Galley Beach
Close your eyes and imagine an open-air restaurant with tables right on the sand and canvas canopies that flutter in the gentle sea breeze. No, it’s not the scene at some all-inclusive Caribbean resort — it’s dinner at Galley Beach, where every table has a prime view of Nantucket Sound. At sunset, diners often leave their shoes under the table and walk barefoot to the water’s edge for photo ops beneath a painted sky, making this the perfect spot to celebrate the end of yet another beautiful day on Nantucket. Be sure to check out the new, reservation-only prix-fixe bar menu, offered only during that wonderfully languid time between lunch and dinner, but be forewarned: You may still be there by dark. 54 Jefferson Ave., Nantucket, MA 02554, galleybeach.net.
Saks Fifth Avenue
If shoes are the ultimate in therapeutic fixes, then Saks's fitting area could double as a women's support group. Just slide on a pair of gleaming Prada Mary Janes or Michael Kors laser-cut pumps, and watch your mood improve. Buckle up some strappy and teetering Jimmy Choo stilettos, or take a turn in Kate Spade flower-adorned slides—suddenly, you're a new woman. Sculpted Sergio Rossis, sweet Burberry espadrilles, and Vera Wang satin slingbacks all beckon from the shelves, promising immediate gratification, head to toe. Did we mention the Chanel fuchsia wedges? The Blahnik leopard print mules or the Marc Jacobs kitten heels? They're all here, offering true satisfaction for the sole. Prudential Center, Boston, MA saksfifthavenue.com.
Louis Boston
You know who you are—your entire wardrobe is made up of this-season separates (or you wish it were). In either case, you already know about Louis Boston, the big daddy of Boston clothing emporia and a perennial favorite in the category of one-stop shopping. Louis has cornered the local fashion market with its warehouse-size collection of designer labels from Marni and Helmut Lang to Brioni and Loro Piana, not to mention an impressive shoe selection that includes Miu Miu, Tretorn, and everything in between. The makeup counter is equally expansive, stocking such sought-after lines as Pout (sold here exclusively) and Alchemy. With a salon, café, men's department, and new vintage photo gallery, it's a week's worth of shopping under one roof. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA louisboston.com.
No. 9 Park
It's one thing for a restaurant to generate buzz during its first year in business. It's quite another to be the talk of the town after five years. But talk this town does, about chef/owner Barbara Lynch's No. 9 Park, a restaurant as perfect today as the day it opened. We're not the only ones who think this. So do the fans who line up nightly for a seat in the stylish Beacon Hill dining room, and so does the James Beard Foundation, which this year named Lynch the best chef in the Northeast. What everyone is buzzing about is the masterful French and Italian creations coming from Lynch's kitchen (and, in particular, the melt-in-your mouth signature prune-stuffed gnocchi). Delivered by the city's best-trained, casual-but-professional wait-staff, and paired with an impressive wine list created by wine director Cat Silirie, dinner here is a delight from start to finish. 9 Park St., Boston, MA no9park.com.
Armani Cafe
When it comes to sidewalk repasts, it's been years since we felt the call of Newbury Street—too much pretense, not enough table space. But something is very back about the Armani Café. Maybe it's the improved menu, rejiggered under executive chef Seth Woods to include such straightforward, reasonably priced Italian staples as fettuccine alla carbonara and tiramisu. Or maybe it's the self-consciously Euro stylishness of it all, which goes from laughable to lovable as soon as the black-clad waitstaff serves up your first glass of wine. Or maybe it's just the luxuriously wide, sun-dappled stretch of pavement that feels tailor-made for scoping out Newbury's passing parade of humanity. 214 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Alex Stupak, Clio
After several luxurious courses of chef Ken Oringer's French cooking, concluding with dessert might seem excessive. But when the desserts are as delicious as those made by pastry chef Alex Stupak, a little excess is in order. Despite his propensity toward flavored foams, Stupak's timbale of milk-chocolate with raspberry, tarragon, and tamarind ice cream is, in a word, ethereal. So are his Tahitian vanilla bean crème brûlée and lollipops made from sassafras, chicory, and sea salt-spiked chocolate, True and intense (yet not overwhelming) flavors marry with textures that bend the rules of sensibility by being simultaneously crisp and puffy, like the microthin layers of the rich chocolate and hazelnut petits fours. Such finesse is what makes this 23-year-old pastry chef a talent to keep an eye on—and his desserts an indulgence to seek out. The Eliot Hotel, 370 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA cliorestaurant.com.
Bella Santé
Let the soothing cup of honey-laced tea in the eucalyptus steam room be your first clue: Bella Santé is serious about relaxation. Cell phones are banished from the plush-but-minimalist space, set out in elegant neutrals. And unlike at most frenetic day spas, there's no hair salon to keep the noise level at full blast. In its stead are bliss-inducing treatments like the remineralizing Moor mud wrap, head-to-toe spa massages (as well as La Stone therapy), pedicures that leave feet tender as a child's, and customized aromatherapy sessions. Before heading into the beautiful (and well-stocked) locker room, stop by the waiting area's long window and take a quick peek at the bustle of Newbury Street below—a stark contrast to Bella Santé's enclave of peace and quiet. 38 Newbury St., Boston, MA bellasante.com.
A&J King Artisan Bakers
Set foot inside a great restaurant, and the feeling is usually admiration, even awe. Enter a great bakery like A&J King, and it's more like giddiness. Everything looks as good as it smells, and tastes even better, courtesy of the New England Culinary Institute grads working the ovens. Andy King bakes the breads—tangy North Shore sourdough, airy ciabatta—and wife Jackie creates the toothsome pastries, which range from flaky croissants and custardy bread puddings to the dense and intense chocolate cakes called bouchons. They also plate fresh-made sandwiches and flatbreads and pour what just might be the North Shore's best espresso. Did we say giddiness? We meant love. 48 Central St., Salem, MA 1970, ajkingbakery.com.
Burlington Mall
Who says malls are dead? Once a ho-hum suburban shopping center, this overhauled megaplex now stands out not only for its selection of upscale shops but also its destination-worthy dining and drinking spots: It’s home to the only Boston-area Parm (Contessa’s casual little sister); an outpost of Maine’s beloved Bennett’s Sandwich Shop; and Common Craft, a 9,000-square-foot space where you can sip bevvies from your favorite local distillers, brewers, and wine makers after browsing the wares at Anthropologie and Tory Burch. Toasting a new home purchase? A brick-and-mortar Joss & Main store, from local online home-goods purveyor Wayfair, is slated to move in this summer. 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 1803, simon.com/mall/burlington-mall.
Café Luna
Many moons after this café started earning long lines, we still love to start our mornings with hits like double-thick Belgian waffles with berry compote, and wondrous “surf and turf” Benedict with lobster and steak. 612 Main St., Cambridge, MA cafeluna-centralsq.com.
The Abbey
This is the rare spot that we applaud for a static menu, because it’s reassuring to know that we can always get our charred Caesar salad and grilled flatbread pizza. 1657 Beacon St., Washington Square, MA 2445, abbeyrestaurant.com.
Sophia's Grotto
Tucked into a little courtyard behind Rozzie Square, this lovely Italian spot is one of our favorite places to while away a warm evening with a pitcher of sangria. What to Order: The antipasto; spicy mussels. 22 Birch St., Boston, MA sophiasgrotto.com.
Panificadora "La Sisegoza"
There are trays of exotic sweets here, including our favorite, the guayaba empanada—a cream-cheese pastry filled with tangy homemade guava puree. We also like the rice pudding, perfect and creamy, sprinkled with cinnamon. 622 Hyde Park Avenue, Roslindale, MA .
WXKS's Annual Birthday Party
Open bars, hors d'oeuvres, an exclusive guest list, and top national acts. For example, the 1983 list included the Gap Band, Laura Branigan, the Manhattans, the Weathergirls, and (yes) Pia Zadora.
<em>Valparaiso</em> by Don DeLillo, A.R.T.
A surreal study of the spreading mediascape featured the most interviewed man in the world. Novelist DeLilo's second play said something true and haunting about how the national obsession with fame is corroding our souls.