After lunch we ventured over the Charles River to Cambridge. Many non-Bostonians think Cambridge is another neighborhood within Boston, and while it might seem like an arm of Boston proper because of its image, it is not. As my Urban Planning enthusiast pal at MIT explained, Cambridge [The Bow Tie, or as we dubbed it "Bow Tie City"] is its own town with a different personality and vibe. Entering via Massachusetts Avenue beckons "you are in the epicenter of America's upper-crust intellectuals, feel the brain juice flowing around you"- with Harvard and MIT buildings almost neck to neck. Overhearing conversations of the brainiac contingency provided a nice contrast to the dithering stupidity I tend to hear in Manhattan. Heading down "Mass" Ave. lines a variety of shops and while it feels like a small town let down post the pretty, cosmopolitan Newbury Street, there is local character no doubt- an affordable, student-friendly environ where academics and working class locals coexist. After pitying the Harvard students and their sweaty, tortured parents packing up dorms amidst a depressing plethora of U-Hauls and suburban mini-vans, we decided to head back to Beantown, but with a quick stop at Toscanini's.
I am an ice cream enthusiast, and find nothing more disappointing than an overpriced scoop of Edy's in a cup. After reading rave reviews about Toscanini's, I held this joint in high esteeem. The famed B3 [burnt sugar, brownie batter and burnt caramel] was cloyingly sweet. I opted for the Buckeye, a chocolate peanut butter combo- my old standby that didn't let me down. There was enough creaminess in the peanut butter without overshadowing the chocolatey goodness. My cohort [who is of a plainer, more traditional tastebud], blinded himself to the exotic varieties, opting for boring old Belgian Chocolate- which did taste like a melted, frozen choco bar, straight from northern Europe. My biggest "complaint", if you will, was that I ordered a Frappe. No, not a milkshake, but a "frappe" as our New England cohorts call it. Red Sox vs. Yankees, Celtics vs. Knicks, Frappes vs. Milkshakes. My hesitation to utter "may I have a Buckeye frappe" was comical to me- a New Yorker//ice cream lover... that I doubt anyone else aside from my mother would find amusing.