Harvard Square

Cambridge's shopping mecca of twisting streets and red brick paths
Noteworthy for: Harvard Square, a densely compacted area at the foot of the College, attracts consumerist hordes who love getting lost in the maze of shops and boutiques.

Though gentrification has brought in many chains to replace its beloved mom & pop shops, the Square is still home to a number of unique retailers. Leavitt & Peirce, a 127-year-old establishment, sells tobacco of all kinds and elegant accoutrement such as Holly Golightly cigarette holders. Colonial Drug prides itself as a purveyor of rare scents, over a thousand for both ladies and gents.
For the clotheshorse, the Square is a veritable open air mall, with standbys like Anthropologie and Anne Taylor. But more traditional clothiers such as J. Press, with its bespoke fashion, and the Andover Shop, with suspenders and bow-ties, provide items for today's preppy dandy.

Harvard Square is also, fittingly, home to a number of independent bookstores. Worth browsing are Harvard Book Store, Raven Used Books, and Grolier Poetry Book Shop.