TreeTop Adventures
Kids turning your house into a jungle gym? There’s a better way to burn off that endless energy. At TreeTop Adventures, they can get an adrenaline rush from ziplining through aerial obstacle courses featuring rolling logs, bridges, ladders, and tightropes. The best part? With 10 trails for ages seven and up ranging from beginner to expert, anyone can join in the fun — yes, even you. 200 New Boston Dr., Canton, MA 02021, treetopcanton.com.
Alton Place Shoe Repair
An Armenian religious icon watches over Valeriy Gazaryan and his customers at Alton Place Shoe Repair, in Brookline, and indeed, his work seems to border on the miraculous. Gazaryan is a man of few words. He silently examined our tired boots—scuffed leather, busted zippers, worn-out heel—and agreed to see what he could do. Four days later, our boots came back shined, rezippered, and reheeled, all for about $25. 3 Alton Place, Brookline, MA 2446, .
Bliss Home
Hand-selected by proprietor Panamai Manadee, the au courant dinnerware patterns at this Back Bay boutique can convince browsers to send their own plates packing. Great news for those of us who, during our engagement, went blithely over to Ye Olde China Shoppe and, after scanning the matronly selection, grabbed the least offensive style. At Bliss Home, pick from brands that your mother never heard of, decked out in colors invented only last week. Then relax—because with table settings this eye-catching, your dinner guests won't even notice that you overcooked the poor asparagus. 225 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, .
Suya Joint
At this Nubian Square mainstay, Nigerian chef and owner Cecelia Lizotte showcases spicy, smoky grilled beef skewers (the restaurant’s namesake suya, best served extra-spicy) alongside traditional stews and more from various regions of West Africa, particularly Nigeria. Our favorite? Taushe stew from northern Nigeria, a thick and creamy peanut-and-vegetable blend served with your choice of protein (try cow foot or goat) and your choice of fufu, the starchy side dish made of pounded yam, cassava, or other tubers. 185 Dudley St., Roxbury, MA 02119, suyajoint.com.
Lauren Genatossio, Sarra Studios
There are plenty of ’90s trends we’re glad to welcome back into our repertoires—chunky sandals, slip dresses, high-waisted everything—but one thing that can stay in the last century? Pencil-thin eyebrows. Thankfully, Lauren Genatossio is firmly on the same page, creating nothing but lush, full looks from her South Boston and Hingham studios. Bring your out-of-control brows to Genatossio and watch as she plucks and trims them into goddess-like arches, creating the exact shape needed to make your eyes and cheekbones pop. 840 Summer St. , Boston, MA 02127, sarraboston.com.
Paul Gaston
Okay, punk. We'll teach you to have a generous pappy who's richer than ours was. Just be glad your name is not Kennedy.
B & G Oysters
An order of the fried Ipswich clams comprises two heaping piles—one of plump bivalves, and the other of twice-cooked, almost caramelized French fries. Follow our lead and generously dunk both in the house-made, lemon-aioli-based tartar sauce. 550 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, bandgoysters.com.
Pratesi
We spend at least a third of our lives in bed—why not snooze in style with fine linens from this family-run company? Start with the ridiculously soft 100 percent Egyptian cotton sheets that left devotees Elizabeth Taylor and Andy Warhol swooning, then feather your nest with plush cashmere-and-silk throws. 110 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, pratesi.com.
Stan Frankenthaler, Choice Catering
We'll let Jasper White's former assistant chef make and deliver dinner to our house anytime. Can dining at home get any better than this? 256 Marginal St., East Boston, MA .
Ayanna Pressley
If we thought Ayanna Pressley had nerves of steel for challenging and taking down one of our longest-serving Democratic congressmen, it was only because we hadn’t yet seen her take on the Trump administration. In her first speech on the floor of the House in January, she delivered a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump and the government shutdown. More recently, in an exchange that went viral, she scolded Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson for interrupting her and evading her questions. As a result, Pressley’s take-no-prisoners approach has made her a star on the national political stage. Read more
Simply Aesthetic Specialties
It seems like practically everyone—from your tattoo guy to your vet—is wielding needles filled with muscle-paralyzing toxins. But while we may be obsessing over our deepening between-brow craters, the injection frenzy has made us just a tad wary of the whole business. Enter Julie Cahill-Hollingsworth, an MGH nurse practitioner, whose Copley Square office is a respite from the madness. With little fanfare, she administers a dose, billing by the unit, not by the procedure. In the past, she’s had an open schedule, which made it easy to book. But now the secret’s out. 535 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2116, sasskin.com.
Billy Daskowski, Will Charles Salon
When sitting in a colorist's seat, we often feel like a disembodied head of hair. The colorist distractedly feels up our tresses, divines what's needed, then vanishes to conjure up a mystery hue. That's never the case at Will Charles, a low-hype establishment on Newbury Street where Daskowski approaches his work with the mind of a shrink: He wants to know how you and your locks are getting along. He'll then deliver a thoughtful report on the status of your relationship, and provide counsel on where you two could find happiness together. 11 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, willcharlessalon.com.
Guiliano
Although we've officially gone into mourning with the recent closing of the Spa on Newbury, Guiliano makes us want to throw our black veils to the wind. Whether you're a stressed bride-to-be in need of that mandatory glow for the big day, or a burned out businessperson ready to toss your computer out the window, a visit to Giuliano will restore your sanity as fast as you can say "detoxifying body wrap." Guiliano's "optimal beauty through nature" offerings include everything from old standbys like facials, manicures, and pedicures to more trendy pamperings like self-tanning-lotion applications, reflexology, glycolic treatments, and acupuncture. In a word: Heaven. 338 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Agent Provocateur
When we need support, we wade through the beige and white underthings at Intimacy and Nordstrom, where polite ladies wielding measuring tapes thoughtfully correct our ignorance in thinking we were a B cup. When we need lingerie, however (the kind of thing that revs our engine, and hopefully yours, too, hot stuff), we head to Agent Provocateur. New this year on Newbury Street, the British retailer deals in flashy-not-trashy revisions of boudoir basics: satin corsets, push-up bras in tartan plaids, tasseled pasties...okay, maybe not too trashy. 123 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 2116, agentprovocateur.com.
Long's Jewelers
It’s hard enough memorizing the four Cs of diamonds, never mind actually choosing the perfect sparkler. Cue Long’s Jewelers. With classic solitaires, trendy emerald numbers, and vintage bands among its many options, the family-owned biz makes easy work of finding the perfect engagement and wedding rings. It also designs custom pieces that are as unique as your betrothed. Multiple locations. 100 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110, longsjewelers.com.