When It comes to traveling, I never thought there would be another place that would feel like home, but in one short weekend I did. The resemblence was both interesting, and a little bit scary. I also found a place that I'd leave wanting more. A small town, filled with local shops and adventures to make.
Massachussets has a rich history from war, to entertainement, and more. I took a little weekend trip from Staten Island, New York, up to a University for my brother located in Cambridge, Massachussets. The long drive became restless and boring, but once we arrived, it was nothing but exciting things to find. Outside our hotel was the placemarker for the town, with cultured shops and townhouses around us.
Our end of the area was a little quiet, so we went out to find some food to enjoy and sights to see. The streets felt like we were in Jersey City, or Hoboken New Jersey, with narrow roads, and trouble finding parking. The style of housing was historic, and could change from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Simple and sit down eats can be found in many nooks and crannies in the town, with our first stop at Broadway Eatery for some quesadillas and burgers.
A noticeable similarity to home, was the public transportation. To get around, you could take a bus. The fair was cheaper than the city buses, and the wait for a bus was arguably a tad worse. But the seats were much nicer and the ride was much more comfortable.
Along the way, the main strip of the avenue was full of restaurants, small shops and looked and felt townsy. Bagel Shops, Coffee Houses, even Boutiques were filled with locals, tourists and visiting college campus visitors.
Lesley University is an arts school located right in the center of the town, surrounded by dorm housing, and more local eateries and stores. This being the main purpose of the trip, we were mostly on tours and information sessions for the school. A beautiful Campus, with many opportunities to work around town, and right across the water in Boston is a noteable thumbs up. The most noticeable similarity to home, this one being the most unique, is the fact that from Cambrige you can take a ferry over to Boston, which you would do the EXACT same thing to get from Staten Island to Manhattan. Before leaving campus, I made sure to take a quick snapshot on the marble steps!
Headed home, I grabbed a cup of coffee from Bourbon Coffee (which can also be found in New York City) and we took a drive over to an antique store that was covered head to toe 4 floors high. If you're an antique freak like me, The Cambridge Antique Market is the place to go (and lose your mind).
Overall, it's a great town to check out, and is not too far from Salem! (the next item on my bucket list) So if you happen to find yourself traveling to Boston anytime soon, take a quick drive through Cambridge and check out the neat sights and eats!
