The Spa at Chatham Bars Inn
The massages here will put you into the I've-just-been-kneaded-to-the-point-of-blissed-out-distraction state that you were hoping for. But that's just the beginning. Take a dip in the hot tub, and dawdle in the sauna and the steam showers après rubdown. You'll return to the real world radiating calm. 297 Shore Rd., Chatham, MA chathambarsinn.com.
Urban Elements
Decor-savvy denizens of the North Shore come to this eco-minded boutique for home furnishings and accessories. Larger stores generally sell pieces made abroad, but much of what you'll find here is American-made, well built, and reasonably priced. 20 Pleasant St., Newburyport, MA urbanelementshome.com.
Community Servings
This charity gives non-cooks and harried cooks—the only two kinds during the holidays—perfect endings to Thanksgiving dinner: pumpkin, apple, or sweet potato-pie, from the kitchens of Julia Child, Jody Adams, Tony Ambrose, and dozens more. Proceeds benefit home-bound AIDS patients. 125 Magazine St., Roxbury, MA .
Sargent Summer
A citywide celebration of the art of John Singer Sargent—at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Fogg Art Museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Boston Public Library—provides a rare chance to see the complete picture of this fascinating fin-de-siècle expatriate artists who considered Boston his American home.
Bill Weld
Redhead is no Reagan republican, but his work habits are reminiscent of the Gipper. Regular squash games, Grateful Dead concerts, and a generally drowsy appearance suggest that Bill might be happier at home playing Nintendo. However, rumor that a 30-hour workweek will be a major plank of his campaign is apparently unfounded.
Generation X, Thursday nights only, at Quest
Stupid name, but otherwise the hot scene for the postcollege sub-boomer. Three levels of dancing, plus a roof deck where attractive waitrons serve sundaes, hot dogs, and other patio food. Up there you can actually hold a conversation. 1270 Boylston Street, Boston, MA .
Claire McArdle, Beauty Therapies
Lasers have—figuratively, of course—exploded onto the beauty scene in the last few years. That's especially true in the realm of hair removal. Alas, in the hands of neophytes, such powerful new weapons can leave clients with red marks, patches of untouched hair, and unjustifiably high bills. You'll find none of these at Beauty Therapies, where R.N. Claire McArdle relies not on big-talking promises, but on cutting-edge technologies, diligence, and skin-care expertise. One of Boston's first laser practitioners, she permanently removes hair from anywhere on the body—eyebrows to bikini lines—with a steady hand that zaps clients smooth faster than light speed. One Brookline Place, Suite 302, Brookline, MA .
Formaggio Kitchen
Last year Food and Wine magazine named Formaggio one of the five cheese shops in the nation, and Cambridge Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Louise Gluck wrote an ode to the shop, included in her latest book and printed in the New Yorker. Overkill? Au contrarire. Formaggio's selection is amazing: from Pecorino di Pienza and Fontina Valle d'Aosta from Italy to Castellano and Manchego from Spain. The shop even has a ripening cellar where more than 100 cheeses—including English cheddars and Italian pecorinos—age in perfect humidity. Don't get us started on Formaggio's noncheese delectables... 244 Huron Ave., Cambridge, MA .
The Farmer's Market on Cohasset Common
Held only once a week (every Thursday afternoon), this farmstand is worth the wait. Some of the South Shore's freshest produce is found here from early June through mid-October. Local growers trot out terrific stuff, from vine-ripened tomatoes and hefty cucumbers, to more greens than you'll find in all the big chain superstores combined. In addition to local growers (who, as one farmer put it, strive to "shorten the distance from land to mouth"), there are potters, bakers, and craftspeople selling quilts, stools, soaps, and such. Cohasset Common, Cohasset, MA .
Airi Jewelry & Gallery
We all have go-to ensembles, the ones we pull from the closet at least once a week because they make us feel good. But when you need just a little something extra to make yours special enough for [insert occasion here], a pair of statement earrings goes a long way. Enter the wearable art from Boston-based Airi. Crafted from stainless steel and tarnish-resistant brass, founder Maya Alia’s geometric wired pieces — we especially love the golden arches and the floral-shaped “ear jackets” — make even the simplest outfit look chic. shopairi.com.
Tutto Italiano
As if its gloriously stocked deli counter weren't enough, Tutto boasts a freezer full of home-cooked pasta sauces and soups. Maria and Marilena Locilento, wife and daughter of the owner, Angelo, will even slip you detailed cooking tips when they're working the counter. 1889 River St., Boston, MA 02136, tuttoit.com.
Emmet’s Irish Pub
In a sea of paint-by-numbers, pseudo-Irish pubs, Emmet’s abstains from the usual kitsch. No bric-a-brac-cluttered curio shelves here, just Beacon Hill lawyers enjoying a fantastic Guinness onion soup at lunchtime, with gregarious ringmaster Oran McGonagle presiding over the whole no-frills affair. 6-6B Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108, emmetsirishpubandrestaurant.com.
Esperia Grill
The pride is palpable at this family-owned outfit in Brighton Center, where you can order a super gyro at the counter or be ushered to a seat by doting servers. Big portions of comfort food—including a béchamel-blessed moussaka and a block of fried feta smothered with honey and fig jam—are marvelous, magnanimous expressions of Hellenic home cookery. 344 Washington St., Brighton, MA 02135, esperiagrill.com.
The Neighborhood
Do the math: $4.39 = orange juice, three eggs, home fries, fresh fruit or cream of wheat, toast, coffee and a plateful of pastries. All this served at no extra charge in the grapevine-canopied patio during the summer. Sometimes, though, the slow seatings make us want to sneak in our own table and chairs. 25 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville, MA .
Cutty's
This Brookline Village spot refers to itself as "Home of the skillfully crafted sandwich." Every entry on the menu, from the meat to the condiments to the bread selection—is obsessively chosen. The "Roast Beef 1000," for instance, contains a perfectly crafted formula of beef, shallots, sharp cheddar, and Thousand Island dressing, all on a black-pepper brioche bun. 284 Washington St., Brookline, MA 2445, cuttyfoods.com.