A turn among the Ivy

Kristie Kellahan opts for the unofficial walking tour of Harvard's grounds when she visits historic Cambridge.

IN The Social Network, Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg (the future founder of Facebook) stands shivering in the bitter winter cold in front of a statue of the university's founder, John Harvard. During a hazing ritual, he and other first-year students must identify three myths about the statue or remove a piece of clothing.

Those myths are: the statue was not modelled on Harvard's likeness, as no image existed when the sculptor was commissioned; Harvard was a financial contributor, not the founder, of the university that bears his name; and the institution was founded in 1636, not 1638, as the inscription reads.

What the scene in the movie failed to mention is that Harvard's left boot, rubbed to a golden sheen by superstitious students hoping for good luck during exams is best left well alone. Student pranksters have taken to regularly emptying their bladders over it, giving new meaning to the phrase "going to the john", and leaving a nasty surprise for those who come to rub, pat and even - eeek! - kiss the lucky totem.

Just minutes after our tour guide, Chase, had warned us to "look, don't touch", a gaggle of Spanish tourists enthusiastically started rubbing their hands over Harvard's boot as they posed and preened for happy snaps in front of the third most photographed statue in the United States.

Chase is a second-year English student, or "English concentrator" as they are quaintly known at Harvard, the oldest university - and reportedly the toughest to gain entry to - in the US. He's a guide on The Hahvahd Tour, an unofficial, unsanctioned (by the university), highly entertaining walking tour of Harvard Square and commons. Among the sights he points out is the dormitory where Zuckerberg came up with his multibillion-dollar concept, and the grand buildings erected with endowments from alumnus Bill Gates and the Catholic Church, "proving only Bill Gates and God have more money than Harvard".

A walk around Harvard's postcard-pretty grounds is highly recommended during any visit to Boston; to enrich the walk with the unique insights of The Hahvahd Tour guides is a no-brainer. Started by entrepreneurial students, the tours are free, though tips are encouraged. They spell it "Hahvahd" as a cheeky poke at the working-class Boston accent, an accent that drops R's and elongates A's. Just think of Bostonian Ben Affleck going to "pahk the cah".

Harvard University is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the home of another great institution of learning, MIT, the city is a magnet for high-achieving students from around the world. Referred to as "the Left Bank of Boston" and just across the grand Charles River from downtown Beantown, Cambridge is artsy, intellectual, quirky and fun. It's minutes away from Boston city by subway but a world away from the traditional, conservative Boston attitude. Stroll the banks of the river - especially beautiful at sunset or sunrise - and you'll get a feel for the Cambridge style: Ivy League preppiness, reaching its zenith in the ubiquitous Harvard sweatshirt, tszujed up with splashes of ethnic colour and I've-been-to-Africa-too accessories.

A wander around the historic streets surrounding Harvard Square reveals a booklovers' orgy of fantastic used bookstores overflowing with rare books, first editions and academic tomes. The main news outlet, Out of Town News, will appeal to newspaper and magazine junkies with its titles from Berlin, Cairo, Tokyo and just about everywhere else around the globe. The Cambridge Antique Market on Msgr O'Brien Highway - 150 antique dealers in a multistorey treasure house - is just the place to fossick and forage for furniture, lighting, decorative items, art, jewellery, silver and antique glass.