Trish McEvoy
New from New York, the McEvoy line offers hip, practical palettes for lips, eyes, and cheeks, and even has a zippered filofax-style case that you can fill with customized inserts (for all those important little daily appointments to powder your nose). The trained crew at Neiman's invites you to try before you buy. Educating rather than arm-twisting, patiently demonstrating special techniques like "push and wiggle" so you can line your lids like the pros—even after you get home—they do one side of your face, then it's your turn. Neiman Marcus, 5 Copley Place, Boston, MA .
Lanoue Fine Art
Local masterpiece-mongers tend to deal in one of two extremes: jejune still-lifes geared to designers who spruce up Back Bay sunrooms, or sprawling esoterica that cause poseurs to start lusting for home-display space. Hewing a noble path between pear paintings and "environments," Lanoue focuses on established artists who tackle traditional genres—portraits, landscapes, even floral studies—with modern flair. Though varied in style, the monthly exhibitions all balance craftsmanship with conceptual edge, requiring neither advanced degree nor audio tour to blow you away. 125 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, lanouefineart.com.
Barneys New York
Every well-shod woman has the closet to prove it—sensible pumps for work, streamlined flats for weekends, sky-high Christian Louboutins just because—and chances are, there's a Barneys shoebox on her shelves. The department store's cavernous shoe salon proffers the red-soled attention getters, of course, but also more-unique and unexpected styles—caged Alaïa sandals, sinewy canvas heels from Walter Steiger, paint-splattered Maison Martin Margiela low-tops, studded cowboy boots by Isabel Marant—always keeping you one step ahead of the fashionable masses. Copley Place, Boston, MA barneys.com.
Fidelity's Peter Lynch, managed of the Magellan Fund, spilled his secrets in <em>One Up on Wall Street</em>.
His argument that a little guy can pick stocks successfully simply by being observant is controversial. But someone who can write that he regrets letting the crash of 1987 ruin a good vacation definitely deserves attention.
Nuggets
One of the last survivors of Kenmore Square’s sterilizing overhaul, Nuggets gets you back in touch with old weird Boston and encourages you to bring that history home. Since 1978, obsessed musicologists have explored its wide range of rock, R & B, folk, jazz, and classical box sets, then dug through shelves of books and other tuneful memorabilia. If you’re looking for an old 12-inch dance single or an LP by a long-neglected local band like Heretix or the Real Kids, check out the racks in front and keep an eye on the store’s Facebook updates. 486 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA nuggetsrecords.com.
State Road
Spend at least one evening of your Vineyard getaway at this cozy island favorite known for unpretentious, locally sourced dishes, but be sure to reserve in advance. The place is beloved by locals and presidents alike (Barack Obama is a regular on his vacations; his White House decorator designed the space). Return for brunch the next morning and take an extra order of made-from-scratch Limpopo doughnuts home with you. State Road is open for much of the winter, too, when you can enjoy fun off-season specials in front of a roaring fireplace. 688 State Rd., West Tisbury, MA 02568, stateroadrestaurant.com.
Tess & Carlos
Tess Enright knows what she likes—and, more to the point, what she does not. The sartorial littérateur has no interest in words like "trendy" or "hip," instead preferring ones like "seasonless," "ageless," and "assured." Her stores are filled with pieces she thinks every woman should own, in understated colors that purposefully override fad: Piazza Sempione cashmere coats, Prada ballet flats, Jil Sander suiting. Three locations include a new Newbury Street outpost, but Tess herself sticks close to Newton, where she's been doling out straightforward advice since 1999. 1241 Centre St., Newton Center, MA 2459, tessandcarlos.com.
Marathon Sports
There's a myth that says running requires nothing more than comfortable sneakers and willpower. Untrue: If you're serious about the sport (or are merely trying to look as if you are), you're also going to need some sweat-wicking shorts and shirts, a cardiac monitor, several pairs of cushy socks, a hat and/or sunglasses, maybe a windbreaker, and, oh yeah, one of those belts that holds little water bottles. Marathon Sports has all the gear you need, and some you probably don't. And its running-obsessed staff is clued in and honest enough to help you sort out which is which. 671 Boylston St., Brookline, MA 2445, marathonsports.com.
Eastern Standard
Step one (sufficiently difficult): Coordinate 15 schedules to pick a date for your birthday/ anniversary/coming-out party. Step two (near impossible): Find a place that will seat everyone. The private dining room at Eastern Standard—a plush, chandeliered alcove off the main dining area—will accommodate parties of up to 18 with ease. The waiter assigned solely to your group means you won't ever feel neglected; the fully enclosed space means you won't have to struggle to hear what your pals are discussing at the other end of the table. Hotel Commonwealth, 528 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA easternstandardboston.com.
The Model Café
Generally speaking, a person's favorite dive bar is the one closest to home. The Model is that rare specimen—a neighborhood bar that's gained destination status for drinkers from all over the city. Everything inside this 75-year-old Allston joint screams classic dive: loud tunes, a pool table, $2 Pabst Blue Ribbons on tap, $4 Bushmills on the rocks, a crowd that ranges from hip to drip, and urinals barely clean enough to, well, urinate in. Mediocre fare (this is a dive bar, after all) is served til 10. 7 North Beacon St., Allston, MA .
Coast Café
Dainty eaters, beware. Only those with a hankering for a little grease and gobs of pork-addled flavor are able to handle the made-to-order plates at Cambridge's stick-to-your-ribs haven. Sure, the chicken's great, but there's also smoked turkey with collard greens, and bread crumb-encrusted mac and cheese, and silky sweet potatoes, and (the only thing harder than settling on an order here, you'll find, is nabbing one of the few seats). Coast Café may not have much competition in these parts—KFC? Popeyes?—but it could surely hold its own in Dixie. 233 River St., Cambridge, MA 2139, .
Something Natural
Gigantic sandwich? Or gigantic cookie? Such are the tough choices at Something Natural, an out-of-the-way eatery with a fiercely loyal following. Meals can be brown-bagged for the beach or enjoyed at one of the picnic tables that dot the lawn, and lunch orders like Sheila's Favorite (mayo, Swiss, carrots, pickles, and tomatoes on home-baked oatmeal bread) and turkey salad with Granny Smith apples and raisins on wheat provide a solid base for what regulars know is a flawless chocolate chip. (Actually, now that we think about it, it's not a tough call after all: Obviously, you get the gigantic sandwich and the gigantic cookie.) 50 Cliff Road, Nantucket, MA 2554, somethingnatural.com.
Blantyre
It's easy to forget, in our world of PDAs and ADD, that drawn-out dining can be a thing of delight. Everything at this hotel restaurant, from its jacket-and-tie requirement and exacting service down to its immaculate china and crystal settings, speaks to a serious attention to detail. The Gallic-inspired menu spotlights delicacies such as Long Island duck breast with melon-basil salad, beef tenderloin with pea purée, and iced Key lime soufflé. And at the end of your leisurely meal, should you find yourself too stuffed to drive home, you can wend your way upstairs for a stay in one of Blantyre's opulent suites. 16 Blantyre Rd., Lenox, MA 1240, .
Ceraldi
A seven-course chef’s tasting — in Wellfleet, you say? Yes, it’s here, and yes, it’s 100 percent worth springing for. Chef Michael Ceraldi’s menu changes daily based on what’s available from the food purveyors surrounding him: That means one night you might find black-licorice ravioli with P-town diver lobster; another night monk-liver torchon with seaweed bagna cauda. Ceraldi, meanwhile, holds court at the center of this nightly dinner party, explaining each dish to diners at two seatings per evening as the consummate host. 15 Kendrick Ave., Wellfleet, MA 02667, ceraldicapecod.com.
Underground at Ink Block
Take a stroll underneath the I-93 overpass between the South End and Southie, and you’ll discover the city’s most exhilarating art exhibit. Sprawled over 8 acres, the once-desolate zone now features 18 murals, nine of which were added last summer. Highlighting local artists such as Silvia López Chavez, national ones like Def Jam’s founding creative director Cey Adams, and international ones including Spain’s Muro, the concrete, metal, and asphalt burst with color and forward-thinking vision 90 Traveler St., Boston, MA 02118, undergroundinkblock.com.