The Grog
Temple to haute cuisine and artisanal cocktails it's not. But if what you crave is a frosty IPA, good-humored barkeeps, and feisty locals who aren't afraid to rock an open mike, there's no better spot to toss one back than the Grog. Weekends bring live music from reggae to blues, and occasional events with craft brewers keep beer geeks satiated. 13 Middle St., Newburyport, MA 1950, thegrog.com.
Frette
With a lot of things having gone "poof" lately, it's good to have something tangible to hold on to—and even better if that something comes in high-thread-count Egyptian cotton, baby-soft cashmere, or even lamb nappa. Admittedly, the four-figure price tag on a sheet set from Milan-based Frette, that luxest-of-the-luxe bedding specialist that arrived on Boylston Street last year, might make one blanch, but the overall aesthetic of these wares is surprisingly restrained; the quality, downright uncompromising. In a time when most folks just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over their heads, the covers might as well feel this good. 776B Boylston St., Boston, MA 2199, frette.com.
Young Love & The Thrills
Think a wedding can’t feel like a concert? It can when this beloved eight-person band takes the stage. With high-energy vocals, creative mashups and medleys, and songs that span the tastes of everyone from Grandma (Frank Sinatra) to your teenage cousins (Lizzo), they keep even the most timid of dancers up and moving all night long. youngloveandthethrills.com.
The Cambridge School of Ballet
Focus is on dancing as an art, but for the less coordinated kid, there are pre-ballet basic-rhythm classes. 15 Sellers St., Cambridge, MA .
The Stux Galleries' Enthusiastic Reception in New York for Opening a Branch There
The accolades to the avant-garde representative of Boston's hottest young artists is a solid indication of Boston's growing importance on the national arts scene.
Apogee
Marilyn Riseman has brought an art gallery into her designer-clothing shop. Watch for the Chinese prints. 112 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
The Frame Gallery
From photos to posters to high art of every style, The Frame Gallery's vast selection will get the job done to picture perfection. 2 Summit Ave., Brookline, MA .
Doug and Michael Starn
Even though these identical twins are the toast of the New York art scene, they live right here in Fenway.
She's Leaving Home
Poetry, performance art, and Brazilian food (what else?) upstairs, next-wave music below. When it happens, it happens. 80 Kilmarnock St., Boston, MA .
Sweet Sis
Incredibly moist and fragrant was our consensus. And why is it that all of a sudden Newton has become a hotbed of culinary art? 1302 Washington St., West Newton, MA .
Laura Young, who retired from dancing last May after 25 years with the Boston Ballet
Always graceful, always strong. Young was the tantrum-proof center of the Boston Ballet. She will remain as director of the Boston Ballet II and the Summer Dance Program.
Downsview Kitchens and Fine Custom Cabinetry
Replete with glass cabinetry, cleverly disguised appliances, and showcase-worthy islands, the spaces designed by the team here are functional works of art. Boston, MA downsviewofboston.com.
Neil Dale
He carefully matches his approach to repairing your objets d'art to the amount you can spend. 621 Main Street, Waltham, MA .
Hermitage
Classic Russian cuisine amid the best modern-art exhibits in the city. Dinner is both pricey and erratic, though. 955 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Kevin White
Exonerated by the office of the U.S. attorney. Was there ever a dodger so artful as our Kevin?