Market Square

Central Cambridge is home to a market that’s open all days of the week. The stalls rotate daily – some are there all week, possibly in different locations of the market, while others are only there a two or three times a week. The market sells food, clothes, souvenirs, art supplies, bike supplies, and more.

When I go to the market, I usually go for lunch, but I’ve also bought paint supplies there as well. As for food, there’s Thai, Korean, Brazilian, Spanish, Italian, Salvadoran, Japanese, Malaysian, and more. Most items are about 5 pounds, so it’s slightly more than I would pay to eat in the dining hall at Corpus, but it’s worth it for variety.

My personal favorite is the Taiwanese waffles, which are made in animal shaped molds. Inside, you can get red bean, honey, custard, chocolate, or other fillings. The girl also sells homemade pastries sometimes, like sun cakes! Although I have to say that I’m biased — I particularly like her food because it reminds me of Taiwan.

At night, the market is home to the ‘Van of Life’ and the ‘Van of Death’. The Van of Life’s real name is the Trailer of Life, but the Van of Death is so called because it’s just much worse. I’ve never actually tried the Van of Death, so I can’t attest to its quality. I have tried the Van of Life though, and I can say that it’s very good for a cheap late night snack, kind of like Chouse. They serve burgers, nachos, quesadillas, and more.

I love just walking around the market square and checking out what’s there on that particular day. I’ll definitely miss this when I leave Cambridge!

  • Option: Computation & Neural Systems House Affiliation: Page Graduation Year: 2019 Madelyn is a sophomore majoring in Computation and Neural Systems (CNS) from Foster City, California. In her free time, she enjoys going to local coffee shops, making scrapbooks, playing catch, and sewing. At Caltech, she is involved in Robogals, plays cello in a chamber group, does research in a lab, and tutors at the Hixon Writing Center. Find her online @maddieiee on Instagram for more photos!

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