Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

The exterior of the hotel is a reconstruction of the private residence built in the 1880 s which was previously on the property. A four-story addition will be constructed with a design element reflective of the former stables that stood on the site.
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Highly doubtful. I see a servile ass-lick of NIMBYdom.
 
Our lounge called the Simple Truth is a relaxing space in which to enjoy a glass of wine or have a conversation with friends.
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Is this promise of a good bar?

How may good bars remain in Harvard Square?

Would someone care to enumerate them --good or bad?
 
I'm betting it will feel too expensive and exclusive to be a "good bar". Then again, I think the best bar in Harvard Sq. is probably Charlie's.

I was paging through the new Harvard Sq. photo history book the other day and became hugely jealous of anyone who got to experience it in the days of the Wurst Haus et al.
 
ablarc said:
How may good bars remain in Harvard Square?
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Not nearly enough.

ablarc said:
Would someone care to enumerate them -- good or bad?
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Charlie's and Grandal's are the last of a breed.

I like John Harvard's, but it's not much of a bar. OM has a cool bar area (and they have a good bourbon and whisky list) but I could give a shit about "cool."

czsz said:
I was paging through the new Harvard Sq. photo history book the other day and became hugely jealous of anyone who got to experience it in the days of the Wurst Haus et al.
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Losing the Wurst Haus was a watershed moment in the "anonymizing" of Harvard Square. Dives like the old Boathouse (renamed something else) and the Hong Kong have been overrun by irony-junkies and Emo-kids. Losing the Bow & Arrow was last the nail in the coffin.

I wish you luck in your quest for authenticity.
 
Wursthaus was definitely a good bar.

Agree about Charlie's.

There used to be two or three bars that featured old men and 15-cent beers.

33 Dunster was a self-conscious bar, and overpriced. Does it still exist?

There was a crappy bar at Mass Ave and Arrow Street (or Bow?).

Oh yeah, there was a basement bar on Boylston (JFK) with one of those generic Irish names. Soulless, in spite of its copper bar and smart-alec bartenders. But it did have Bass, Guinness and Harp on tap before anyone else. You had to screw up your courage to tackle the steps back up to the sidewalk after a hard and expensive bout at the tap.

What happened to that place at Palmer and Church that always had the foul-mouthed sock-less would-be preppies spilling onto the street?

God, what slim pickin's. Come on fellas, flesh out the list!
 
ablarc said:
33 Dunster was a self-conscious bar, and overpriced. Does it still exist?
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Don't think so. That address is now John Harvard's.

There was a crappy bar at Mass Ave and Arrow Street (or Bow?).
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There's a restaurant/bar at the corner of Bow called Grafton Street that is always packed with a reliably yuppie crowd.

Oh yeah, there was a basement bar on Boylston (JFK) with one of those generic Irish names. Soulless, in spite of its copper bar and smart-alec bartenders. But it did have Bass, Guinness and Harp on tap before anyone else. You had to screw up your courage to tackle the steps back up to the sidewalk after a hard and expensive bout at the tap.
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Are you thinking of Grendel's Den, fronting Winthrop Square?

What happened to that place at Palmer and Church that always had the foul-mouthed sock-less would-be preppies spilling onto the street?
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There's a giant Mexican restaurant there called Border Cafe. People still spill out of it.
 
ablarc said:
There was a crappy bar at Mass Ave and Arrow Street (or Bow?).
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This was the old Bow & Arrow, made famous (for a Warholian moment) in Good Will Hunting.

The building was demolished and it has been replaced with the Grafton Street Pub. It's like a pretentious take on TGI Fridays with an Irish accent.
 
czsz said:
Are you thinking of Grendel's Den, fronting Winthrop Square?
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No, certainly not; this place was on the other side of the street and in the next block up towards the square. It was just downstairs from the big drug dealer.

Grendel's is beneath contempt. Always was. Wannabe. Place had no class from the day they took over from the club. Yucky sandwiches. Overpriced, incompetent wait-staff. Yikes.
 
ablarc -- the place I think you're referring to is either an Uno's (there's a downstairs) or Whitney's Cafe, a shady little place. I got 'faced in there with the chicks from the temp agency that placed me at Radcliffe about a thousand years ago. It's crowded, noisy, and not very fun. Jukebox was crap.

ablarc said:
Oh yeah, there was a basement bar on Boylston (JFK) with one of those generic Irish names. Soulless, in spite of its copper bar and smart-alec bartenders. But it did have Bass, Guinness and Harp on tap before anyone else. You had to screw up your courage to tackle the steps back up to the sidewalk after a hard and expensive bout at the tap.
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I believe this was once called "The Boathouse." I've been thrown out of there at least twice.

I understand your "frustration" with Grendal's. I always considered its numerous shortcomings to be part of the charm...
 
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czsz said:
Don't think so. That address is now John Harvard's.
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Oh, I bet they still have the stained glass of Spiro Agnew.

And I'll bet they still have Tricky Dick!

Problem with Harvard Square: they change names when places change hands. So traditions don't get built up.

(Except for Charlie's and Mr. Bartley's.)

Even Elsie's and the Taystee died. Who'd-a-thunk?
 
ablarc said:
Oh yeah, there was a basement bar on Boylston (JFK) with one of those generic Irish names. Soulless, in spite of its copper bar and smart-alec bartenders. But it did have Bass, Guinness and Harp on tap before anyone else. You had to screw up your courage to tackle the steps back up to the sidewalk after a hard and expensive bout at the tap.
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Ablarc, I think you might be referring to Shay's. Still there and still one of the few decent places left in the Square for a tasty pint!
 
Are architecture enthusiasts predisposed to be bar/pub crawlers and beverage enthusiasts? Or just those from Boston?

C'mon, let's get this Amethyst Initiative moving.
 
Haha ^

I have actually been following that for a few years now.
 
ablarc said:
Sorry, but no. The basement of Pizzeria Uno sounds right.


Relatively newly there, I'd wager.
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Been there since at least the mid-80's (college days!). It has a small patio area in front that you walk down to (its a basement level bar) that you would remember if this was the place.
 
Didn't have an outdoor area at all. In fact, it was about as secret as a speakeasy, except for one thing: it had a green-painted heavy-timber storefront that led to nothing but the basement stair.
 
Beton Brut said:
Charlie's ... the last of a breed.
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Charlie's is Harvard Square's best, and my question is: WHY ?

Harvard is a world-class university. Do you think Heidelberg, Oxford and Krakow are as poorly equipped with bars?
 
That's an excellent question, ablarc...Charlies just got markedly better with the addition of a proper outdoor beer garden. It's fantastic. But to run down the list...John Harvard's sucks, Grafton Street is nice but fairly sterile, Red House is a small hidden gem but not really a bar, the Irish bar where the house of blues was is passable, Grendels is solid but unremarkable, Tory Row is new and snappily designed but not a great spot to truly while away the hours...the better bars are down towards Central: Plough and People's Republic are excellent. Deadalus has the best outdoor deck in the city
 
In short, Charlie's has remained independent in a sea of chain (owned or influenced) eateries and safe, homogenized culture.

In an American Idol world, Charlie's is The Clash.
 
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