Cambridge, MA + Add a trip

Despite its contribution to the unstoppable gentrification of Harvard Square, the Charles is one of my favorite places to spend the night. With none of the fake opulence or cold pretension of most hotels, the Charles combines clean, modernist design with just enough Yankee elements--Shaker quilts and so on--to make it warm and inviting. Henrietta's Table (the hotel restaurant) serves the best brunch in greater Boston. And right across the street is Charlie's Kitchen, "the double cheeseburger king."