Print
Boston Globe

Good riddance to The Pit

Many people have fond memories of the Harvard Square landmark. But The Pit had a dark side that shouldn’t be glossed over.

Twenty-one-year-old Io Nachtwey in the spring of 2001, shortly before she came to Cambridge and several months before her murder.
Twenty-one-year-old Io Nachtwey in the spring of 2001, shortly before she came to Cambridge and several months before her murder.

Io Nachtwey’s doomed life in The Pit, the circular brick plaza above the Harvard Square T station, began sometime in the summer of 2001. Originally from Hawaii, she was 22 and homeless when she drifted into Cambridge. She quickly joined a loose-knit community of misfits who loitered and skateboarded in and around The Pit, often panhandling and sleeping on nearby streets or in graveyards.

Within a few months, she was dead — murdered in an especially savage attack.

On Tuesday, the Globe reported that the city had demolished the Pit, which originally opened in 1982, provoking an outpouring of nostalgia for the days when “pit kids” (or, to some people, “pit rats”) gave Harvard Square a grittier punk vibe. A mythology seems to have emerged that back in its heyday, The Pit provided a welcoming environment for troubled teens and runaways, who returned the favor by keeping the soul of “real” Harvard Square alive before the ATMs and high-end boutiques took over.

“Anybody who went in there, regardless of their political persuasion, their race, their sexual persuasion, it didn’t matter. Everybody was welcomed. Even kids that were a little bit odd and outside the mainstream felt welcomed there,” Denise Jillson, the executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, told the Globe.

I don’t mean to argue with people who have happy memories of their time in The Pit. And it’s certainly true that The Pit in the daytime was a less menacing place than it was at night.

Related

Readers recall their halcyon Harvard Square daysHarvard Square was never what it used to beEnd of an era: The Pit, a landmark of Harvard Square, is demolished

But anyone tempted to romanticize The Pit and all it supposedly represented should read about Nachtwey’s death. The Pit “community” didn’t welcome her. It quite literally killed her. Described as sweet and naive, Nachtwey was raped, stabbed by another Pit regular, finished off with a nunchuck blow to the head, and then dumped into the Charles River.

Former Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley, who prosecuted hundreds of homicides in 17 years in office, said Nachtwey’s killing was “one of the most horrific, horrifying murders in my time as DA.”

“This young woman was truly an innocent kid,” he told me. Four people were convicted in her murder; two others pleaded guilty to lesser charges in exchange for their testimony.

It was not the only crime associated with The Pit. As an announcement for Cambridge’s 2022 “Pit-a-palooza” gingerly acknowledged, “[s]ome of the rats were victims of violence and sexual assault and their experiences are the dark side of this otherwise positive experience.”

You think?

There are, obviously, crimes in every setting. But the rose-tinted nostalgia for the era of The Pit kids strikes me as deeply misplaced, and a continuation of the willful indifference by many Cantabrigians to The Pit’s “dark side” that set the stage for Nachtwey’s death in the first place.

Many of the kids who slept in and around The Pit needed help, and maybe they would have received it if more people in Cambridge had viewed The Pit as a problem and not as a perverse source of pride. Cambridge wore its willingness to let Pit kids sleep on the street as some kind of badge of countercultural honor. Embracing The Pit flattered Cambridge’s self-image as a Bohemian enclave; it also left the kids themselves in danger.

“The street is a very dangerous place, it’s a dangerous environment for anybody,” Conley said.

What does it matter? The Pit kids are long gone, and now so is The Pit itself. But there’s still plenty of homelessness, and plenty of dispute over what to do about it. So mourn the end of an era if you must — you can even buy a brick salvaged from The Pit, with the proceeds going to a charity that supports homeless youth. But hopefully the next time some vulnerable young person like Nachtwey ends up here, there’s no pit quite so deep waiting for them.

Print
Crimson

Historic Longfellow House Hit By Trump’s Federal Funding Cuts

The Longfellow House is located at 105 Brattle Street. The site's credit card limit had been reduced to $1.00 by the Trump administration.

The Longfellow House is located at 105 Brattle Street. The site’s credit card limit had been reduced to $1.00 by the Trump administration. By Ike J. Park

By Jaya N. Karamcheti and Kevin Zhong, Crimson Staff Writers

Yesterday

The Trump administration’s funding cuts are hitting close to home for Cambridge residents, as the historic Longfellow House had its credit card limit dramatically reduced by the U.S. General Services Administration last week.

When the Longfellow House-Washington Headquarters National Historic Site tried to pay their annual dues of $110 to the Harvard Square Business Association last week, their credit card payment was denied.

In a statement posted on Harvard Square’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the HSBA, wrote that when she called to confirm the credit card number, she was informed that the Longfellow House received notice from the federal government that their credit card limit had been reduced to $1.00.

The Longfellow House, located on 105 Brattle St., is a mansion that was built in 1759. The House was George Washington’s first long-term headquarters during the American Revolution, and was also the home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The site is preserved by the National Park Service.

National parks across the country have faced staffing cuts since President Donald Trump took office, with 1,000 employees being laid off on Feb. 14. Since the staffing cuts, the Trump administration has also announced a planned 30 percent payroll deduction at the National Park Service.

The U.S. General Services Administration, which manages federal property and government operations, wrote in a public statement that they directed 15 federal agencies — including the National Park Service — to limit cardholder accounts under the GSA SmartPay to $1.00.

“GSA has implemented a review and approval process to ensure that purchases that directly support mission-critical activities can still be made in a timely manner,” they wrote in a press release.

“Under this administration, GSA is committed to saving every single dollar and helping federal agency partners prevent all fraud, waste, and abuse,” they added.

Jillson blasted the funding freeze as “appalling” and “unconscionable,” and committed to keeping the Longfellow House part of the HSBA.

“Their partnership is too important, their presence is too sacred to all we hold dear,” Jillson wrote.

Jillson said that although the Longfellow House is not connected to education, healthcare, or other “bigger issues at stake,” its contributions to culture and history are vital to Harvard Square and Cambridge.

“The Longfellow House — Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site provides visitors from across the globe with historical knowledge and offers folks the experience of being in the same physical space as the first President of the United States of America,” Jillson wrote in a post on Instagram.

As the HSBA reaffirms its commitment to the Longfellow House, Jillson said that Cambridge residents are concerned about the funding cuts.

“Mostly, people are appalled,” Jillson said. “Just appalled.”

The Longfellow House is not the only historic site in Massachusetts to be affected by President Trump’s recent executive orders attempting to downsize the federal government. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston was closed this past February, but was reopened just a day later. Jillson hopes something similar will happen for the Longfellow House.

“We’re hopeful that this will be one of the reversals,” Jillson said. “The good news is, I received a newsletter from the Longfellow House this afternoon, so staff is still there.”

In these times of uncertainty for businesses and cultural institutions in Cambridge and beyond, Jillson encouraged residents to speak up about what matters most to them.

“It is unprecedented for us to use this platform in this manner, but these are unprecedented times,” Jillson wrote. “Silence is complicity. We will not be complicit.”

Print
Cambridge Police News

Harvard Square Business Association Recognizes CPD’s Elana Klein with Public Service Award

March 07, 2025 • 6 days ago

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) would like to congratulate Elana Klein, who was recently recognized by the Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA) with their Public Service Award. Elana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works as part of the CPD’s Clinical Support Unit.

Through her work, Elana has been a tireless advocate for many who frequent Harvard Square and in doing so has helped to improve the overall community. In describing Elana’s award Executive Director of the HSBA, Denise Jillson, noted Elana’s “dedication to our unhoused, underserved, vulnerable and sometimes forgotten friends and neighbors.” As a nod to Harvard Square’s iconic culture, the award is made using a brick that was part of “The Pit”, that once marked the center of the square.

The award was presented during the HSBA’s 115th Annual Meeting which was held on Thursday.  This event was well attended by numerous members of the community including Vice-Mayor Marc McGovern, several City Council members, City Manager Yi-An Huang, and Police Commissioner Christine Elow. The CPD was also represented by other members of the Clinical Support Unit including Director of Clinical Support Services Dr. James Barrett as well as members of the Community Action Team.  

The CPD joins the HSBA in our appreciation for Elana’s work and congratulates her on receiving the Public Service Award.

Print
Boston Magazine

Lydia Shire Takes Over the Bar Enza Kitchen in Cambridge

The culinary icon will oversee the Charles Hotel’s Italian restaurant while still running Scampo on Beacon Hill, too.

By Rachel Leah Blumenthal· 

Fans of chef and restaurateur Lydia Shire, a matriarch of Boston’s dining scene, can now catch her on both sides of the river. While she’s continuing in her longtime role as chef and co-owner at Scampo inside Beacon Hill’s Liberty Hotel, she’s also joining the team at Italian restaurant Bar Enza inside Cambridge’s Charles Hotel as culinary director.

She’ll “continue to elevate the Bar Enza experience,” per a press release, “oversee[ing] menu additions and put[ting] her signature cooking techniques on it.” No word yet on exactly what that might look like on the menu, but Shire makes a mean lobster pizza—and is a skilled butcher, too. The powerhouse chef has been in the industry since the 1970s, famously co-owned the historic downtown restaurant Locke-Ober in the early aughts, and has mentored countless young chefs over the years.

One of those mentees? Jody Adams, now an iconic Boston chef and restaurateur in her own right. Adams ran Italian restaurant Rialto for nearly two decades—in the space that Bar Enza now inhabits. That Charles Hotel space has stayed with Italian cuisine ever since. After Rialto’s 2016 closure, the Giulia team operated Benedetto in the location for several years but closed during the pandemic. Bar Enza opened in 2021, a collaboration between the Charles Hotel and Lyons Group (which oversees Scampo as well as Sonsie, Rochambeau, and more), with chef Mark Ladner running the kitchen. (The Belmont native rose to culinary stardom in New York City at Del Posto before returning to Boston; these days, he’s back in New York.) Then, Tony Susi—a longtime Boston chef with a penchant for pasta—led Bar Enza for a couple years. And now, it’s Shire’s turn.

In early 2023, Shire was planning a Seaport restaurant at the under-development Seaport Science Center on Congress Street. There have been no updates since the initial announcement, but several people with knowledge of the project have told Boston that it’s on hold for now. With her focus trained on just Scampo and Bar Enza for the moment, we’re excited to see what Shire continues to bring to the table in the sixth decade of her impressive career.

Bar Enza. / Photo by Maria DeNapoli

1 Bennett St. (Charles Hotel), Harvard Square, Cambridge, 617-661-5050, bar-enza.com.

Print
WBZ News Radio

Luxor Cafe In Harvard Square Is Serving Customers Extra Late For Ramadan

Mar 3, 2025

Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio)  Luxor Cafe in Harvard Square is staying open long after dark this month to cater to those celebrating Ramadan. 

Muslims observing the Islamic holy month abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. Mealtime comes after an evening prayer, so the cafe-deli is serving guests until 2 a.m. through the end of Ramadan on March 29. 

“If you go to an Arab country or a Muslim country, you’ll see that after prayer, that’s when the cafes open up,” said Luxor Cafe owner Abdelrahman Hassan. 

The spot on Mount Auburn Street opened just over a year ago. Hieroglyphics run along the walls, and the menu includes traditional Egyptian dishes like hawawshi, a pita stuffed with minced ground beef, and kibda, a liver sandwich. 

“A lot of people living here, they kind of long for that thing they miss at home. We’re just trying to be that space for them,” Hassan said. 

Different mosques have different prayer times during Ramadan, so Hassan said he gets waves of rushes late at night for post-prayer meals. 

“For the most part, the same people stay, and it gets really, really lively,” Hassan said. 

He wants the cafe to be a meeting space for the community during the late hours, enjoyed by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. 

“It kind of gives you an idea of what you would expect in a different country,” Hassan said. “You’ll meet people, you’ll hang out with people, it’ll be like a place to play card games. You just make friends there.”

Print
Timeout

Bonde Fine Wine Shop’s Big Mac & Wine

Monday February 17 2025

Time Out says

Who said fast food can’t be fancy? Bertil Jean-Chronberg, Bonde Fine Wine Shop’s owner and artisan curator, breaks all the rules with a fun fast food pairing during his upcoming Big Mac & Wine Tasting & Class. During the class held at 7pm on Feb. 20  at his tiny upbeat wine shop in Harvard Square – known for its small-scale, eco-responsible wines – he will guide you through an hour of learning about and sharing impressions of four wines with one all-dressed hamburger sitting sidecar.

Print
USA Today

What’s the best restaurant near you? Check out USA TODAY’s 2025 Restaurants of the Year.

After the positive feedback from our inaugural USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year and Bars of the Year stories published last year, our extensive team of dining writers has once again collaborated to answer one simple but important question: What’s the best restaurant to try?

The query comes from locals wondering about new openings, out-of-towners seeking hidden gems, and loyal readers trusting our expertise. As journalists, it’s a question we love to answer because we know our communities deeply. Whether it’s a classic taco joint in Arizona, a historic Serbian diner in Wisconsin, or a waterfront seafood restaurant in Florida, our recommendations come from those who live, work and eat there.

That’s why this year’s USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year isn’t just another list of hot spots with monthslong waits for reservations in major metros like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s a celebration of local flavors and stories, curated by reporters from across the country who know that a meal of Italian cuisine in Mamaroneck can be just as rewarding as one in Manhattan.

We’re not tourists; we’re storytellers, embedded in the fabric of these food scenes. From cherished institutions to exciting new ventures, here’s a taste of the most remarkable dining destinations across the country right now. Presented in alphabetical order by state, these are our 44 favorite restaurants in America for 2025.