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Wicked Local

In Harvard Square, Life Alive + Down Under create a restaurant and yoga “wellness oasis”

Life Alive restaurant and the Down Under School of Yoga kicked off the new month swinging the doors open to a joint enterprise in Harvard Square. 

Called Life Alive + Down Under, the business duo’s “wellness collaborative” can be found at 22 John F. Kennedy St., placing the vegetarian restaurant’s offerings and the independent yoga studio’s services under a single roof.

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The Crimson

Bike Lane Delay in Porter Square Stirs Conflict in City Council Meeting

A delay in the construction of bicycle lanes in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge stirred disagreement among residents in a Cambridge City Council meeting Monday evening.

During the meeting, the Council approved two communications sent by City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. One proposed an appropriation of more than $700,000 for studies and planning related to the Cycling Safety Ordinance, a law requiring the installation of 25 miles of separated bike lanes in Cambridge. The second informed the Council that the city will fail to meet the CSO’s upcoming construction deadline.

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The Crimson

Taco ’Bout News!: El Jefe’s Taqueria to Relocate Within Harvard Square

El Jefe’s Taqueria, a staple of Harvard Square, is set to move into a new location around the corner from its current storefront in August.

The restaurant, one of the Square’s most popular late-night eateries, will join a planned Starbucks, a comedy club, and a gym in The Abbot building, a historic site located at the intersection of Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street. The building, which formerly housed the famous Curious George Store, has been under renovation since 2019.

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Boston.com

A combined yoga studio and cafe will open in Harvard Square

The Life Alive + Down Under “wellness collaborative” opens March 1, with a second location in the works.

Two local wellness-centric businesses are partnering up.

Life Alive and Down Under School of Yoga are opening a new joint concept together in Harvard Square under the name Life Alive + Down Under. Doors are due to open March 1, according Life Alive CEO Bryan Timko.

“We’re calling it a wellness collaborative,” Timko said. “It’s rooted in the fact that what you eat and how you move influence how you feel. Here, you can get it all in one place.”

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The Crimson

Wusong Road Review, Pt. 1: What Happened to the American Chinese Classics?

You can read the quality of food at a Chinese restaurant by the quality of its bathroom. Every stunning bathroom may indeed bring with it a dinner of mediocre takes on Chinese classics.

Escaping the simultaneously colorful yet dimly lit and overwhelmingly decorated seating area in Harvard Square’s newest restaurant and bar, Wusong Road, one may find refuge in the bathroom, taking time to admire the pristine, patterned tiles on the floor and the playful wallpaper of monkeys drinking vodka. Some sort of arbitrary house music plays above, and a large window tints the bathroom with the purple-blue of nightfall. But despite its spick-and-span bathroom, flashy decor, and beautiful cocktails, Wusong Road’s food failed to dazzle — it was a confusing disappointment. To the dismay of students across campus, the restaurant reaffirms the fear that good Chinese food in Harvard Square remains a faraway pipe dream.

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The Crimson

Banksy Exhibit Launches 60-Day Stay in Harvard Square with Preview Event

A stream of eager visitors lined up at the Harvard Coop the night of Feb. 16, not to shop for university merchandise, but rather to catch a first glimpse of $35 million worth of art by world-renowned artist Banksy.

To mark the start of its 60-day presentation, “The Art of Banksy,” held an exclusive preview for press and invitees, presented by StarVox Exhibits. The show, which features iconic images such as “Girl with Balloon” and “Flower Thrower,” has drawn from collections across the globe to amass the largest assembly of privately-owned Banksy art yet.

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WCVB

Works by elusive street artist Banksy on display in Cambridge

“The Art of Banksy,” the largest touring exhibition of authentic Banksy artworks in the world, is now open in Cambridge.

The exhibit, which opened Thursday, features more than 100 original works from private collectors across the globe and offers a rare opportunity to view authenticated and certified Banksy artworks rarely seen by the general public.

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The Crimson

Flyby Tries: The New Harvard Square Ben & Jerry’s

In hindsight, getting ice cream in the middle of a frigid Boston winter may not have been a great idea, but in the name of journalism, we decided to make the trek to the new Ben & Jerry’s located at 35 John F. Kennedy St. We had to dodge street puddles and trudge through black sludge (socks unfortunately not spared), but we eventually made it to our destination.

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Vanyland.com

(A)live again: More Cambridge venues welcome back musicians

After typing the phrase “will not reopen following the COVID-19 pandemic” more times that we’d like to acknowledge over the past two years, it feels like a breath of fresh spring air to report that more greater Boston venues are welcoming back live music. Three spaces — Toad, Charlie’s Kitchen, and Atwood’s Tavern — have recently announced their plans to host regular performances again, reawakening the beat of three different Cambridge neighborhoods and joining the likes of The Cantab, Lilypad and elsewhere.

We can’t say that the pandemic is over — but we can say nature is healing. Read the details below, and then mark your calendar accordingly.

Charlie’s Kitchen

Six months after we reported that shows at Charlie’s Kitchen were “off the table” for the foreseeable future, talent agent Daniel Carswell has announced that shows will return to Charlie’s next month. The second floor of the Harvard Square eatery and venue will once again host three-band bills on Monday nights (a.k.a. Carswell’s signature “Mondays Don’t Have To Suck” programming), starting March 21.