Originally Posted by brie
Actually, the brand new Stata Center designed by Frank Gehry is just a few blocks down Broadway (away from the river, towards the center of Cambridge)....It's the bizarre looking building that seems to have melted or been through an earthquake
The center of MIT's campus is behind those Broadway buildings and also makes an interesting walk.
The Stata Center (and the start of the rest of MIT's campus) is actually up Main Street (away from River) and then down
Vassar Street from Kendall Square. Broadway heads off in the wrong direction compared to Vassar; NW opposed to SW. Regardless, unless you have some particular desire to see MIT, I don't recommend it. It's mostly ugly and there are plenty of more interesting things to see in Cambridge/Boston. If you're not opposed to a short walk (20 min) I recommend going across the Longfellow Bridge (first bridge South of your hotel) into Boston from Kendall Square where you can find Beacon Hill, the Esplanade, Boston Common, and Public Gardens; all of which are more interesting that MIT.