Do the Cambridge walkabout. Or the Tour de Cambridge. Whatever you want to call it. You can basically just start in Cambridge and walk toward Boston. By the way, Cambridge is unofficially known as “The People’s Republic of Cambridge,” and its people are “Cantabrigians.”
Toscanini's is worth lining up for. And on hot summer nights, expect a line.
I would suggest starting the tour in Harvard Square. Hang out around there, go to the river, and then keep going down Massachusetts Ave. toward Central Square. Do ice cream at Toscanini’s. Go to the MIT museum, if you want to. Wander through the MIT campus and buildings.
Here’s what I recommend for MIT. Walk down Mass Ave. to 77 Mass Ave, the main entrance of MIT. You absolutely cannot miss it, it’s the one with the huge columns.
If you have lots of appetite to explore, cross the street and check out the chapel, a cylindrical building with no windows and a moat, and Kresge auditorium, a large windowed building across the green from the chapel. Both were designed by Eero Saarinen, and are pretty cool examples of mid-century modern architecture, which is a thing people like. Kresge is a perfect 1/8th of a sphere!
But if you have not a lot of appetite to explore, then skip the street-crossing and go straight inside 77 Mass Ave, and walk down the infinite corridor. Stay on the right side of the hallway, and don’t block the flow of traffic! Seriously, it’s the worst. In the middle is Building 10, which is right under the Great Dome, and has a great view out over Killian Court. Many people take pictures here, and if you do, go outside and check out the scientists inscribed on the stones surrounding the court. On the 5th floor of Building 10 is Barker Library, which is right under the dome and pretty cool. Also home to many studying—and sleeping—students.
The absolute can’t-miss at MIT is the Sol Lewitt public atrium art. It’s this huge mural thing that’s the floor of an infill building, which is a building built between two existing ones. The whole thing feels like some optical illusion/Escher painting. Because the inside of the building is the outside of two others, there are these bridges across, and the floor is colorful and bright. So from every perspective, you see something unexpected.
End up at Area 4, for beer, pizza, and lawn games.
Here’s a detour you could take. From Harvard Square, take the bus—it’s super easy, and they take cash, and you can track it on a variety of apps—to Mt. Auburn Cemetery and Sofra. Mt. Auburn, because it is absolutely beautiful, and Sofra, because everything is delicious.
You must try B3 (Brown butter, brown sugar, and brownies) at Tosci’s. This is the only right answer for favorite flavor. Even if you occasionally enjoy other flavors, like burnt caramel or nocciola/cocoa pudding combo. You can try several flavors, so definitely don’t make any hasty decisions…But then choose B3.