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Letter from Boston

Central Square

By MASAKO YAMADA


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。

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

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