Cambridgeport

I was sitting home all day today telling myself that I really have to start working on my thesis again. Finally around 6pm I realized it wasn't going to work and decided to take a walk.
I walked to Trader Joe's and was surprised it only took me something like 15 minutes to get there. But it was one of the most wonderful walks I've taken; I was once again reminded of why I love living in Cambridge. I really love Cambridgeport, even though they say it's not the safest area around. Some of the streets have really beautiful houses: old New-England style, with painted wooden sidings (or at least it looks like wood to me) and front porches. People often leave their lights on (this is the US, after all) and don't really use curtains very much, so as I was walking past I was shamelessly staring into people's windows and catching glimpses of their beautifully furnished living rooms.
I don't know why, but the whole area seems a little dark to me - maybe there are trees growing on the sidewalks, I don't recall. But this combination of darkness and old beauty gives the streets this nostalgic, secret athmosphere. I could easily imagine one of these streets as being the setting for a novel.
There is one more place in the world that I can think of that gives me the same feeling. It's an area of Prague called Branik. Branik is a very hilly district very near Vysehrad, a cliff with remains of buildings from the 10th century at the top. Branik is not very beautiful in the traditional sense of the word: many of the houses are old and very run-down. I believe that what makes these two places seem so alike in my mind is that both are located near a river, near a big river that flows through a big city, a river with boathouses that people can rent boats at and go sailing.
I love walking though Cambridgeport. It starts only about a block from where I live, but walking through those streets is completely different than walking to MIT. Walking through Cambridgeport lets me clear my mind, forget that MIT even exists, and dream of the day when I'll be able to live in one of those beautiful old houses too.