East Cambridge Neighborhood Guide
East Cambridge is that square grid of streets (a grid!?) near the river, plus North Point and the Riverfront, bordered by MIT, Kendall Square, the Charles River, Lechmere, and Inman Square.
Living in East Cambridge
East Cambridge is a mix of 100+ year old multifamily homes and a collection of “new” elevator buildings. (“New” in Cambridge and Boston always means to me “not as old as I am”.)
Over time, ultramodern homes are being sprinkled into the streets as in other neighborhoods.
Where is East Cambridge?
East Cambridge is just across the Charles River from Boston at both the Longfellow Bridge and the Charles River Dam Bridge. And bounded by MIT, The Port, and Somerville.
Map of East Cambridge
East Cambridge Attractions
Cambridge Public Library – O’Connell Branch
48 Sixth St
My beloved branch library when I lived in East Cambridge. You have access to the collections of Cambridge Public Libraries and the Minuteman Network, Overdrive, Academic Journals, JStor, Commonwealth Catalog, among others.
Museum of Science, Boston
1 Science Park, Boston
Public Science Common, Center for Space Sciences, Center for the Environment, Center for Life Sciences, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni Theatre
Canal District Kendall
585 Kendall
2025 Canal District Kendall
Public Art, Arts+ Culture, Dining, Retail, Recreation, Work, Live, Services, Honeybees
From the Cambridge CX Site:
Cambridge Crossing is a fully reimagined and redeveloped 43-acre neighborhood in East Cambridge, featuring 4.5 million square feet of mixed-use space, served by a newly completed extension of the MBTA Green Line.
“CX was purpose-built to support the lifestyle and pursuits of thinkers, makers, doers, and builders working in the #1 life sciences cluster of the U.S. —a dynamic community of visionaries and pioneers destined to become tomorrow’s luminaries and leaders.”
CambridgeSide Galleria
100 Cambridgeside Place
Shopping, Residential, Lab Space
East Cambridge - East End House
105 Spring Street
For their website, a story of a pillar of the East Cambridge community:
“East End House is one of Greater Boston’s oldest social service centers, and has been a vital resource for newly immigrated and lower-income individuals and families for more than 145 years. From well-baby clinics at the turn of the century, to New Deal programs during the Great Depression, to multilingual energy audits for lower-income families in the seventies, to expanding the facility in the early nineties to increase programming, our services have constantly evolved to respond to changing community needs. In 2006, our School Age Program became the first nationally accredited program of its kind in Cambridge. In recent years, we have expanded and diversified elder programming, started the Free Farmer’s Market targeting low-income isolated and disabled seniors, and launched Middle School and Youth Mentoring Programs.”
East Cambridge Parks and Playgrounds
East Cambridge Dog Parks
Let’s address the elephant (Burmese Mountain Dog?) in the room, first.
There are official dog parks in Cambridge, and what people do. Here are the dog parks recognized by the city of Cambridge. CHECK LOCAL SIGNAGE OFTEN!
East Cambridge Dog Parks
- Gold Star Mothers Park – Gore St at Sixth St
- Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. Park – 71 Rogers St.
- Binney Street Dog Park – 322 Binney Street
Ahern Field
Fulkerson St/Charles St
Playground, Water Play, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Street Hockey, Extended Hours
Hurley Park
Hurley St/Fourth St
Playground, Water Play, Community Gardens
Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. Park
71 Rogers St
Playground, Water Play, Dedicated Off-Leash Dog Area
Play Hill, Snow Play, Community Events, Movie Nights, Walking Path
Costa Lopez Taylor Park
Charles St/Lopez Ave
Playground, Community Gardens, Extended Hours
Triangle Park
Binney St/First St
Seating, Lawn Spaces, Urban Grove, Multi-Purpose Timber Deck, Stage
Charles Park
Land Blvd/Rogers St
Playground, Extended Hours
Centanni Way
Third St/Otis St
Beautiful flowers, Serene Space, Extended Hours
Simoni Memorial Rink
Gore St/Sixth St
Ice Skating, Seasonal
Gold Star Mothers Park
Gore St/Sixth St
Playground, Water Play, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Morning Shared-Use Off-Leash Dog Park, Extended Hours
Gold Star Mothers Pool
Cambridge St/Berkshire St
Swimming Pool, Seasonal
Lynch Family Skatepark
Education Street
Skateboarding
North Point Park
North Point Boulevard/Charles River
Playground, Water Play, Foot/Bike Paths
North Point Park Island – The Daffodils!
North Bank Pedestrian Bridge
Lechmere Canal Park
First St/Otis St
Playground, Extended Hours
Kayak Rentals
Paddle Board Rentals
Charles River Basin, Charles River
Bridge Loops, Foot/Bike Baths
Front Park
Cambridge Parkway
I don’t know anyone who uses that name. Some people kind of call it Charles Park, but mostly “that little park by the condo building on the river with the stair step balconies.”
It’s between the Esplanade Condominiums and the office building 55 Cambridge Parkway.
Silva Park
Otis St/Sciarappa St
Playground
Gennett/Warren Pals Park (East Cambridge-ish)
Jefferson St
Playground, Water Play
Donnelly Field
King Open School – Berkshire St/York St
Playground, Water Play, Little League Baseball, Basketball, Softball
Galaxy Park
220 Main Street
Main St/Broadway
Sculptural Fountain
Grand Junction Park
83 Otis St
Open Space
Planned multi-use path connecting Boston and Somerville.
Kendall Square Roof Garden
70 Broadway
On the roof of the Green Garage in Kendall Square
Garden paths, benches, picnic tables, urban garden, pickball, community events including gardening and yoga.
The Urban Park (UP) Roof Garden is home to three raised beds maintained by a farmer from Green City Growers.
North Point/Cambridge Crossing
The Common at CX
320 Morgan Ave
5 Acres of Open Space, Walkways, Water Garden, community events, art exhibits, and concerts
Baldwin Courtyard
Hardscape open space, seating, fitness, events.
Picnic Grove at CX
Picnic Tables, Common Use Grills, Bocce Court, Open Gym Kiosk
The Dog Run @ Child Street Plaza
Alberta Scott Station Plaza
Open Space
Kittie Knox Cycle Center
Bike Tune-Up Station, Shower, Restrooms, Changing Rooms, Lockers
The center was created by DivcoWest to encourage alternative transportation while providing solutions to make cycling a more convenient commuting option.
Hopkins Event Lawn
Free outdoor events, music, movies, water feature, play area
Dawes Field
Turf Half Soccer Field for pick up soccer and work out equipment available.
Somerville Community Path
From Trail Link:
Running through the city of Somerville, the Somerville Community Path is 3.2-mile paved rail-trail that connects with several other multiuse trails—contributing to the developing trail network in Boston and the surrounding communities.
Together with the Alewife Linear Parka and the Fitchburg Cutoff Path, the Somerville Community Path is also part of the 59-mile Mass Central Rail Trail and forms a seamless paved route connecting northwest Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge. This unique rail-trail follows an old railway corridor above ground while trains run in the subway tunnels below.
