Harvard will open its gates to about 1,000 prospective students this weekend under the heading of a new unofficial name: Visitas. The new moniker for the program is one of several changes to the annual weekend geared toward introducing admitted students to life at Harvard. The Undergraduate Admissions Council solicited suggestions in the fall for a new, more Harvard-specific name, said UAC Co-Chair Kevin X. Liu ’11.
Forty Winks, a new lingerie boutique on 56 JFK St. above Shay’s Pub and Wine Bar, opened its doors last Friday, hoping to meet Harvard Square’s demand for lingerie. The store’s owners, Rachel A. Wentworth and Meredith W. Donaldson—both former employees at Harvard Square’s Mint Julep—said Forty Winks differs from other lingerie outlets such as Victoria’s Secret in that its image is not about sex.
Although the red Chinese lanterns decorating Harvard Square had been destroyed by last week’s high winds and torrential rains, Mass Ave. was alive with firecrackers, drums, and lion dancers during the Hong Kong restaurant’s Chinese New Year’s celebration yesterday.
Despite the busier weeks leading up to winter break this year due to the new academic calendar, administrators are encouraging students and faculty to shop in Harvard Square for their holiday needs as part of an effort to support local businesses through a tough economy and to meet the University’s sustainability goals.
First Printer Restaurant, Bar, and Grill expects to open its doors April 1, replacing the now-empty Herrell’s Ice Cream on Dunster St. After 27 years of serving ice cream, Jeffrey Stanett decided to convert Herrell’s and expand the existing location into a casual restaurant due to financial pressure from rising costs and increased competition in Harvard Square, from J.P. Licks in particular.
Students who used to grab lunch at Z Square will have to wait a few months longer for its successor to open. Despite earlier projections of a December opening, the 14 JFK St. space that previously housed Z Square café will likely remain empty until early spring, according to Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association.
Though Black Friday in Harvard Square lacked the typical 5 a.m. rush of shoppers searching for dramatically slashed price tags, dispersed sales for smaller items did draw some bargain hunters to local storefronts. Harvard Square’s stores stuck to their normal opening times, but store owners said that more shoppers than usual flocked to search for deals.
In the 60s, one of the hubs of the folk boom was Cambridge. The epicenter of this nascent movement was Harvard Square, where you could find a Boston University dropout named Joan Baez making her mark at the legendary Club 47 (now Club Passim).
This month, Harvard Square will return to its folk roots and celebrate the area’s role in developing of folk music with special events and displays of archival photos in stores fronts around the square.