Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street converge here in a triangular plaza that gives you the pulse of Cambridge. This corner is more than a crossroads: the name "Harvard Square" also describes the business district and the part of Harvard University that clusters around this intersection, the historic center of the city. Immediately adjacent is Harvard Yard, the historic heart of Harvard University, and the Square itself functions as a lively commercial center for Harvard students as well as residents of western Cambridge, the western and northern neighborhoods and the inner suburbs of Boston.
Public transit centers you here: Harvard station is a major MBTA Red Line subway stop and a busy bus transportation hub. Remember, "Harvard Square" can mean the whole neighborhood for several blocks in every direction — a short walk takes you to Brattle Square just a block away and to the nearby Cambridge Common, a park with a playground, a baseball field and a number of monuments, several relating to the Revolutionary War. From here, Brattle Square is a block away and Cambridge Common lies just beyond, with the Yard right at your side.