Harvard Yard, Boston

Harvard Yard is the beating heart of Harvard University's 209-acre campus. Back in the day, before it became the brainscape it is today, the Yard was just a fancy name for a cow hangout – a real pasture for those bovine “scholars.” Now, it's got more gates than a medieval castle (27 to be precise), some fresh-faced freshman dorms, several academic buildings, and enough Harvard Library branches to give you paper cuts for days – they say it's the biggest academic library system in the entire universe!

When you stroll through Harvard Yard, you'll feel like you're in a real-life Harry Potter movie, minus the magic wands, though. Here, you've got these charming red-brick buildings and lush lawns that seemingly scream "we're smarter than you", and where the Harvardians of tomorrow come to sharpen their minds and pretend to be grown-ups. It's like a giant study hall with bonus socializing points. And when the graduates finally snag their diplomas, it's like the epic finale of an academic reality show.

Eventually, when you need a break from all that brainpower, just drift over to the Plaza (right outside Bradstreet Gate on the north side) – which is the campus's cool hangout spot, complete with food trucks, farmers markets, ping-pong tables, and other shenanigans that change with the seasons. Coming here, it's always advisable to bring your thinking cap, your picnic blanket, and your best philosophical questions...