Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Play It, Sam
The
Brattle Theatre,
one of the oldest independent movie houses in the coun-
try, started the
Casablanca
revival craze, which explains the name of the restau-
rant in the basement.
Fun Fact
Cross Garden Street and backtrack to Zero Gar-
den St. This is:
&
Christ Church
Peter Harrison of Newport, Rhode Island
(also the architect of King's Chapel in
Boston), designed the oldest church in
Cambridge, which opened in 1760. Note
the square wooden tower. Inside the
vestibule you can still see bullet holes
made by British muskets. At one time the
church was used as the barracks for troops
from Connecticut, who melted down
the organ pipes to make ammunition.
The graveyard on the Mass. Ave. side of
the building, the
Old Burying Ground,
is the oldest in Cambridge, dating to
1635. It's the final resting place of nine
Harvard presidents as well as many early
settlers and at least two black Revolution-
ary War soldiers.
Facing Christ Church, turn right and follow Gar-
den Street to the next intersection. This is Appian
Way. Turn left and take the first right into:
*
Radcliffe Yard
Radcliffe College was founded in 1879 as
the “Harvard Annex” and named for Ann
Radcliffe, Lady Mowlson, Harvard's first
female benefactor. Undergraduate classes
merged with Harvard's in 1943, Radcliffe
graduates first received Harvard degrees
in 1963, and Harvard officially assumed
responsibility for educating undergradu-
ate women in 1977. Radcliffe was an
independent corporation until 1999; it's
now the university's Radcliffe Institute
for Advanced Study. The institute's first
dean, Drew Gilpin Faust, became the
university's first woman president in
2007. After you've strolled around, return
to Appian Way and turn right. You'll
emerge on Brattle Street.
A visit to the
Longfellow National
Historic Site,
105 Brattle St. (
&
617/
876-4491;
www.nps.gov/long; p. 164),
makes an interesting detour and adds
about an hour to your walk. If you don't
detour, turn left and continue walking
along Brattle Street. Excellent shops are
on both sides of the street.
TAKE A BREAK
Hi-Rise at the Blacksmith
House,
56 Brattle St. (
&
617/
492-3003
), a branch of a well-
known local artisan bread company, han-
dles the baking for this legendary house,
made famous by a Longfellow poem.
“Under the spreading chestnut tree,” stuff
yourself with delectable pastry. Or sate
your sweet tooth with something from the
celebrated New Hampshire-based confec-
tioner
L. A. Burdick Chocolates,
52 Brat-
tle St. (
&
617/491-4340;
www.burdick
chocolate.com).
Down the street, at 40 Brattle St., is the:
(
Brattle Theatre
Opened in 1890 as Brattle Hall, the
theater (
&
617/876-6837;
www.brattle
film.org) was founded by the Cambridge
Social Union and used as a cultural and
entertainment venue. It became a movie
hall in 1953 and gained a reputation as
Cambridge's center for art films.
You're now in the
Brattle Square
part
of Harvard Square. You might see street
performers, a protest, a speech, or more
shopping opportunities. Facing Dickson
Brothers Hardware, cross Brattle Street,
bear right, and follow the curve of the
building all the way around the corner so
that you're on Mount Auburn Street. Stay
