1:30pm Getting off the T, I head vaguely for the Harvard Bookstore, which I know borders Harvard Yard, but I’m not sure where. I come upon a collection of food trucks and outdoor seating, where I sit under a canopy to do some editing. Like MIT, Harvard has free wifi for guests. It’s a drizzly, English type of sky – the kind that can’t decide whether it wants to rain properly or not. Living in England, I’ve learned to always carry my umbrella regardless of forecast. 

2:30pm I set off on a walk and end up circling the entirety of Harvard Yard, stumbling upon the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts along the way. I try the door and it’s open, so I go inside. 

2:40pm I’m back where I started in my Harvard Yard circling, and realize that the bookstore was here all along. If I had only gone right instead of left when I set off! At this point I’m too thirsty and tired to browse properly, so I aim to find a café. I decide on Sweet Cupcakes, which is a surprisingly nice place to do work. The best flavor is red velvet.

4:20pm Refreshed, I retrace my steps back to the Harvard Bookstore. I spot Grolier Poetry just around the corner, and something urges me to go there first. It’s cosy and literary inside. There’s a pot of free poems, each matted on colored paper. Here I have a splendid conversation with Elizabeth and Jack, who are both members of an informal Boston Tea and Culture group. I must join. 

5:15 pm Excited by conversation about art, I excuse myself to browse the Harvard Bookstore for a few minutes before heading home. It is beautiful, and full of care. More exploration to be done here another day. For now, I pick up their monthly newsletter to read on the inbound T journey.

> monday mini adventures: making the most of one’s surroundings through conscious exploration and appreciation