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セントラル・スクエア
ボストンから北にチャールズ川を渡ると、そこはケンブリッジ。ケンブリッジには、名門のハーバード大学とマサチューセッツ工科大学が並んで建っています。今週は、それぞれの大学の雰囲気や変わりゆく町の様子などを紹介します。
Central Square
By MASAKO YAMADA
Cambridge is not a part of the city of Boston, but simply by taking a short hop across a bridge, one can explore this sister city. There is a T line that connects Boston and Cambridge as well as many bus routes. One of the bus routes has a stop not too far from my office at BU. It is called the crosstown bus route and it cuts across Boston and Cambridge on a large connecting street called Massachusetts Avenue. The changing scenery is something one can't really appreciate riding the underground T.
It is only a five-minute ride from this bus stop to Cambridge. BU is located on the Boston side of the Charles River, and MIT (founded in 1861) is located on the Cambridge side, almost directly across from BU. The main MIT dome is one of the first things one can see right after the bus crosses the Charles River and enters Cambridge. Indeed, the campuses are so close to each other that both BU and MIT have fraternity houses on the same street. For the most part, the decor at MIT is minimal, but there are many solid brick buildings that suggest the influence, if not the history, of the institution. As the bus proceeds a couple of miles down Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Square emerges. In contrast to the starkness of the MIT area, the Harvard campus (founded in 1636) is polished and quite in line with its Ivy League status. The red brick buildings and well-manicured grounds scream out "college campus."
Upon closer inspection, however, one realizes that Cambridge isn't just about the enormous MIT and Harvard campuses. It's true that they flavor the city tremendously, but even the short bus ride from Boston to Cambridge suggests that there is far more to this city than shiny academia. After the bus leaves the MIT area and before it reaches Harvard, it cuts across a section of Cambridge called Central Square. As one might imagine, the square is right between MIT and Harvard. But contrary to what one might think, the atmosphere is down-to-earth. In fact, many parts of Central Square are downright scruffy.
"Town/gown relations" are much discussed in college towns. This term usually, but not always, signifies some kind of conflict between a college and the long-term residents of the town in which the college is located. My alma mater, Wellesley, was located in an affluent, conservative neighborhood, and although I certainly think the students were well-behaved in general, it was no secret that some of the residents resented the perpetual influx of strangers. It seems that in Central Square, the demographics are the opposite. MIT and Harvard are powerful icons in Cambridge, but it seems that most students live on campus and most professors live in nearby suburbs. Many of the actual residents of Central Square are working-class. Some of the stores in Central Square are mom-and-pop stores that look like they've been around forever. Others, such as the many ethnic restaurants, are newer, but just as unpretentious.
For a few blocks, it seems that one is in a different world. However, even this world is changing. A friend of mine who used to live in Central Square laments the loss of such institutions as The Golden Donut, where down-home waitresses served pancakes all day. Instead, trendy cafT and shops are starting to make inroads. For the most part, these new stores seem to be faring well ― some sections of the area are almost completely new ― but some old-timers (or even newcomers who feel as if they're old-timers) seem to resent this sudden transformation. When it became known that Starbucks would be opening a store in the square, it seems that even the people who favored cleaning up Central Square were a bit sad. There have certainly been many protests in the area, and local politicians still debate the merits of gentrifying Central Square as opposed to letting it retain its character.
As long as it continues to rub shoulders with the two campuses, I think the meaning it holds will continue to change. Personally, I don't know if this is good or bad. From across the river, however, I can say that I find the strong character of this area fascinating ― and I'm interested in keeping track of its change.
Cambridge is not a part of the city of Boston, but simply by taking a short hop across a bridge, one can explore this sister city. There is a T line that connects Boston and Cambridge as well as many bus routes. One of the bus routes has a stop not too far from my office at BU. It is called the crosstown bus route and it cuts across Boston and Cambridge on a large connecting street called Massachusetts Avenue. The changing scenery is something one can't really appreciate riding the underground T.
It is only a five-minute ride from this bus stop to Cambridge. BU is located on the Boston side of the Charles River, and MIT (founded in 1861) is located on the Cambridge side, almost directly across from BU. The main MIT dome is one of the first things one can see right after the bus crosses the Charles River and enters Cambridge. Indeed, the campuses are so close to each other that both BU and MIT have fraternity houses on the same street. For the most part, the decor at MIT is minimal, but there are many solid brick buildings that suggest the influence, if not the history, of the institution. As the bus proceeds a couple of miles down Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Square emerges. In contrast to the starkness of the MIT area, the Harvard campus (founded in 1636) is polished and quite in line with its Ivy League status. The red brick buildings and well-manicured grounds scream out "college campus."
Upon closer inspection, however, one realizes that Cambridge isn't just about the enormous MIT and Harvard campuses. It's true that they flavor the city tremendously, but even the short bus ride from Boston to Cambridge suggests that there is far more to this city than shiny academia. After the bus leaves the MIT area and before it reaches Harvard, it cuts across a section of Cambridge called Central Square. As one might imagine, the square is right between MIT and Harvard. But contrary to what one might think, the atmosphere is down-to-earth. In fact, many parts of Central Square are downright scruffy.
"Town/gown relations" are much discussed in college towns. This term usually, but not always, signifies some kind of conflict between a college and the long-term residents of the town in which the college is located. My alma mater, Wellesley, was located in an affluent, conservative neighborhood, and although I certainly think the students were well-behaved in general, it was no secret that some of the residents resented the perpetual influx of strangers. It seems that in Central Square, the demographics are the opposite. MIT and Harvard are powerful icons in Cambridge, but it seems that most students live on campus and most professors live in nearby suburbs. Many of the actual residents of Central Square are working-class. Some of the stores in Central Square are mom-and-pop stores that look like they've been around forever. Others, such as the many ethnic restaurants, are newer, but just as unpretentious.
For a few blocks, it seems that one is in a different world. However, even this world is changing. A friend of mine who used to live in Central Square laments the loss of such institutions as The Golden Donut, where down-home waitresses served pancakes all day. Instead, trendy cafT and shops are starting to make inroads. For the most part, these new stores seem to be faring well ― some sections of the area are almost completely new ― but some old-timers (or even newcomers who feel as if they're old-timers) seem to resent this sudden transformation. When it became known that Starbucks would be opening a store in the square, it seems that even the people who favored cleaning up Central Square were a bit sad. There have certainly been many protests in the area, and local politicians still debate the merits of gentrifying Central Square as opposed to letting it retain its character.
As long as it continues to rub shoulders with the two campuses, I think the meaning it holds will continue to change. Personally, I don't know if this is good or bad. From across the river, however, I can say that I find the strong character of this area fascinating ― and I'm interested in keeping track of its change.
Shukan ST: Feb. 20, 1998
(C) All rights reserved
- short hop
- ひとっ走り
- explore
- 探索する
- sister city
- 姉妹都市
- T line
- ボストンの地下鉄の T 路線
- bus routes
- バス路線
- office
- 研究室
- BU
- Boston University
- crosstown bus
- 横断バス
- cuts across
- 横切る
- scenery
- 景色
- appreciate
- 味わう
- underground
- 地下鉄
- is located on 〜
- 〜 に位置している
- Charles River
- ケンブリッジとボストンを分け、マサチューセッツ州東部を流れる川
- MIT
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology マサチューセッツ工科大学
- Indeed
- 確かに
- fraternity houses
- 男子学生クラブハウス(寮を兼ねる)
- For the most part
- 大体
- decor
- 装飾
- minimal
- シンプルな
- solid brick buildings
- 頑丈なレンガの建物
- institution
- 大学
- proceeds
- 進む
- emerges
- 現れる
- In contrast to 〜
- 〜 と対象的に
- starkness
- 殺風景な様
- is polished
- 洗練されている
- (is)in line with its Ivy League status
- アイビーリーグ(米北東部の名門8大学)としての地位にふさわしい
- well-manicured
- 手入れの行き届いた
- scream out 〜
- 〜 だということをはっきり示している
- Upon closer inspection
- よく見ると
- enormous
- 巨大な
- flavor 〜 tremendously
- 〜 に多大な趣を添える
- there is far more to 〜 than 〜
- 〜 には 〜 という以上のものがある
- shiny academia
- 大学を取り巻く派手やかな雰囲気
- atmosphere
- 雰囲気
- down-to-earth
- 現実的な
- downright scruffy
- 全く汚らしい
- Town/gown relations
- 町と大学の関係
- term
- 言葉
- signifies
- 意味する
- conflict
- 対立
- long-term residents
- 長年の住民
- alma mater
- 母校
- Wellesley
- (筆者の出身校の)ウェルズリー大学
- affluent, conservative neighborhood
- 裕福で保守的な地域
- were well-behaved in general
- 全体的に素行が良かった
- resented 〜
- 〜 に憤慨した
- perpetual influx
- 絶え間ない流入
- demographics
- 人口分布
- opposite
- 反対の
- icons
- 象徴
- suburbs
- 郊外
- actual
- 実際の
- working-class
- 労働者
- mom-and-pop
- 家族経営の
- look like they've been around forever
- ずっと昔からそこにあるように見える
- unpretentious
- 控え目な
- laments
- 悲しむ
- down-home
- 気さくな
- trendy
- 流行の
- make inroads
- 出店する
- be faring well
- うまくいっている
- old-timers
- 古参
- newcomers
- 新参
- sudden transformation
- 突然の変貌
- Starbucks
- しゃれたコーヒーチェーン店の名称
- favored 〜
- 〜 に賛成した
- protests
- 抗議
- local politicians
- 地元の政治家
- debate
- 論議する
- merits
- 利点
- gentrifying
- 高級化すること
- letting it retain its character
- 広場の雰囲気を維持すること
- rub shoulders with 〜
- 〜 と親しく交流する
- fascinating
- 魅力的な
- keeping track of 〜
- 〜 を見守る