"The Harvard Square I remember is now Davis Square, where there's bookstores, characters, vitality."
R.K., The Boston Globe
Davis Square
In the Nov/Dec 1997 issue of Utne Reader Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts
was proclaimed one of the fifteen hippest neighborhoods in North America.
While we're not exactly sure what it means to be hip, the magazine mentions
"artistic energy spillover from Cambridge" and a "lively cultural milieu [that]
has popped up around the subway stop." The article continues: "With its solid bookstores,
Irish pubs, the best blues joint in town, and adventuresome programming at the Somerville Theater,
it's an alternative to franchise-filled Harvard Square."
What we like about Davis Square is the genuine neighborhood feel, the narrow streets
filled with largely pedestrian traffic, the plethora of unique shops, cafés,
and restaurants from the inexpensive to the not-so, the farmers' market, the
convenience of the subway stop, and the general unpretentiousness
and unselfconsciousness of the residents.
We also love the beautiful Minuteman Bikeway which begins in Davis Square
and runs west through Arlington, Lexington, and into Bedford.