At 50 years old, Grendel’s Den is not only going strong, but has come to embody the essence of Harvard Square and how it (always) “used to be cool.” The podcast we’re putting together, “A People’s History of Food and Drink: Five by Ten in the Den,” is meant to bring people back to the nostalgia of each of its decades.

A Classical Revival building by an architect known for Roman Catholic churches featured five domes with two exhibition wings and a circular theater with seating for 3,000, and the world’s first Shoe & Leather Exposition drew 30,000 visitors on opening night. But success was short-lived.

Bless Mazarura’s Bless by Bless capsule collection of limited-edition “luxury wardrobe essentials” is available at a pop-up shop at Cambridgeside until the end of the year, displaying the designer’s African-influenced fashion and uniting continents through his Army of Luv nonprofit line.

Gen Zers’ fervor for ’80s and ’90s fashion helps determine what makes it onto the racks of secondhand clothing shops in Cambridge and Somerville, but not as a result of the latest issues of Teen Vogue or posts from fashion websites. It’s the video app TikTok driving much of the style.

With life returning to Cambridge after months of grim pandemic, so is fashion, music and art. Subcentral in Central Square has three days of it starting Thursday that might feel a lot like 2019, if not for the required masks and up-to-the-minute wear being provided by six local designers.

Three eateries opened in Cambridge since mid-January capture very different aspects of the city and its eating habits – as a fried chicken mecca (Laced Quality Kitchen), a paradise for higher-end comfort food (Geppetto) and a home to healthy innovation (Spyce).

Elon Fyfield, aka the musician Lizzle4, has a vision for reworking systems afflicted by racism. He’s also motivating kids he believes will soon be elected to run the same City Hall where he raised the Afro American Flag.

You may not want to wear these masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus – the cheapest is $200, and one is made of cedar bark – but the exhibits in Mobilia Gallery’s online “Ornamentation in the Age of Corona” succeed in its goal: bringing some joy during a difficult time.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there’s a free look at the work-in-progress dance piece called “Hebel,” the Dark Days, Long Night Fashion Show Dance Party, the 25th anniversary Bugs Bunny Film Festival, and a ton of events for (and against) Valentine’s Day.

In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there are public holiday parties as well as ongoing theater experiences for kids (“Thumbelina”) and adults (“Slutcracker” and its Slutmas Eve) and a Thriftmas Party Fashion Show to see out the season.