I can still remember the smell of walking into Colonial Drug. Perfume, chocolate, and something else. Bailey's Ice Cream and Sandwiches was incredible, especially their candy counter during the holidays. 3 foot tall $300 solid chocolate Santa and Easter Bunny was the unobtainable dream for all of us. DR became Crate snd Barrel. Sage's Fine Foods Grocery...I ran into Julia Child there once. What a sweetheart. Brighams, Nini's Corner, several record stores, a great sporting goods store I can't remember the name of...Elsie's Burger, Tommy's Lunch... Oh, the street performers! Brother Blue was a legend of course, Slap Happy was by far my favorite with their amazing blend of music, comedy, juggling & magic. There was also an older gent with long white hair who recited poetry, and a lady who played flute through an amp with delay and reverb. And who could forget the crazy street preechers on Saturday night? Your visit wasn't complete without getting yelled at by them.
So sad. All the best places are gone. The Tasty. Wordsworth Books. Out Of Town News. Au Bon Pain. All the ice cream shops. Nini's Corner. Discount Records. Pizzeria UNO. All gone. Also the oudoor entertainment venues are all but non-existent. No more mimes, jugglers, singers, etc. Harvard Square has lost all of it's bohemian charm. Nowadays it's just empty streets and too many banks. So sad.
@@kelkabot OMG I forgot all about Elsie's!!! On the corner of Dunster and JFK right? Best sandwiches ever!! I loved their ham & swiss! A few more I remember are Bailey's Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Brattle Square. Charette's. One Potatoe Two Potatoes. Uncle Bunny's Ice Cream (actually a little further down Mass Ave toward Central). There also used to be a little shop in the Garage called Man From Atlantis that sold all kinds of sci-fi stuff. They had Star Wars and X-Files posters in their window. Also I'll never forget that guy who used to stand outside of Au Bon Pain every day with a clipboard and say hello young lady or hello big guy to all of the passers-by. He was a Harvard Square fixture throughout the 90s.
For me, Harvard Square will always be beers at The Boathouse and watching the Chessmaster ($2 a game) play chess and chase away pigeons in front of Au Bon Pain.
I recall Wordsworth bookshop' see is no longer there ' was in a modern complex on a corner when I lived there 30 odd years back ' used to spend hours in there ' and a Baileys coffee house in the square ' glad to see Charlie's kitchen is still there ' was one of my fav haunts ' nice food ' recall a very nice elderly gentleman that used to go in there ' tall with a red face ' like an old war veteran at a guess ' would always remember my name and talk to me ' should think he's long passed on now ' wonder if anyone has any memories? Would love to visit again someday soon.
@@paulfrost8895I used to work at Wordsworth in the mid 90s. Great shop and I miss it. The Curious George shop still remains however and it's owned by the same company. Harvard Square in the 80s and 90s was the bomb!! Nothing like that today. It's so different.
It's really so sad. I grew up in Cambridge and I remember Harvard Square the way it used to be in the 80s and 90s. It's nothing like that anymore. All the bohemian flair has all but disappeared. Long gone are the days of outdoor performances, mimes, jugglers, and artists. Nowadays it's mostly financial institutions, banks and tech shops. The hippie flair is a thing of the past. So sad.
Charlie's dinner, urban outfitter, vibrant and alive. Harvard square will Always be home to the wandering musicians, and many visitors and well intended good vibes. The pandemic just closed everything.
![[4K] Night walking tour in Central Square, Porter Square, and Harvard Square in Cambridge, Ma.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vliqk9YWOdc/mqdefault.jpg)
Not LOOSING, it's LOSING
Who ever is in charge of the editing is such a looser
The state of journalism these days...
Typo - Loosing should be losing.
he didn't go to harvard
I can still remember the smell of walking into Colonial Drug. Perfume, chocolate, and something else. Bailey's Ice Cream and Sandwiches was incredible, especially their candy counter during the holidays. 3 foot tall $300 solid chocolate Santa and Easter Bunny was the unobtainable dream for all of us.
DR became Crate snd Barrel. Sage's Fine Foods Grocery...I ran into Julia Child there once. What a sweetheart. Brighams, Nini's Corner, several record stores, a great sporting goods store I can't remember the name of...Elsie's Burger, Tommy's Lunch...
Oh, the street performers! Brother Blue was a legend of course, Slap Happy was by far my favorite with their amazing blend of music, comedy, juggling & magic. There was also an older gent with long white hair who recited poetry, and a lady who played flute through an amp with delay and reverb.
And who could forget the crazy street preechers on Saturday night? Your visit wasn't complete without getting yelled at by them.
Dude, Clint Conley from legendary Boston band Mission of Burma produced this!? Thanks.
Rich out of town people buying and getting rid of stores to build luxury apartments
Harvard Square reminds me of Downtown Northampton, MA.
So sad. All the best places are gone. The Tasty. Wordsworth Books. Out Of Town News. Au Bon Pain. All the ice cream shops. Nini's Corner. Discount Records. Pizzeria UNO. All gone. Also the oudoor entertainment venues are all but non-existent. No more mimes, jugglers, singers, etc. Harvard Square has lost all of it's bohemian charm. Nowadays it's just empty streets and too many banks. So sad.
Curious george is gone too.
And that wonderful old dowager, The Wursthaus. And Elsie's. :(
@@kelkabot OMG I forgot all about Elsie's!!! On the corner of Dunster and JFK right? Best sandwiches ever!! I loved their ham & swiss! A few more I remember are Bailey's Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Brattle Square. Charette's. One Potatoe Two Potatoes. Uncle Bunny's Ice Cream (actually a little further down Mass Ave toward Central). There also used to be a little shop in the Garage called Man From Atlantis that sold all kinds of sci-fi stuff. They had Star Wars and X-Files posters in their window. Also I'll never forget that guy who used to stand outside of Au Bon Pain every day with a clipboard and say hello young lady or hello big guy to all of the passers-by. He was a Harvard Square fixture throughout the 90s.
I’m almost 60. When we were “quite young” we would frequent The Hong Kong upstairs bar as a gathering watering hole for many a Saturday night!
For me, Harvard Square will always be beers at The Boathouse and watching the Chessmaster ($2 a game) play chess and chase away pigeons in front of Au Bon Pain.
100% agree
Amen brother
He'd chase away the pigeons with a water pistol. And don't forget the Chess Mister.
i loved the store hootenanny in the garage!
I moved out of Boston after living there for about 20yrs. This is so sad to see.
I recall Wordsworth bookshop' see is no longer there ' was in a modern complex on a corner when I lived there 30 odd years back ' used to spend hours in there ' and a Baileys coffee house in the square ' glad to see Charlie's kitchen is still there ' was one of my fav haunts ' nice food ' recall a very nice elderly gentleman that used to go in there ' tall with a red face ' like an old war veteran at a guess ' would always remember my name and talk to me ' should think he's long passed on now ' wonder if anyone has any memories? Would love to visit again someday soon.
@@paulfrost8895I used to work at Wordsworth in the mid 90s. Great shop and I miss it. The Curious George shop still remains however and it's owned by the same company. Harvard Square in the 80s and 90s was the bomb!! Nothing like that today. It's so different.
Dickson Hardware is closed now
Harvard sq has gone corporate. Theres no local character there anymore
Harvard Square needs to be revived!
It's really so sad. I grew up in Cambridge and I remember Harvard Square the way it used to be in the 80s and 90s. It's nothing like that anymore. All the bohemian flair has all but disappeared. Long gone are the days of outdoor performances, mimes, jugglers, and artists. Nowadays it's mostly financial institutions, banks and tech shops. The hippie flair is a thing of the past. So sad.
@@josebro352 perfectly said! I feel exactly the same. Such a shame :-(
@@josebro352 sold their souls
Do they still have busking all around the square?
no more soul
"Loosing"? 🙄
Loosing??? Wtf
I lived in Cambridge near by
Did you mean “losing”? What does it mean to “loose the charm”??
ben affleck and matt damon should save it
Conan O'Brien too
What about now?
Charlie's dinner, urban outfitter, vibrant and alive. Harvard square will
Always be home to the wandering musicians, and many visitors and well intended good vibes. The pandemic just closed everything.
Urban Outfitter's got demolished lol bruh