At the corner of Mass Ave and Brookline Street is a massive complex of dining and entertainment. Walking through the wooden door, you are immediately transported into a setting of lebanese culture. Wooden tables and chairs are scattered around the room to create an intimate, amiable atmosphere. Smells of shawarma and hummus permeate the air. The traditional lebanese lamps on the ceiling and artwork from local artists illustrates the intermixing of near and far—Lebanon and Cambridge intertwined.

Walking back out out onto Mass Ave., you’re back in Cambridge, and that meal was just short immersive trip a few thousand miles away. With just a short walk down the road you can experience one of the many foreign cultures that Cambridge has become known for. According to the Community Development Department of Cambridge, 40.2% of Cambridge’s population were either born in a different country or are naturalized citizens.

Central Square is the embodiment of culinary diversity and variety in Cambridge. From Italian to Tibetan, ice cream to baklava, upscale dining to corner cafés—there is never a shortage of choice along the Mass Ave. strip. The densely populated urban center, anchored by MIT and Harvard, provides an eclectic, hungry clientele with wide-ranging appetites. Central Square is home to smells of every different kind of food, wafting toward you in a barrage of sensations from open and inviting doors.

Those doors remained open during the economic downturn, due to Central Square’s mix of location and affordability for the restaurants. During the recession some restaurants took the loss in profit in order to keep their clientele happy and keep price points down so that food could remain affordable. At Pepper Sky’s, the owner Wudhipong Guygaew said, “it was a little difficult in the beginning of the recession but because of their moderate prices it didn’t hit them that badly and they took the losses in order to keep their customer base.”Recently more upscale restaurants have been emerging as a result of the relatively cheaper rent, as compared to its neighboring Harvard Square. The variety of price points in Cambridge—from three dollar baklava at Middle East to an eleven dollar harvest salad at Cafe Luna —means that there’s something to accommodate everyone.

Each restaurant in Cambridge has its own completely unique flair, but for each, creating a sense of home is key. Whether its at the Middle East, where the Lebanese recipes are passed down from the owner’s mother, or at Shalimar of India, where the manager, Gindy, is the son of the owner. Family ownership and tradition embodies their sense of home.  For each, their dishes are made with care, with stories behind them of how they came to the restaurants.

Even if not familial, hospitality is a priority for all. At Cafe Luna, businessmen and MIT students alike flock to its open atmosphere every day, not only because of its reasonable prices, but because of its warm vibe and cozy setup. To the left side of the entrance hangs a bulletin board filled with thank you notes from customers, expressing their love and gratitude for the establishment. From their brunch-time lobster eggs benedict to their popular harvest lunch salad, each meal is made with passion by the chefs.

Central Square is not simply about the diverse ethnic cuisine, but rather the community built around the food. The cultural hub exemplifies the deep roots of Cambridge's diversity. Each restaurant has its own unique style filled, mixing the local and the faraway, and creating a sense of home for the people of Cambridge.

 

My final project consisted of an article and a collection of photos. In the article, I addressed the issue of homelessness in Cambridge by writing about how the situation has changed over the years, the services provided to homeless people in Cambridge, what still needs to be done, where the issue is going in the future, and the factors that contribute to and/or cause homelessness. I interviewed directors of shelters in Cambridge, the property manager of Central House a single room occupancy building for men, an employee of the Multi-Service center, and employees of Homeowner’s Rehab which is an affordable housing non-profit organization. Also I interviewed a few homeless people on the street. I photographed the facilities and the people I interviewed.

 

Walking south down Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, an abundance of noises, smells, and people are sure to accost the senses. A waft of something sweet—perhaps from a batch of Toscanini’s freshly made ice cream cones or Junior Mints from the local factory—will hit a passerby full on, engaging them in a sugar high. MIT and Harvard students bustle by on their way to classes, sleepless nights behind them, coffee in hand. Homeless men and women linger in the streets, jingling an empty cup and watching, ready for any willing Samaritan to cough up extra change. Tourists meander around in a half daze, hats on, cameras ready, clogging up sidewalks for the rest of the populace. Cars honk and fingers are thrown, but a greater sense of belonging remains.

Though Cambridge is the fifth largest city in the state, its multitude of microcosms builds an eclectic, yet coherent sense of home for its 106,038 residents. Crawling with a blend of locals, tourists, and college kids—both nerds and party animals alike—the atmosphere in and around Cambridge is always abuzz. “It’s a great place to work and play....there’s something for everybody,” Deputy City Manager Richard Rossi said. “It’s a melting pot, but it’s a place where all different people come together.”

“I love Cambridge because I grew up here,” Sammy G., a 17 year old student at Cambridge Rindge And Latin said. “As cliche as it sounds, Cambridge is more like a family than a town.” Susana, a Lesley University student living on the MIT campus also finds Cambridge appealing in its amiability. “The people are more friendly,” she said. And it’s not just students who feel welcome in the collegiate city—Bubbles, a formerly homeless woman, says she always returns to Cambridge because there’s a lot of strength within the women community.

Ask any man on the street what makes Cambridge special and it’s a near guarantee to hear about the eclectic variety of people. However, many people don’t actually take the time to observe. Instead, they continue on in their lives--overlooking the details. The amount of time that others spend pondering the lifestyles and personalities of these people is not indicative to the amount of attention they deserve.

These faces of Cambridge, with their assortment of ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and histories find a common ground on these streets, sharing a tenacious loyalty to this city they call home.

 

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Two weeks in, numerous miles walked, and countless bizarre stares later, I now have a conglomeration of portraits of the people I encountered. From college students, homeless people, and people who caught my eye; no one was off limits. Cambridge is ethnically diverse, and I asked these people to reflect on that diversity. I heard people’s stories, learned about who they are, and what drew them to this city. I listened to complete strangers, as they unfolded their stories for me, weaving them into a narrative of Cambridge’s city limits.

“Faces of Cambridge” is series of street portraits and scenes, capturing the small moments that pass by—often unnoticed—in Cambridge daily.

 

Over the course of two weeks we went around Cambridge and interviewed numerous restaurants. Taking pictures along the way, we captured the eclectic mix of culinary diversity and a sense of home. We not only learned a lot about the basics of a camera, but also the history of different restaurants. It was a great experience to be immersed into the different cultures of each restaurant and learn about the history of Central Square and why restaurants flock to the area. We gained a lot of photography skill in the two weeks and our sample images from the beginning to the end of the project show a big difference. It was a great and educational experience and we hope to pursue photography in the future. 

David Friedman Interview - 4.26.13

 

*What is the connection between Boston and our sports teams?

 

“Well, Boston is a sports town. And the people here are so passionate about their sports. Not just the Red Sox but also obviously with the Bruins, Celtics and Patriots. Sports, I think, bring the city together, give us something to cheer about when things are dark, and, you know, sports are a big part of what makes the city so special.”

 

*What do Boston athletes contribute to the city at large?

 

“I think the best way to answer that is just look at our Red Sox players since the tragedy at the Marathon, they spontaneously, without anyone’s direction did many, many things from ___8:33___ to creating other images in support of Boston to raising money for the One Fund which helps the victims of the bombings, I think that in itself is pretty good evidence of where our players’ hearts are and where their spirit is. A very spontaneous outpouring from Red Sox players, many of whom haven’t been here that long. I think that the response to what happened last week was extremely powerful, just, again, it shows where their spirit is. But beyond that, our guys, baseball players have a tougher schedule than anyone else just based on how many games they have to play but despite that they are all in huge support of charities like the Jimmy Fund, and with their help the Red Sox Foundation has raised over fifty million dollars. Some people criticize the actions of a couple guys but at least for the Red Sox, I can speak with confidence that they’re well intentioned and involved in the community.”

 

Kevin Faulk Interview - 5.1.13

 

*What’s the connection between Boston Sports and the Boston Community?

 

“There’s only one word to explain that, and that’s the passion. Passion for the game. The passion of the fans, it’s like they’re actually playing in the game with us. And as a player, we have passion for what we do.”

 

*What’s the difference between where you grew up, New Orleans, and Boston in the way that pro sports influence the city?

 

“Down in New Orleans, when I was growing up with the Saints not doing to good, people pay more attention to high school football rather than pro sports.”

 

*What makes Boston a ‘Sports Town’?

 

“Titles. Got a lot of titles between our teams. This city’s got the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox, the Patriots. I mean, we got titles.”

 

*What do pro athletes contribute to the communities they play in?

 

“They contribute a whole lot...Athlete’s get involved in the community, and athletes are always doing good in communities they live in. More so even than that, helping people, it’s just a way of life, a way of living.”

 

*Do you feel more connected to the fans in Boston than you do to the fans in other cities?

 

“I could say it’s the same ‘cause I feel really connected to the fans in Louisiana but at the same time, yeah playing on the Patriots, you get extremely connected to the fans of Boston.

 

*Especially following the recent tragedy that happened in Boston, how do our teams give something more for the city, on top of just something to cheer for?

 

“Here, everything is really well coordinated [with the community and our teams]. Then there’s the passion that the fans have, and the players understand, like we’re so lucky to be here, so after something like that, everyone can really come together [around sports].”

 

*What are three words you could give me to describe the feeling of being on the field and getting to play in Boston for such committed diehard fans?

 

“Aw man, it’s awesome. I can’t give three words, it could be a whole science. Again, it’s the passion. Wherever you go, you get that warm feeling [from the fans].”

 

Larry Scott Interview - 5.2.13

 

* What do collegiate and professional sports teams give to their cities?

 

“A lot of things, they bring a lot of economic aide, they bring a lot of revenue, in different ways. They give support for local businesses. They bring a tremendous amount of pride for a city. They improve the quality of life in a city. And there are many forms of community interaction through sports, ways that are helpful for youth and other stakeholders. Those are the four things that come to mind for me.”

 

* As a non-bostonian, do you see a difference between Boston fans and the fans of other cities in terms of dedication, attendance, enthusiasm etc.?

 

“I think Boston fans have a great reputation for their loyalty to their teams and their passion. Also, Boston’s teams are some of the oldest in professional sports, so there’s a tremendous sense of heritage and pride, and there has been, in Hockey, Basketball, Baseball, Football, a track record of historical success, the teams have won championships and a lot of cities can’t say that. So I think you’ve got a lot of pride and heritage around winning which other cities have not experienced.”

 

* What do pro and college sports provide for aspiring athletes?

 

“Framework for competition, so people can try to carry on to the next level with their athletic ambitions, a chance for pursuing excellence at different levels, chance for notoriety, aspirations of a chance to earn money and get fame and fortune. All those things. Particularly with college, this sometimes doesn’t get a lot of attention, but sports provide an opportunity for education that a kid may not otherwise have, they can sometimes get into a better school than they might get into otherwise because of their success in a particular sport. You also may get your schooling funded through scholarships that you get for being good at a sport, so I think there is a lot for educational and social mobility that happens for individuals because of college sports.”

 

* What do championships mean to school team or pro team?

 

“People want to hop on the bandwagon... And of course, rings bring a tremendous amount of pride and spirit and committing from your different stakeholders and fans.”

 

* Following the recent tragedy in Boston, what can our sports teams do to help the city in such a rough time?

 

“Sports teams are essentially a source of pride and emotional connection for a lot of fans, they can really play an important role and can be very helpful in the healing process. Teams can help the community come together which is really great to see in times of, a tragedy in this case, it’s nice to see a community come together, rally together, and support each other. So sports teams can keep elevating growing awareness and remembrance of what happened to make all of the sports fans in Boston feel like part of a whole community. Teams keep alive the memory or the people harmed by [the bombing]. To the extent of the community, stuff like lesson learned, and how we’ve worked through things moving forward, teams can promote those messages as well. Of course individuals on the teams, the stars can, through their efforts on the team can be a beacon for compassion, and be role models if they stick out in appropriate ways with sensitivity about what happened and can relay any other messaging that the leadership in the community wants the city to rally behind. Sports stars at the collegiate level and the professional level have a platform, people listen to them, kids listen to them. So they’re role models, and that’s a very powerful thing.

 

At first my initial "pitch" for my photography project was, "to set off into the City with no idea in particular and let the people and the surroundings of Cambridge decide my project for me. Everything and anything will be my inspiration, and slowly but surely the City of Cambridge will carve the path of my project for me." However after a day or so of shooting it was clear I probably needed a little more structure! I then had the idea to take pictures of the various aspects found throughout the city of cambridge, so off I went into cambridge and shot a wide array of pictures that I thought somewhat enraptured the moods felt all around cambridge. After looking back on my photos a couple days in it was clear that I was attracted to geometry in my photos. The majority of my photos were close ups of interesting patterns and objects.

I really enjoyed walking around the streets of Cambridge in search of the perfect picture! I also was very happy that I became much more educated with photography; I now understand how to change the ISO and aperture appropriately, which was a huge help since usually I tended to have many overexposed photos!

In the end I was able to write my mini article about the city of Cambridge, filled with many descriptions of the many senses I felt each day walking through the city.   

This studio was a great experience. I learned a lot about photography and more about how to write in a concise and clear way. It was really fun to get to go out in the middle of the day and do the interviews and take photos. I also really enjoyed meeting the people I interviewed, though not everyone I approached on the street wanted to talk to me. Even though it was disappointing it was a good lesson to learn to be able to brush it off and try again. I was glad to hear from everybody that I interviewed that Cambridge provides a lot of services for homeless people, though there can always be more. However, because of sequestration and budget cuts, there’s going to be a lot less affordable housing options for homeless people which is depressing. I want to continue to find more about the homeless situation in Cambridge, especially since it is predicted to get worse. I think that this kind of work is very important. When I asked what was the best way people can help the homeless situation, almost everyone said educate yourself about the issue. A lot of times people tend to jump to conclusions and judge others, which is a totally ineffective way to help the issue. It is important to be informed about what is actually happening which is the importance of journalism. 

 

When asked, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" my most recent, reoccurring answer has been, a sports journalist. Ergo when the opportunity to do a photo-journalism project about my hometown came along, of course I chose to do the project about Boston sports. I realized that in Beantown, the sports are so important and so continueally succesful and storied that the teams share a more significant connection to the city than in other places. After this realization, I decided that my photo essay would document the impact that our 4 pro teams have on the city. Starting out, I wasn't very good with the camera settings such as the apeture and the shutter speed. However, after a lot of help from others such as my coaches, I learned how to use the different settings and my project really started to come together photo-wise. I photographed at a Red Sox game and got a lot of good shots, some of which ended up as part of my end-product. I got feedback that I wasn't shooting enough so the next time I went out to take pictures, I took tons. This set of pictures was taken at the site of the Marathon Bombings and at the makeshift memorial for victims of the tragedy. I took over 400 pictures this time around, many of which were really good and many of them ended up in my finished photo essay. As for the written portion of the projec, I reached out to a bunch of different people who I knew or had a connection to somehow and asked if they could help me with the project or at least let me interview them. I talked to the commisioner of the Pacific-12 conference, an executive VP in the Red Sox legal council, and a former Patriots player. I interviewed these three people about various subtopics that fit into the general theme of the connection between Boston sports and Boston.  After conducting these interviews, I read over what they said and gathered some great quotes that I ended up using in my final written piece. On the last thursday of the studio, I really sat down and started writing my article. I chose the title, "Wicked Sporty" because it was short and sweet and it involved the famous Boston colloquial usage of the term 'wicked' to mean 'very'. I wrote the piece reasonably quickly because it was on a topic that I love and a lot of it came quickly to mind. I decided to start and end the piece with a narrative of my experiences through my childhood at Gillette Stadium watching the Pats. After these decisions were all set in stone the rest of writing came easily to me and I was able to finish the article. I'm very proudl of how it turned out and I had greta time doing the studio.