
Photo: Treaclewell, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Established in 1950, the List Visual Arts Center (LVAC) is the contemporary art museum of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is known for temporary exhibitions in its galleries located in the MIT Media Lab building, as well as its administration of the permanent art collection distributed throughout the university campus, faculty offices, and student housing.
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Likely the most striking building on MIT's campus, built in 2004 in a very modern architectural form. Contains a small branch of the MIT Museum (see below).
A monumental dome with an oculus at its center, similar to the Pantheon in Rome. Located in MIT Building 10 (most MIT buildings are referred to by numbers rather than names, as befits the university's technical orientation).
The best way to do this is to rent a boat and paddle upstream to Allston from Kendall Square. Vice-versa is great too, the river has no current to fight against. It'll take less than 2 hours and is amazing.
The bridge connecting Cambridge to Boston across the Charles river. Located at the edge of MIT, not Harvard University. It's well known in the nerdy folklore of MIT: the distance across the bridge is marked in "smoots" (1 smoot = ) after Oliver Smoot, an MIT student who allowed himself to be laid end-to-end to measure the distance across the bridge, as part of a fraternity prank.
One Kendall Square
This great theater has all the newest Hollywood blockbusters, plus all the arty flicks you never knew you wanted to see. Big garage next door, so parking here isn't as big an issue.
Has a huge collection of holography, rotating exhibits, and showcases some of the best "hacks" performed by students. Hacks at MIT are practical physical jokes taking place around the institute. For example: installing a somewhat functioning police car (complete with instructions for how to remove it) atop the great dome. This museum is great for kids and many exhibits are hands-on, including moving sculptures and a shadow room.