Taking Back Boston: Harvard Square

In the Herald today we did our yearly "Take Back the City" spread, highlighting some places around town that are even better now that they're not clogged with student douches. I took Harvard Square, maybe my favoritest place in all the 617 land, and a Summer Sunday destination since I moved here nine years ago.

ALONE AT LAST: Hang Out In Harvard Square
After the Harvard graduating class tosses those black mortarboards in the air, the neighborhood vibe changes.

The hustle and bustle of Harvard Square’s business district is gone, but its amenities - from shopping to eating to just plain hanging out - remain intact. The traffic normally backed up through JFK and Mount Auburn streets suddenly flows like casual mid-July conversation at the subterranean Grendel’s Den on Winthrop Street. And Grendel’s, like Shay’s Pub, Charlie’s Kitchen and scorpion bowl-mecca Hong Kong Cafe, is longer on elbow room and shorter on wait.

Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said that tourists effectively replace the Harvard students in summertime around the square. But what is noticeably different is the general pace among its 8 million visitors per year.

“People don’t have that business-mindedness,” Jillson said. “It’s definitely more relaxed, more calm. There’s no rush. There’s a lot more outdoor seating, and it seems like there are more places to stroll.”

It’s easier to grab a metered parking space in the triangle perimeter around the square, cop a squat in Winthrop Park or grab a bite and a drink at Charlie’s Kitchen. The Eliot Street throwback diner’s cheeseburgers are only outclassed by the gritty vibe and the occasional punk or indie rock show.

The Garage shopping center, aptly named because it once housed a parking garage - the old entrance ramp now herding pedestrians - houses the city’s best record shop in Newbury Comics, rock and mod clothing hot spot Hootenanny and the Proletariat vintage store, the shelves of which aren’t picked clean as when the thrifty students are in town.

The relaxed atmosphere in the square might help your game of chess in the outdoor patio area where scenes of “Good Will Hunting” were filmed, or help your understanding of whatever protest is ongoing near the Pit, a haven for skaters, punk kids and activists.

For a few months, at least, getting in and out of the square is a cinch, ditto for hitting its myriad shops and catching an old-school flick at the Brattle Theatre. Stroll at your own pace, but don’t take too long - the student rush is inevitable.