The universities of Boston

So, about the universities in Boston's northern region -- Cambridge.

Harvard's buildings are not particularly impressive from the exterior. I only saw the inside of the Memorial Hall, built to honour the Harvard students who fought in the American Civil War, and it was nice, but not particularly large.

Glimpse of the Memorial Hall interior

So the site itself isn't particularly worth visiting, to be honest, BUT I joined an official historical tour of Harvard Yard, led by an inexplicably endearing recent graduate (he graduated last week) who told the folklore of Harvard in a simultaneously dramatic and deadpan manner. He was from the Boston area, and unmistakably had its ubiquitous accent, and yet the only adjective I can think of to describe him is "droll" (a word which most Americans are unlikely to know the meaning of, I'll bet)!

This is the nicest photo I have of Harvard Yard. Seriously.

The Harvard museums, though, which are on the campus as well, are well-worth the visit. The Harvard Museum of Natural History was particularly impressive, with its Glass Flowers collection -- and I personally enjoy evolution exhibits every time I see them, even if they are often pretty similar.

Not only scientifically accurate but incredibly realistic glass models of flowers

My look at MIT was even briefer, actually, but I had a fun moment when a distinctive-looking building caught my eye. It was designed by architect Frank Gehry. who recently designed one for my little university back home, too. Had I time I would have definitely visited MIT's Science Museum for its AI displays. Maybe not its sole campus tour though, which is aimed at prospective students. I think that ship has sailed...