You’re stuck on campus during spring break–your friends are away in delightfully tropical climates, your roommate is studying abroad, and here you are, waiting for the next snowstorm to happen. Don’t let that get you down! There’s plenty of stuff locally for you to do!
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DUCK TOURS! Obviously. These rides are “WWII style amphibious landing vehicles,” meaning they might as well call them “Frog Tours,” but whatever. Basically, these amphibious vehicles will take you on a sightseeing ride of Boston both on land, and in the water, where you’ll get to see the breathtaking skyline from the Charles River! They have duck tour stops outside Prudential Center in Boston, and the Science Museum. Anecdote: I had Pre-Prom pictures with my friends at the Esplanade, and while we were walking down the streets, a Duck Tour stopped and honked at us, the tourists cheered at us, gave us a ton of thumbs ups, and took a million pictures. Because high school students going to prom is just part of your average Bostonian scenery. Good stuff.
http://www.bostonducktours.com/
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Walk the Freedom Trail. Boston is a very historic city, full of the gems of the past, most of which is still preserved. You can take the Freedom Trail– a 2.5 mile trail into some of the greatest landmark stories in American History. You might even find people dressed in colonial clothes–these are tour guides, or Freedom Trail Players, who lead you upon a wonderful journey into the time of the Revolution. You can also jog this trail if you desire both exercise and edification.
http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/freedom-trail/our-tour-guides.shtml
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Go to (more) museums. There are a ton of great museums around, many of them Harvard museums (or MIT museums). But maybe you’re tired of the Fogg, or the Arthur M. Sackler, or the Museum of Natural History and Comparative Zoology. That leaves you free to find the others. I especially recommend the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s a nice place to spend a day, even if you don’t consider yourself to be an artist. They have a Frida Kahlo exhibition until March first, and a Picasso exhibition all the way through June. The Museum of Science is also fun, and a convenient stop after your duck tour. It probably doesn’t have the high level quantum mechanics/fluid mechanics/quarks and one hundred sided dice you were hoping for, but their demos are always fun to watch, and I especially love their IMAX videos about the forms of life that we’ve never noticed before. You just might find that the childish sense of curiosity you seem to have lost is still there, and stronger than ever.
Museum of Fine Arts: http://www.mfa.org/
Museum of Science: http://www.mos.org/
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Escape the Room! You’re locked in a room. There are a series of clues, in the forms of riddles and puzzles, hidden around the room. Solve them, and you will find freedom. You have one hour. Can you escape the room? Bring some friends and put your wits to the test! Note: You may not want to reveal that you are all Harvard students, lest you don’t break the record or solve the puzzles in time.
http://www.escapetheroomboston.com
For a zombie in your room: http://roomescapeadventures.com/boston/
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Go to the Boston Common and the Massachusetts State House. The Boston Common is the oldest Central park in US History, and is also the first stop in the Freedom Trail. Right across from it is the Massachusetts State House, home to the Sacred Cod, the (I kid you not) Holy Mackerel, and the Teagle. Hold on…am I reading the brochure for the zoo? No? Okay. In all seriousness, the Massachusetts State House is incredibly beautiful, and full of history which can be found in the statues and paintings that hang within. It’s definitely worth your while to go there, and take a tour so that you get the most out of your experience.
Visiting your old friend Sleep, or curling up with Netflix are just as good. Spring Break is here! Enjoy your freedom…for a week.