetry Book Shop (6 Plympton St., grolierpoetrybookshop.org) as a national treasure. Make that an international treasure. As mainstream commercial publishers produce fewer and fewer volumes of poetry, non-traditional and small presses have picked up the slack. Amazingly, most of these slim volumes show up here in one of the most complete selections of contemporary poetry in the country. Check website for readings and limited store hours.
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When you’re hungry, Felipe’s Taqueria (21 Brattle St., felipesboston.com) in the middle of Harvard Square serves a tasty approximation of Mexican street food. Carry your tacos and tamales up two levels of stairs to enjoy lunch on the rooftop deck.
Afterward, save time for a visit to one of Harvard’s museums. The Harvard Art Museums (32 Quincy St., harvardartmuseums.org; closed Monday) are just a short walk from commercial Harvard Square. Conceived as a teaching resource for the university, the airy, light-filled galleries designed by Renzo Piano are now free to all. The central courtyard, cleverly adapted from a Renaissance facade in Montepulciano, Italy, leads in multiple directions to explore Impressionist and Expressionist canvases, Classic period Greek vases, and bronzes from East and South Asia.
The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (26 Oxford St., hmsc.harvard.edu) consolidate several great teaching collections. Exhibits in the Museum of Natural History include some gee-whiz fossil skeletons and the stunning late-19th-century handblown Blaschka Glass Models of Plants — a.k.a. the Glass Flowers. Enter at the other side of the building to see the exhibits at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. The Hall of the North American Indian teases out the interaction of Indigenous and European cultures in North America from the 17th through 20th centuries. An adjoining exhibition features Penobscot tribal canoes and examines the overall impact of the invention of the birch bark canoe.
CENTRAL
The Massachusetts Cultural Council has designated Central Square as one of the state’s cultural districts. The two theater companies and the Dance Complex are less active during the summer, but the live music scene (for which the square is known nationally) continues unabated. Before you settle in for dinner and a show, though, be sure to visit Graffiti Alley (technically Richard B. ‶Rico″ Modica Way), a narrow passage that offers up a pair of legal spray-painting walls. As you might expect, the art changes constantly and ranges from old-school jagged figures to lush explosions of color. You might even see some painters at work, often riffing off existing imagery.
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Speaking of riffs, indie rock and jazz keep the summer beat going into the evening in Central Square. Thursday through Sunday, you can catch live sets by Boston artists in the Jazz Baroness Room at The Mad Monkfish (524 Massachusetts Ave., themadmonkfish.com). Seating in the performance room is limited, so reserve ahead. Dinner choices range from inventive and colorful sushi plates to Thai noodle dishes, poke bowls, filled buns, sashimi, and other Asian specialties.
Alternatively, head to the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub (472-480 Massachusetts Ave., mideastoffers.com) for both food and indie rock in a compact and quirky little complex of performance rooms and restaurants. The name is an example of truth in advertising — dishes draw on the traditions of the eastern Mediterranean. One good bet is the platter of hummus, grape leaves, falafel, and kebabs to share. Check the website to see who’s playing in which performance space. You might even stumble onto a comic to leave you laughing into the night.
Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at harrislyon@gmail.com.
Patricia Harris can be reached at harrislyon@gmail.com. David Lyon can be reached at harrislyon@gmail.com.