Neighborhood Watch: Jamaica Plain
Fresh spots for vintage, home, and baby—plus chocolate-covered cheesecake balls—make J.P. ideal for a daylong adventure.
- The Milky Way, bowling for hipsters. Previous The cupcakes at Sweet Christopher's. Photos by Jason Goodman.
SAVE HAVENS: Renowned for its tasty, bargain-priced omelets and pancakes, Sorella’s is a foodie find—just bear in mind that greasy spoons aren’t much for coddling their clienteles (388 Centre St., 617-524-2016). Dandy resale shops hold more cheap thrills: for her, designer threads at newly opened Eva B (603 Centre St., 617-971-0013, evabconsignment.com); for him, colored cords and retro leather at beatnik paradise Gumshoe (40 South St., 617-522-5066).
GIFT IDEALS: Newcomer On Centre celebrates modern design with quirky Magenta ceramics and minimalist décor from Canada’s EQ3 (636 Centre St., 617-522-2255). For a more artisanal vibe, check out Fire Opal for upscale handcrafts in sterling silver, pottery, silk, and more (683 Centre St., 617-524-0262, fire-opal.com). And there’s the Donna Reed–meets–Vincent Price gift boutique Honeyspot, offering ’50s kitsch alongside phrenology heads and preserved insects (48 South St., 617-524-2444).
MOTHER’S HELPERS: Toting a little nipper? Look to year-old Hatched for all-organic baby basics, including cloud-soft wool pieces from Danish company Lana, and simple, eco-friendly toys (5 Green St., 617-524-5402, hatchedboston.com). After grabbing kid-sized versions of the Purple Cactus’s yummy fresh wraps ($2.50–$3.50, 674 Centre St., 617-522-7422, thepurplecactus.com), older tykes can play away the afternoon at fully stocked toy shop Boing (729 Centre St., 877-264-6400, boingtoys.com).
DESSERT OASES: The birthplace of J. P. Licks isn’t short on sugar fixes these days. Vying for honors as most addictive are the Nutella crêpe at romantic bistro Bon Savor ($4.95, 605 Centre St., 617-971-0000, bonsavor.com) and the chocolate-coated cheesecake ball at wee desserterie Sweet Christopher’s, open since November ($5.75, 601 Centre St., 617-522-1277).
NIGHT LIGHTS: After fueling up on Indian comfort food at Bukhara (701 Centre St., 617-522-2195), head to Hyde Square for after-dark fun: bowling with the hipsters at the Milky Way (403 Centre St., 617-524-3740); downing fresh-poured pints at the Brendan Behan (378 Centre St., 617-522-5386, celticweb.com/behan); and peeking at the fantastical skin art of Fat Ram’s Pumpkin Tattoo—so expertly rendered, in fact, that you just might end up leaving J.P. with a permanent souvenir (380 Centre St., 617-522-6444, fatramtattoo.com).
GIFT IDEALS: Newcomer On Centre celebrates modern design with quirky Magenta ceramics and minimalist décor from Canada’s EQ3 (636 Centre St., 617-522-2255). For a more artisanal vibe, check out Fire Opal for upscale handcrafts in sterling silver, pottery, silk, and more (683 Centre St., 617-524-0262, fire-opal.com). And there’s the Donna Reed–meets–Vincent Price gift boutique Honeyspot, offering ’50s kitsch alongside phrenology heads and preserved insects (48 South St., 617-524-2444).
MOTHER’S HELPERS: Toting a little nipper? Look to year-old Hatched for all-organic baby basics, including cloud-soft wool pieces from Danish company Lana, and simple, eco-friendly toys (5 Green St., 617-524-5402, hatchedboston.com). After grabbing kid-sized versions of the Purple Cactus’s yummy fresh wraps ($2.50–$3.50, 674 Centre St., 617-522-7422, thepurplecactus.com), older tykes can play away the afternoon at fully stocked toy shop Boing (729 Centre St., 877-264-6400, boingtoys.com).
DESSERT OASES: The birthplace of J. P. Licks isn’t short on sugar fixes these days. Vying for honors as most addictive are the Nutella crêpe at romantic bistro Bon Savor ($4.95, 605 Centre St., 617-971-0000, bonsavor.com) and the chocolate-coated cheesecake ball at wee desserterie Sweet Christopher’s, open since November ($5.75, 601 Centre St., 617-522-1277).
NIGHT LIGHTS: After fueling up on Indian comfort food at Bukhara (701 Centre St., 617-522-2195), head to Hyde Square for after-dark fun: bowling with the hipsters at the Milky Way (403 Centre St., 617-524-3740); downing fresh-poured pints at the Brendan Behan (378 Centre St., 617-522-5386, celticweb.com/behan); and peeking at the fantastical skin art of Fat Ram’s Pumpkin Tattoo—so expertly rendered, in fact, that you just might end up leaving J.P. with a permanent souvenir (380 Centre St., 617-522-6444, fatramtattoo.com).
Originally published in Boston magazine, February 2007
