Until 1984, the Harvard Square stop was the northern terminus of the Red Line, and it still functions as a major transfer station between subway, bus, and trackless trolley.
 Automobile traffic can be heavy, and parking is difficult.
Most of the bus lines serving the area from the north and west run through a tunnel adjacent to the subway tunnel.
Originally built for streetcars (which last ran in 1958) and still used by trackless trolleys as well as ordinary buses, the tunnel lessens bus traffic in central Harvard Square, and lets buses cross the Square without encountering automobile traffic.
 The tunnel also allows safer and covered access between the subway and the buses.

At the center of the Square is the old Harvard Square Subway Kiosk, now a newsstand, Out of Town News, stocking newspapers and magazines from around the world.
A video of it appears in transitional clips used on CNN.
A public motion art installation, Lumen Eclipse, has been introduced at the Tourist Information Booth showing monthly exhibitions of local, national and international artists.

The office of NPR's Car Talk radio show faces the square, with a stencil in the window that reads "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe," the fictional law firm often referenced on the show.
The popular show has referenced this by asking its viewers to send in answers to the "Puzzler" to "Puzzler Tower, Car Talk Plaza, Harvard Square, Cambridge (our fair city), MA 02238".

The sunken region next to the newsstand and the subway entrance is called "The Pit".
Its arena-like appearance attracts skateboarders and, more generally, young, high-school aged people from surrounding neighborhoods who are associated with countercultural movements such as the punk, hardcore, straight edge, and goth subcultures.
The contrast between these congregants, and the often older and more conservatively dressed people associated with nearby Harvard University and the businesses in the Square, occasionally leads to tension.
Also, Harvard sports teams and clubs, including the track teams and all-male social clubs, are known to make use of this contrast through encouraging or sometimes forcing their newest members to engage in humorous or humiliating performances in "The Pit" as part of these members' initiations into the group.
The overall scene was later fondly recalled by singer songwriter Amanda Palmer as a hangout for "Cool People".

Across the street to the east of The Pit, an outdoor cafe features always-busy tables for chess players, including US Federation Life Master Murray Turnbull, who has displayed his "Play the Chessmaster" sign here since 1982.

In the southwest area of the Square neighborhood, on Mount Auburn St, stands the Igor Fokin Memorial.
 This memorial, created by sculptor Konstantin Simun, pays tribute not only to the late "beloved puppeteer," but to all street performers that are an integral part of the square, especially during summer months.

A number of other public squares dot the surrounding streets, notably Brattle Square and Winthrop Square, with a wide variety of street performers throughout the year.
Brattle Street itself is home to the Brattle Theater (a non-profit  arthouse theater) and the American Repertory Theater.
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, one block further down JFK Street, is on the bank of the Charles River.
 Cambridge Common is two blocks north.

The Square often attracts activists for unconventional political factions and has its share of panhandlers.
Although Tom Magliozzi has derided it as "the bum capital of the world", it's also very likely one of the world's best places to people-watch, having many benches, terraces, and sidewalk restaurants and cafes dedicated for that purpose, and an affluent, ambient shopping population to sustain most anyone's interest.

"The Garage" is a small, multi-story shopping mall, named thus because it was formerly a parking garage.
The original car ramp has been preserved, and is a central feature of this adaptive reuse project.
One of the main attractions in The Garage is a Newbury Comics store.
Until 1984, the Harvard Square stop was the northern terminus of the Red Line, and it still functions as a major transfer station between subway, bus, and trackless trolley.  Automobile traffic can be heavy, and parking is difficult. Most of the bus lines serving the area from the north and west run through a tunnel adjacent to the subway tunnel. Originally built for streetcars (which last ran in 1958) and still used by trackless trolleys as well as ordinary buses, the tunnel lessens bus traffic in central Harvard Square, and lets buses cross the Square without encountering automobile traffic.  The tunnel also allows safer and covered access between the subway and the buses.
At the center of the Square is the old Harvard Square Subway Kiosk, now a newsstand, Out of Town News, stocking newspapers and magazines from around the world. A video of it appears in transitional clips used on CNN. A public motion art installation, Lumen Eclipse, has been introduced at the Tourist Information Booth showing monthly exhibitions of local, national and international artists.
The office of NPR's Car Talk radio show faces the square, with a stencil in the window that reads "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe," the fictional law firm often referenced on the show. The popular show has referenced this by asking its viewers to send in answers to the "Puzzler" to "Puzzler Tower, Car Talk Plaza, Harvard Square, Cambridge (our fair city), MA 02238".
The sunken region next to the newsstand and the subway entrance is called "The Pit". Its arena-like appearance attracts skateboarders and, more generally, young, high-school aged people from surrounding neighborhoods who are associated with countercultural movements such as the punk, hardcore, straight edge, and goth subcultures. The contrast between these congregants, and the often older and more conservatively dressed people associated with nearby Harvard University and the businesses in the Square, occasionally leads to tension. Also, Harvard sports teams and clubs, including the track teams and all-male social clubs, are known to make use of this contrast through encouraging or sometimes forcing their newest members to engage in humorous or humiliating performances in "The Pit" as part of these members' initiations into the group. The overall scene was later fondly recalled by singer songwriter Amanda Palmer as a hangout for "Cool People".
Across the street to the east of The Pit, an outdoor cafe features always-busy tables for chess players, including US Federation Life Master Murray Turnbull, who has displayed his "Play the Chessmaster" sign here since 1982.
In the southwest area of the Square neighborhood, on Mount Auburn St, stands the Igor Fokin Memorial.  This memorial, created by sculptor Konstantin Simun, pays tribute not only to the late "beloved puppeteer," but to all street performers that are an integral part of the square, especially during summer months.
A number of other public squares dot the surrounding streets, notably Brattle Square and Winthrop Square, with a wide variety of street performers throughout the year. Brattle Street itself is home to the Brattle Theater (a non-profit  arthouse theater) and the American Repertory Theater. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, one block further down JFK Street, is on the bank of the Charles River.  Cambridge Common is two blocks north.
The Square often attracts activists for unconventional political factions and has its share of panhandlers. Although Tom Magliozzi has derided it as "the bum capital of the world", it's also very likely one of the world's best places to people-watch, having many benches, terraces, and sidewalk restaurants and cafes dedicated for that purpose, and an affluent, ambient shopping population to sustain most anyone's interest.
"The Garage" is a small, multi-story shopping mall, named thus because it was formerly a parking garage. The original car ramp has been preserved, and is a central feature of this adaptive reuse project. One of the main attractions in The Garage is a Newbury Comics store.
Harvard Square