Somerville Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Somerville is a suburb of Boston.
Contents |
Understand
Somerville has managed to hold onto its blue-collar roots while at the same time gentrifying. It is still the most densely populated city in New England, so visitors will find lots of purely residential territory between the "fun" areas: Davis Square, Porter Square, and Powderhouse Square (the location of Tufts University). Other notable neighborhoods include Union Square and Winter Hill, erstwhile home of the "Winter Hill Gang", the organized crime group headed by Whitey Bulger in the 1960's and 1970's.
Get in
By plane
Fly in to Logan International Airport in Boston. A taxi from Logan to Somerwille can cost anywhere between $20 and $35 depending on the route taken and time of day. You can also take the MBTA Blue Line subway from Logan to either the Orange Line (switch at State Street) or the Red Line. Alternately, you can take the Silver Line bus service to South Station, then transfer to the Red Line. The subway ride takes longer than a taxi and may involve some walking, which is something to consider when you have lots of luggage.
By train
Take the MBTA[1] Red Line to either the Davis Square or Porter Square Stations. If you're coming from downtown (e.g. South Station) you'll want to hop on an Alewife/Harvard bound train.
You can also take the Orange Line to Sullivan Square and then take one of the MBTA busses up Broadway through Winter Hill and beyond.
Should you be coming from northwest of Boston (e.g. Fitchburg) you can also ride the MBTA Commuter Rail.
By car
From points North: You can get to Somerville in two ways:
- take Interstate 93 and get off at exits 29-31
- take Route 3 and park at the Alewife station on the MBTA Red Line. Take the inbound Red Line to Davis Square. This is advisable on the weekends, as parking can be hard to find near Davis Square.
By bus
The MBTA bus system will take you from Sullivan Square (Orange Line) through Somerville on to Arlington center and Medford. You can also get to Somerville by bus from Lechmere Station (at the end of the Green Line in Cambridge, near the Cambridgeside Galleria and Boston Museum of Science).
Get around
By Bike
The Minuteman Commuter Bike Trail, the main branch of which runs from Bedford to Alewife (in Cambridge) extends through Davis square and a bit further parallel to Highland ave.
See
- Check out crazy park benches in Union Square.
- Prospect Hill, behind Union Square, has a tower you can climb for good views of Boston and was the location of the first American flag flown (January 1, 1776).
- Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, at the corner of Central St., Phone: +1 617-666-9810 Run by volunteers.
Do
Most tourists spend their time near Davis and Porter Squares (within walking distance of each other). Residents sometimes avoid the crowds and hit their favorite spots in Union Square and the Winter Hill area, which are out of the range of the T (but are accessible by car and bus). The Somerville Theater in Davis Square is a nice, fairly cheap 2nd-run theater that sometimes has independent titles as well as live musical acts.
There is a bigger Loews' theater in the Assembly Square Mall.
Learn
Tufts University, located in the Powderhouse Square area.
Work
Buy
- McIntyre and Moore Booksellers, 255 Elm St. (Davis Square), [2]. One of the best used book selections in the Boston area, not cheap but they carry many hard to find titles.
- Poor Little Rich Girl, 416 Highland Ave. (Davis Square), [3]. A wonderful consignment shop that has trendy, gently used women's clothes and accessories.
- The Assembly Square Mall is somewhat run-down and disappointing, but it is being remodelled. Its biggest draw is the movie theater. If you are interested in serious mall shopping, you may want to visit the Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge, a nice upscale mall with many stores. It can be reached by taking the bus to Lechmere Station or the Red Line to Kendall Square.
- Home Depot near the Assembly Square Mall and Sullivan Square.
- Circuit City near the Home Depot has surprisingly good deals on mainstream DVDs and a surprisingly good selection considering it's a chain store. Probably the best place to get Hollywood movies in the Boston area in terms of price, although the best for cult movies remains Newbury Comics.
Eat
Somerville is home to many restaurants, from low-priced pizza and ethnic finds to elegant dining.
- Anna's Taqueria, 236 Elm St. (Davis Sq), Phone: +1 617-666-3900. Fast Mexican food, much better than Taco Bell. People seem divided on Anna's, some love it, some hate it.
- Gargoyle's on the Square, 219 Elm St. (Davis Sq), Phone: +1 617-776-5300, [4]. French-influenced New American cuisine. One of the fancier places in Somerville.
- Mama Lisa's Pizza, 312 Broadway (Winter Hill), Phone: +1 617-623-9463. Good pizza, fantastic ham & cheese calzones, but calzones are only made some days of the week so call to verify.
- O'Naturals, 187 Elm St., (Davis Square). Phone: +1 617-666-2233, [5]. Naturals foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Free wireless internet access.
- Redbones, 55 Chester St. (Davis Sq), Phone: +1 617-628-2200, [6]. Excellent BBQ and great selection of microbrewed beers.
- R.F. O'Sullivan and Son, 282 Beacon St (Near Porter Sq.). Phone: +1 617-492-7773, [7]. Outstanding burgers and their fries and onion rings are excellent.
- Rudy's Cafe, 248 Holland St. (Teele Sq), Phone: +1 617-623-9201. Good Tex-Mex food, and good Tequila.
- Taqueria La Mexicana, 247 Washington St., (Union Sq), Phone: +1 617-776-5232, [8]. Friendly neighborhood taqueria, West Coast style. Burritos, tacos, tamales, everything cheap.
- Tu Y Yo Mexican Fonda, 858 Broadway, Phone: +1 617-623-5411, [9]. Excellent authentic Mexican food. This is not the typical Mexican restaurant; the food is authentic and you won't find burritos here.
Davis Square, This is a great late-night summer hangout, especially given that J.P. Licks is here. (J.P. Licks is a trendy local ice cream shop, also seen on Newbury Street in Boston.) It's right on the Red Line, and also a major bus transfer point. Tons of college folk linger in the brick plaza. The Somerville Theatre doubles as a second-run movie house and music venue. Davis Square has several coffeehouses that draw people day and night.
- Diesel Cafe, 257 Elm St, Phone: +1 617-629-8717, [10]. Coffee and light dining, winner of several local awards.
- The Someday Cafe, 51 Davis Sq., Phone: +1 617-623-3323, [11]. Featured in a song by Jim's Big Ego. Note: Sadly, the Someday closed its doors (Sept. 2006) and has not reopened in its new location. There will soon be a Mr. Crepe in this location.
- Bhoja Café, 235 Elm St., Phone: +1 617-440-6011. Coffee, sandwiches, fancy pastries and Tibetan specialties.
- Johnny D's, 17 Holland St. (Davis Square), Phone: +1 617-776-2004, [12]. M-F 12:30PM-1AM; Sa-Su 9AM-1AM. Live bands and good food.
Teele Square, Just up the street from Davis Square (heading west) it has a lot to offer in way of local restaurants. It's less crowded than Davis Square and less trendy. Head up this way if you're looking for good subs and pizza (Angelina's) or Mexican food (Rudy's).
Union Square, It is not on the Red Line, so it's a bit off the beaten path. It is only a 15 minute walk from the Sullivan Square Orange Line station, and there are MBTA [13] buses arriving from Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis, Lechmere, and Sullivan Square T stops. (It's a nice walk in good weather from the West, but the neighborhoods to the East are less nice. There are a number lots of Brazilian restaurants and stores around, including a Brazilian butcher-slash-convenience store. The Brazilian community extends to Inman Square (Cambridge) and there's another pocket in Allston. There's also Indian, Mexican, and Peruvian fare here. It's a nice, brick-based New England intersection of many roads, but there's not enough public space for pedestrians to linger.
- Red House, 24 Union Square, Phone: +1 617-666-4300, Su-Th 11AM-1:30AM; F-Sa 11AM-2AM (Delivery 11AM-1:30AM) A New England-style Chinese restaurant (take-out only). Good food, clean kitchen (you can watch them prepare your food through a window in the waiting area), and open late. Recommended by Ben Affleck.
- Neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery, 25 Bow St. (Union Square), Phone: +1 617-628-2151, [14]. Daily 7AM-4PM. It is worth visiting Union Square for, especially in the summer months. There's an overhead grape arbor with real fruit growing on it. There's a large breakfast/brunch menu, and very colorful outdoor decor. The menu also includes some Brazilian fare, as well as alcoholic drinks.
Drink
- The Burren, Davis Square, [15]. An Irish pub once said to pour more Guinness than any other in North America. Live Irish music.
- Orleans, 65 Holland St., Davis Square, Phone: +1 617-591-2100, [16]. Large beer selection and huge selection of exotic mixed drinks including a variety of Sangria's and martini's.
- The Independent, 75 Union Square, Phone: +1 617-440-6021, [17]. A very cool unpretentious place for a drink.
- Redbones, (mentioned above)[18]. has a great beer selection.
- Tír na nÓg, 366A Somerville Av. (just out of Union Square), Phone: +1 617-628-4300, [19]. It has live music most nights. In a city festering with wannabe Irish Pubs, this one seems to attract some real Irish. Acceptable food served until 10pm.
Sleep
Somerville is, as mentioned elsewhere, a heavily residential area; hence, there are few hotels. There are some bed-and-breakfasts that are not well-publicized; if you are visiting someone who lives here, they may be able to help you find one. Otherwise, you may do better to stay in Cambridge or in one of the outlying suburbs along Route 93 or Route 95.
Budget
Mid-range
- Holiday Inn Boston Somerville, 30 Washington St., Phone: +1 617-628-000, Fax: +1 617-628 0143, [20]. Just two miles from downtown Boston and four miles from Logan International Airport. Includes a photo gallery, rates, availability and on line reservations.
- Meacham Manor (Bed and Breakfast), 52 Meacham Road, Phone: +1 617-623-3985, [21]. 4 rooms, near public transportation.
Splurge
Contact
Stay safe
The area around Sullivan Square and the Assembly Square Mall is a bit desolate after dark. You have to walk under the highway and there are several dive bars nearby. If you find yourself at Sullivan Square after dark, you might want to stick close to the bus stops where there are plenty of people around.
Although Somerville has changed its colors a bit some of the the rough edges still remain. Locals don't take kindly to outsiders so avoid conflict.
Get out
Boston, the North Shore are nearby. All of New England can be reached in a few hours.
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