Harvard Square and the outskirts around it exude feelings of small town culture and community. At the grocery store you happen by your favorite coffee barista, and by the river you give a wave to a friend from MIT. So spending the summer here in Cambridge has been a real treat, filled with great community events and lots of areas to get some sun while enjoying the best the city has to offer.

This week was particularly great, with some awesome events this past weekend & some outdoor places on my list to visit. Check out this list below for some things to consider doing if you find yourself in Cambridge for the summertime.

Herbstalk, June 9^th

• What an amazing event! This past Saturday, I went with a few friends from my yoga teacher training (and even our teachers were there as well!) to the Somerville community space (The Armory) for an event on discussing and integrating healing herbs into our life. There were classes ranging from how to use herbs to make natural lotions, what herbs into integrate with aromatherapy, and how to heal diseased with natural herbs. Between the entire information download, you could stroll through the expansive herbal market place and pick out a favorite tea, homemade lip balms, or deliciously flavored honey.  The event was a hit in its first year and I expect it will continue again—if it does and you are here next summer, certainly check it out!

Taking a class on healing herbs in the warm sun!

Dragonboat Festival, June 10^th

• There are many events during the summer around here that celebrate the cities multiculturalism. This is just one of the many, but its location (taking place on the beautiful Charles River) was certainly a draw.
• Our yogi tribe decided to make a weekend of it and headed over. The river was filled with boats decorated in vibrant colors and followed with the deep beat of the drums in each boat.

Watch the dragonboats go!

Farmers’ Markets, ongoing beginning around June

• Time to rejoice—farmers market season has begun again! While the armory also hosts a winter farmers market, the full spread of summer vegetables and berries begin to emerge now as the farmers markets of summer open. The one nearest my summerhouse in Davis Square has just begun, and Harvard and the Food Literacy Project host their own farmers market near the Science Center beginning this upcoming Tuesday. If you’re in the area, drop by organic produce or kombucha on tap!

Get your fill of kombucha on tap, at the Harvard Farmers’ Market

Mt. Auburn Cemetery, on a clear day

• Boston is a city full of history, and Mt. Auburn Cemetery is no exception. Built in 1831, this cemetery is not ordinary gravesite, but is filled with the headstones attributable to some of Cambridges’ historically famous elite including B.F. Skinner (professor and psychologist), Edward Everett (former US Secretary of State and Governor of Massachusetts), and John Rawls (Harvard philosophy professor), among others.
• On top of that, the cemetery is a breath-taking place to visit filled with thousands of shrubs and plants along the hills, expansive ponds and waterways, and woodlands with more than 5, 500 trees of 700 varieties. Given this, the location is a favorite for Cambridge bird-watchers. Come on a clear day and ascended the main tower of the cemetery to get a 360-degree view of the city from up high.

The beautiful view from atop the Mt. Auburn Cemetery Town w/ my Cambridge & California friends

Walden Pond, during a warm to hot day

• A bit of a drive, or else a ride on the commuter rail over, Walden Pond is the former home of Henry David Thoreau where he wrote his infamous book, Walden. The expansive pond is still full of forestry and wildlife, and it’s a great place to cool off on a hot day.

Taking a dip in Walden Pond

Cambridge Commons, on a sunny afternoon

• Between all the gallivanting to and fro these great events and historical sites, you may hope to find rest somewhere and refuel. If it’s a nice day outside, try to make it out early and find a restaurant with a patio. The restaurant Cambridge Commons is a favorite choice of mine for just this. There are a group of wooden tables seated on the main street out on Mass Avenue. Located conveniently close to Harvard, Cambridge Commons has a great selection of food for a nice brunch out.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•