They’re lifelines for those in need tucked away in communities across the country and in Massachusetts: Community fridges offering food with no questions asked for anyone to take.
“The first time we did it, we made about 25 sandwiches,” said student Andrew Walker.
“Something healthy, a fruit and then like a sandwich as a full course lunch meal,” said student Nick Rosen.
The students do the shopping, prep work and stock the fridge to help them learn skills that will help them find jobs once they leave the program.
“’Neurodiverse’ is big umbrella term that encompasses a lot of different abilities and disabilities. Some common terms people might here are autism spectrum disorder, anxiety,” said Catherine Horan, director of Career Services Threshold Program at Lesley University.
The students are working together to make a difference in the community.
“Makes me feel good for doing something with the community and we’ve gotten a great response. We’ll be not even finished stocking the fridge and there’s already people lining up waiting,” said Walker.
“Many of our students and alumni go to a program or go to a job and stay there for a really long time and really have wonderful skills, and think about things and think about problem-solving in a lot of different ways that maybe you or I may not think about,” Horan said.
COMING SOON: New York sensation Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will open a trio of scoop shops in the Boston area, starting this spring. They’ll begin with Chestnut Hill (55 Boylston St.), followed by the Seaport (131 Seaport Blvd.), and Harvard Square (1 Brattle Square).
They’re known for wild and wacky limited-edition experiments, from Kraft mac-and-cheese to Hidden Valley Ranch, as well as classic flavors such as praline butter cake and a much-loved vanilla bean. They also sell a big variety of vegan scoops.
The popular NYC chain will open locations in the Seaport, Harvard Square, and Chestnut Hill.
Looking for a new ice cream parlor? We’ve got the scoop.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will be opening three new locations in Greater Boston, according to a press release. The new parlors will be located in Chestnut Hill, the Seaport, and Harvard Square.
According to Ben Van Leeuwen, one of the co-founders, the Chestnut Hill location (55 Boylston St., Suite 5578) is slated to open in about one month, the Seaport location (131 Seaport Blvd.) is set to open in three to four months, and the Harvard Square location (1 Brattle Square) will open in approximately nine months.
“You only have one life. So you might as well do business in places that you enjoy being in,” he told Boston.com. “Boston is one of those.”
The popular ice cream chain started out of a truck in 2008 in New York City, according to the company’s website. Since then, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has opened over 50 parlors in seven states and Washington, D.C., according to the release.
Some of the chain’s best-selling flavors include the honeycomb, pistachio, chocolate fudge brownie, and Earl Grey tea. For vegan flavors, some top sellers are peanut butter brownie honeycomb, chocolate fudge brownie, and cookies and cream caramel swirl, according to Van Leeuwen.
He added some of the most unique features are the ingredients used — from Sicilian pistachios, Ecuadorian chocolate, and Tahitian vanilla beans.
“We want to make good ice cream for everybody,” Van Leeuwen said. “We work hard to make it as absolutely good as we can.”
The chain’s menu offers over 30 flavors of ice cream and also serves sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, root beer floats, milkshakes, and to-go pints. The company also works with “local partners,” like a bakery or pastry chef, to release a special flavor that is unique to the market being catered to. For the new Boston locations, Van Leeuwen said these flavors will be announced closer to the grand openings.
“We’re excited to get to know the Chestnut Hill, Seaport and Harvard Square communities even more, and share good ice cream that makes you feel good,” Van Leeuwen said in the release.
Harvard Square is a great hangout for students and young professionals, but its full of things to do with kids. With one of the best playgrounds in the Boston area, museums, historical sites, and family-friendly entertainment options, Harvard Square is a family-friendly neighborhood. On top of all that, Harvard Square is also home to some of the top hot chocolate spots around Boston. Read on for our list of the top 25 things to do with kids in Harvard Square, including Harvard Square Restaurants and Harvard Square hotels.
3. Attend an activity or pick out a book at the children’s room at The Harvard Coop. Make sure the kids use their bathroom while there before heading back out!
4. Catch one of the kid-friendly films, or even film festivals, at the Brattle Theatre.
5. Keep an eye on the calendar for family-friendly festivals, like Harvard ArtsFirst.
6. See all of the historical sites (and even the haunted ones!) with a tour of Harvard square.
Harvard’s museums offer some of the coolest things to do and see in Harvard Square. Harvard Museum of Science and Culture photo by Michael Del Llano for Mommy Poppins
8. Visit the Longfellow House and grounds for a free tour inside and look around the gorgeous garden. A great place for photos!
9. No matter what else you do, make sure to leave time to play at the fantastic Alexander Kemp Playground on Cambridge Common!
10. Find the gate into Harvard that reads “Enter to Grow in Wisdom.” See if it makes the kids feel smarter to pass through that particular gate into Harvard Yard!
11. Help the kids find William Dawes’ golden horseshoes and the cannons at the Dawes’ Island Memorial on Massachusetts Avenue.
12. Bring roller skates and try them out on Memorial Drive in summer, when it’s closed to vehicle traffic.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will look to be the crème de la crème of ice cream selections in Harvard Square as it is set to open a Cambridge location in the near future.
Founded in New York City and established in eight states and Washington, D.C., Van Leeuwen is planning to open three stores across the Boston metro area. The Harvard Square location will be located at 1 Brattle Square, across from Bluestone Lane Cafe.
Jisung P. Lee ’25 said she enjoyed trying Van Leeuwen’s ice cream while in New York and was “surprised” to hear the chain was coming to the Square.
“I was personally surprised to know that there was another ice cream shop opening because it just adds to the numerous that we have already,” Lee said.
The Square is currently home to six ice cream stores: J.P. Licks, Ben and Jerry’s, BerryLine, Amorino, Taiyaki, and Lizzy’s. With another nationwide chain joining the collection, residents will have a wealth of options to choose from for their late-night cravings.
Hannah G. Zhou ’25 said another ice cream shop in the Square does not feel “necessary,” but added that she’s still willing to try Van Leeuwen for the “novelty.”
“If after going one time, I didn’t like it that much, I probably wouldn’t go back again,” she said. “It also depends a lot on the price point.”
Carlos Covarrueeis — an employee at Boston area ice cream shop J.P. Licks — said he does not think they will face competition from Van Leeuwen because “J.P. Licks is the best ice cream from Boston,” adding that J.P. Licks also sells a fully kosher certified menu that includes coffee and breakfast sandwiches.
Eddie H. Galante, who has worked at J.P. Licks for three months, said he is happy to see another ice cream shop appear in the Square.
“On a summer night, there’s never enough ice cream places open,” he said.
Ben and Jerry’s associate manager Hannah Nangle said she doesn’t believe the Harvard Square Ben and Jerry’s will face threat from Van Leeuwens, thanks to the company’s established presence on campus.
“People love our brand presence,” Nangle said. “They love knowing our history.”
Emily Parke ’24 said she is “excited” for Van Leeuwen’s eventual opening and that it’s “fun” to have so many ice cream options.
“I see them in the grocery store sometimes and I see that they’re kind of expensive, but that makes me think that maybe they’re good,” Parke said.
Gabriel H. Basden ’26 said that despite the new option, he will be remaining loyal to J.P. Licks, his favorite ice cream shop in the square.
“I believe in loyalty and maintaining ties to the relationships and connections you’ve known for the longest time, and I’ve yet to have a bad cookie dough from J.P. Licks,” he said. “I will not be trying the new place.”
Van Leeuwen did not respond to a request for comment.
Despite the many ice cream chains on campus, Karen Z. Song ’25 said she doesn’t see the shops as a “hangout spot” that students frequent on campus.
“It will be interesting to see if Van Leeuwen changes that dynamic and normalizes ice cream consumption,” Song said.
Harvard Book Store owner Jeff Mayersohn told GBH News that he was excited by the opportunity to expand to the Prudential Center, a marquee downtown shopping location. With an expected 29,000 square feet, the former Barnes and Noble store also would have provided a much larger footprint than the 5,500 square feet of the original Cambridge location.
“It was a very ambitious project to begin with, and certainly much bigger than anything the bookstore itself has ever done,” he said.
The project started during the pandemic and costs started rising due to supply chain issues, labor shortages and inflation. Mayersohn said they tried multiple times to make the store happen by revising the design and staffing needs. Construction had already begun, but the escalating price eventually reached a point that it was no longer viable to continue with the new location.
Despite the recent cancellation of Harvard Book Store’s planned second location at the Prudential Center, independent booksellers say business is going well and they are hopeful about the future for bookstores in Boston.
Mayersohn said the Cambridge location continues to thrive — revenue is up, author events are popular and customers are coming back again and again. He said his focus now is investing further in that location.
The Cambridge City Council voted to support a tax on large real estate transactions and discussed the feasibility of municipally-funded housing vouchers during a Monday evening meeting.
Councilors voted 6-2 to endorse keeping local option transfer fees a part of the state Affordable Homes Act, which is currently being reviewed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Under the current version of the AHA, Massachusetts municipalities would have the authority to impose a tax of between 0.5 and 2 percent on real estate transactions of more than $1 million, with revenues going to fund affordable housing projects.
Based on an estimate from the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Middlesex County — in which Cambridge is located — could raise more than $131 million for each 1 percent tax on large real estate transactions.
Councilors expressed hope that the additional revenue resulting from the tax could help alleviate Cambridge’s longstanding affordable housing crisis.
But some local advocates urged the Council to reject the policy order, raising concerns over the additional cost to homeowners.
“The reality is that this is not a fee for municipalities. It is actually another fee for every homeowner in Cambridge whose property is valued over a million dollars,” Denise Jillson, the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said during the Monday meeting.
“I urge you to consider what a local option transfer fee will mean to residential property owners in Cambridge,” Jillson added, “particularly those who are older and may be looking to downsize, those who are younger with families and need to upsize, and every home or condo owner who might be counting on their most valuable asset — their home — to maintain financial security and, for some, their independence.”
However, councilors stressed that the provision itself would not immediately impose the real estate tax in the city.
“It is really important, though, to note that this legislation does nothing to enact a tax of any kind or a fee of any kind in Cambridge,” said Councilor Patricia M. “Patty” Nolan ’80.
“What it would allow is local control for municipalities across the state to decide whether to implement a transfer fee that reflects the reality of the markets within their own city,” Nolan added.
Jillson suggested the tax was unnecessary, citing numerous programs the city has implemented to support affordable housing development, and the relative abundance of affordable housing in Cambridge.
“These programs have resulted in 15 percent of the housing stock in Cambridge deemed affordable,” said Jillson. “While there are a few communities with higher percentages, it is important to note that the statewide average is 10 percent. Cambridge far exceeds that.”
Cambridge Residents Alliance President Lee Farris disputed the sentiment, pointing to the Envision Cambridge plan, the city’s blueprint for 2030.
“It says we’re trying to get to 20 percent income-restricted affordable housing in the city,” said Farris, referring to goals laid out in the Envision plan. “If some speakers don’t like that, they’re going against what the city has already said it wants to do.”
The Council also debated issuing municipally-funded housing vouchers in partnership with the Cambridge Housing Authority, ultimately referring it to the Council’s Housing Committee.
The CHA currently provides housing vouchers under the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which pays for low-income residents to rent an apartment in the private market. City funding for housing vouchers would increase the number of Cambridge residents who receive this assistance.
“Voucher holders can have flexibility on what part of the city they want to live in,” Farris said. “While I certainly think we need to build more income-restricted affordable housing, vouchers are really important in preventing displacement of lower-income people in the short term, in a faster timeframe than is possible by building new affordable units.”
Rachael Solem, a founding member of the Cambridge Local First business organization, was remembered by Cambridge residents and leaders for her commitment to the city’s small businesses and nonprofits. Solem, who ran the bed-and-breakfast Irving House, had close ties to several other local business groups and a deep love for the serving the local Cambrdige community, according to people who knew her. Beyond her entrepreneurial ventures, Solemn supported many local nonprofits, including the Community Servings, On the Rise, and Future Chefs, and shelters in Cambridge for women and families, including Renae’s Place, the Tanner Residence, and the Cambridge YWCA. Solem died on January 15. She was 68. “She had a big heart and a big brain, and we are really, really grieving her loss,” said Theodora M. Skeadas ’12, executive director of Cambridge Local First. Solem was known for her ability to bring people together, according to her daughter Briana Pearson. “She has so many different circles of people and communities that she built that it’s pretty impressive that everyone still felt so connected,” Pearson said in an interview. Solem got her start in Harvard Square in 1990 when the establishment that is now Irving House was in poor condition and up for sale. At the time, Solem had no experience in hospitality and learned all of the necessary skills on the job. “The story goes, she’d never even stayed in a hotel before she bought a hotel,” Pearson said. Solem built a devoted clientele by offering a comfortable, welcoming space for travelers to Harvard Square. She later purchased Turner House, which catered to short-term renters, and Harding House, a bed-and-breakfast similar to Irving House. Pearson said that what her mother created in Harvard Square was unique, considering the landscape of national hotel brands that cater to high-spending travelers. Harding House was known for its quirks, including the baked goods staff made for guests each morning, the typewriter in the parlor where guests could leave messages to each other, and the musicians who were invited to showcase their work in the building’s common spaces. Solem additionally co-founded Cambridge Local First in 2005 as an advocacy organization. Solem was motivated by an influx of large corporations that challenged local businesses and a shift in consumer spending habits toward online retail. The nonprofit organization now consists of 500 independent businesses in Cambridge and advocates for local commerce. “Everybody loved working with Rachael. I stopped by the bed-and-breakfast very often to say hi to her and get a coffee,” Skeadas said. “It’s such a welcoming place. It’s a beautiful establishment, and she treated her staff with such care and such diligence.” Despite her residences standing out for their distinct contributions, the Covid-19 pandemic threatened Solem and other proprietors across the hospitality industry. Unable to keep three businesses running during the major slowdown in sales, Solem decided to close Harding House and focus her resources on Irving House to get through the pandemic. In 2021, Solem stepped back from her role at Irving House, and Pearson took on the job of general manager. Solem continued her involvement with Irving House, fulfilling supervisory responsibilities at the location for the next few years. Since Solem’s passing, Pearson is transitioning into a more prominent role at Irving House. She said that she aims to preserve what her mother has spent the past three decades building. As she looks ahead toward maintaining the establishment her mother built while also exploring new avenues, Pearson said she sees challenges on the horizon. For instance, the rise of online booking platforms has cut margins for small hospitality businesses. “It’s been a constant battle to help people understand that if you book directly with a small independent property, you’re helping put money back into the community,” Pearson said. According to Pearson, the relationships Solem forged with her employees and customers were a key source of motivation, helping her persevere through the challenges of establishing and sustaining her hospitality business. Skeadas believed that Solem’s compassionate nature made her exceptionally well-suited to her role as a supporter of local businesses. “She’s a woman who was profoundly candid, thoughtful, clear-eyed, and deeply empathetic,” Skeadas said. “Those are really hard qualities to find. And the combination of all those things made her a very special person.”
Celebrating Harvard Square’s Newest Performance Space
ARVARD SQUARE’S newest performance venue, Arrow Street Arts (ASA), celebrates its official opening with a weeklong festival starting March 23. Featuring regional artists, organizations, and diverse genres, the event will showcase talents from the traditional to the avant-garde.
ASA is a combined black box theater and street-side studio that replaced the American Repertory Theater’s experimental venue, OBERON, and abutting former retail space. The combined 11,500-square-foot facility provides much-needed rehearsal and performance opportunities and is equipped to handle a wide variety of projects. ASA founder and long-time Cambridge resident David Altshuler, Ph.D.-M.D. ’94, envisions everything from “traditional musical theater to live music, dance, spoken word, circus, comedy, immersive audio, magic, and experimental programs that integrate multiple art forms.” Reflecting that range, the festival is produced by Liars and Believers (LaB), a Cambridge ensemble led by Georgia Lyman and Jason Slavick focused on artist-generated collective theatrical content. Fostering regional talent is also part of ASA’s overall mission—and goes along with revitalizing the arts and accessibility to them. “We love Harvard Square,” says Altshuler, “and we believe that fresh programming delivered in renewed and expanded spaces will make a difference and motivate traditional and new audiences to come back to the Square and join us on our journey of exploration and discovery.” A founding core member and former deputy director at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Altshuler is now executive vice president of global research and chief scientific officer at the Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
ASA was designed to accommodate audiences ranging from 150 to 600 people—the kind of flexible interior that best supports the arts in New England. Moreover, ASA’s educational programming will help foster exploration of topics like affordability, increasing arts resources, and equity. “We are dedicated to being a part of the ‘why and how’ as we move beyond the pandemic and bring life back to our shared spaces,” Altshuler notes. “We are confident that ‘art builds community.’”
Tracy Chapman was 45 years old when she finished her 2009 summer tour at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Although she had achieved every level of success as a recording artist, her career was at a bit of a crossroads, the very name of her second studio album, released 20 years earlier.
Chapman’s self-titled 1988 debut was one of the music industry’s great artist development stories. Born on March 30, 1964, in Cleveland, Ohio, she enrolled at Tufts University, majoring in Anthropology, while also singing in coffee houses and night clubs and doing street performing around Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. She was discovered by Brian Koppelman, a fellow student, who told Rolling Stone a year later, “I was helping organize a boycott protest against apartheid at school, and [someone] told me there was this great protest singer I should get to play at the rally.”
Koppelman swiped a demo tape from the college radio station and played it for his father, Charles, a veteran music industry executive. Soon signed to Elektra Records, Chapman’s debut album featured 11 original compositions, including “Talking ’bout a Revolution” and “Fast Car.” Defying all odds for a debut album from a Black female singer-songwriter, 1988’s Tracy Chapman topped the album charts around the world, including the U.S., where it was certified 6x Platinum. It went on to become one of the most successful debuts of all time, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide. It remains one of the most successful albums by a female artist in history.
In an alternative universe, Chapman’s performance at the 66th annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, where she performed “Fast Car’ as a duet with country superstar Luke Combs, would be the icing on the cake of a career filled with a more traditional album-tour, album-tour routine. Instead, the performance, which has since received headlines around the globe, along with plenty of social media discussion, was just Chapman’s fourth public performance in 15 years. Hers is a story of quick, early stardom that turned into an equally abrupt fadeaway.
Two months after her debut album’s release, Chapman performed “Fast Car” at the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday tribute at London’s Wembley Stadium, giving her access to the world stage.
