Category Archives: cheers

A Visit to Harvard / travel blog

Harvard.  We are at last back to Boston, where we had stopped by Cheers Bar and Restaurant for some good food and some great memories from the TV sitcom. Now it’s time to visit Harvard.

Leaving Cheers, we walked back through the Commons, stopping to look at the State House. Then we boarded the Old Town Trolley to ride back to Cambridge and Harvard. To walk through Harvard Yard is a pleasure at any time, but in the fall it is more so with the colors of the leaves. You can get an idea of what the beautiful New England colors are like by just viewing the Yard.

Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard

As you walk through the Harvard Yard, there is one mandatory thing you must do. You have to find John Harvard and have your picture taken with him. You may have to wait in line to do this, but it moves fast.

John Harvard
John Harvard

While walking around Harvard, take time to really look at the buildings. Many of them are works of art that stand as a testament to the craftsmen who built them. To really see this you must get up close. You will find faces carved in the stone looking at you. There are so many little things that go beyond what was required. These buildings are so much better than concrete boxes that we see today, although you will see a few of those, too.

Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard
Harvard
Harvard
Harvard
Harvard

Enjoy your time at Harvard, reading about the buildings and the history surrounding them.  You can walk where Washington and many other great men and women have walked. Also, allow yourself time to visit the community around the school. There are some great places to eat as well as some very different shopping opportunities.

Cheers Bar and Restaurant Boston

After walking through Boston Common, we arrived on Beacon Street.  Across the street from us at 84 Beacon was Cheers Bar and Restaurant, made famous by the TV sitcom Cheers.

Street view of Cheers Bar and Restaurant
Street view of Cheers Bar and Restaurant

Upon arriving at the Cheers Bar and Restaurant, the first thing a true fan of the TV show will notice is the location of the bar.  On the TV sitcom the bar is below street level with steps from the sidewalk leading down to it.  The real Cheers does have the steps leading down but they take you to the restaurant instead of the bar.  The bar is in fact on the second floor.

When you enter they will ask if you would like to put your name on the waiting list to be seated at the restaurant or if you are just going to look around and visit the bar.  Do not worry about the wait time as the restaurant moves fast and there are so many things a fan of the show can look at.  You will be seated before you know it.

Daughter and Son in law at Cheers
Daughter and Son-in-law at Cheers

The restaurant has a wide selection of food to pick from.  From the starters list I would recommend the Chicken Fingers. The chicken is lightly breaded but is crispy and is served with a honey mustard sauce.  The other starter that we tried was the Nachos Grande.  The nachos are chips with green and red sweet bell peppers, cheddar cheese, with salsa and sour cream.

My mother at cheers.
My mother at Cheers.

The Cheers Bar and Restaurant offers soups and salads and several options for meals.  We of course chose hamburgers.  The burgers are your normal burgers with basic toppings served with fries and a pickle.  The one difference you will notice is the size.  They are big.  The petite burger is a quarter pounder.  Another thing you should note is for each burger sold, Cheers donates fifty cents to the Cheers for Children Charity.

My wife and I checking the offerings at Cheers
My wife and I checking the offerings at Cheers

If you do not have time while waiting to be seated, you must go to the bar area and have a drink after your meal.  Sip your drink and look around the room while you remember all the joy the TV show brought into our lives.