Diesel Cafe
Diesel is just what a coffee shop should be: a balanced union of hip and cozy. Helping up the cool quotient in Davis Square, Diesel has walls full of original artwork, high ceilings with exposed beams, red-felt pool tables, and comfy couches. Favorites of the house: Vietnamese coffees, aromatic teas, various espresso concoctions. Amenities: a laptop-friendly environment and miniboxes of cereal at breakfast time. Best part of the experience: being able to glance out the window at the green sign of a certain Seattle-based cafe and feel darned good about going indie. 257 Elm St, Somerville, MA diesel-cafe.com.
Jumbo Seafood
It stands to reason that seafood is the speciality of the house at this bright little spot near the Chinatown gate. To wit: The restaurant is decorated with tanks of live fish, lobsters, eels, crabs, and shrimp. The atmosphere itself is delightful, including a huge mural of Hong Kong adorning one wall, and the constant chatter of both Chinese and English filling the air. Favorite dishes: crispy orange shrimp and calamari with mixed green vegetables; lobster sauteed with ginger and scallions; Hunan-style crispy whole fish. All meals finish with chocolate-dipped fortune cookies. Jumbo Seafood is open seven days a week until 2 am. 5-9 Hudson Street, Boston, MA newjumboseafoodrestaurant.com.
Island Creek Oyster Bar
A few of the dishes that have already become legends in the few years since this sophisticated Kenmore Square spot opened: the fried-oyster sliders, which come smeared with chili-lime aioli and topped with pickled onions and arugula; the lobster-roe noodles, tossed with nubs of grilled lobster and braised short rib; and a house-made-saltine-topped casserole packed with scallops, fresh fish, lobster, and shrimp in a sherry-cream sauce. But if all you're really after is a basket of fried Ipswich clams—well, those are great here, too. 500 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA islandcreekoysterbar.com.
Metro Cab
Metro Cab doesn't coast on the status quo: It was taking credit cards before the city mandated it, and recently began letting customers schedule rides online and pay via cell phone. All that wouldn't matter, of course, if Metro weren't also speedy. It has the largest fleet in the area—including vans for people with special physical needs and hybrids for those with special ethical ones—and uses a computerized system to dispatch the cab closest to your location (rather than trying to cajole a driver by two-way radio). 84 Braintree St., Allston, MA 2134, .
Indra Salon
Greeted by strains of club music and stylistas sporting wild chunks of hair color, the Indra newcomer may fear she's crashing a too-hip party. But this decade-old Aveda salon is a pro at putting clients at ease, be it with a neck rub or glass of wine. Consequently, it has a lot of them: thirtysomethings, dads with kids in tow, prep schoolers, mothers-in-law. There are 30-plus snippers on staff, so odds are good someone here will "get" your hair (we adore Jennifer Traverso, a bona fide curl whisperer), and with a senior stylist's cut starting at just $55, you won't pay dearly for that wisdom. 7 Elm St., Andover, MA 1810, indrasalon.com.
Trident Booksellers & Café
Any old Store 24 or CVS has the household names—GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, a certain city mag you may have heard of—and yes, it surely is convenient to load up on required reading and toothpaste all in one go. Trident's draw is that, instead of toiletries and Slim Jims, it supplements its big titles with the coolest niche publications around. The racks are dense with the surprising and quirky (2600 and Heeb being a combined purchase, perhaps, for the techie hipster Jew in your life), and sampling the wares is encouraged: Just take a copy to the store's mellow café and peruse it over a cup of equally mellow joe. 338 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2115, tridentbookscafe.com.
L. J. Peretti Co.
This shockingly well-stocked tobacconist is less smoke shop than historic landmark. Family operated since 1870, it's been at its Park Square location since 1938, when customers including Bing Crosby and Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald bought their tobacco here. The store hasn't changed much since then, and, with its Old World clutter, it's a treasure haven from both modernity and draconian new smoking bans. In addition to a voluminous arsenal of cigars, the Peretti family sells humidors, house-blended pipe tobacco, and hand-carved pipes. 2 1/2 Park Square, Boston, MA ljperetti.com.
Lingerie Studio
When it comes to lingerie, there's a fine line between terrific and trashy, seamless and tasteless. And while sequins and intricate decoration may look great on window models, they often leave something to be desired after a day of wear. Lingerie Studio's stock melds practical comfort with feminine design. With lines including Cosabella, Lou, Aubade, and Hanro, the nicely edited inventory at this quaint row-house store features pieces that look as good as they feel. Don't miss the wedding lingerie or the large selection of terry, waffle-weave, and silk robes. 264 Newbury St., Boston, MA lingeriestudio.com.
SEE
Whether you're searching for classic no-frills frames or the latest lenses spotted on Gisele, find your way to SEE. A toy store for the visually challenged, this optical boutique has all of its frames out on the shelves so you can browse and try on glasses freely without having to constantly ask for a case to be unlocked. The employees are helpful without being pushy, know their stuff, and are happy to help you glam it up with some aviator sunglasses or the lightest frames around—so light you'll forget you're wearing them. 125 Newbury St., Boston, MA seeeyewear.com.
Ilex Designs
There are floral bouquets, and then there is floral art. Ilex is in the latter category, orchestrating fields full of fresh blooms—luminescent calla lilies with orchids and fluffy penoes with full-petaled, butter-hued French tulips. Even the simplest of arrangements are minimalist treasures, such as one with mango-hued garden roses, glossy green anthurium, and pale apricot hypericum berries. The staff, talented as it is, couldn't be more helpful or down to earth. When you're handed your arrangement, you won't know whether to put it on the dining room table or in an exhibit case. 73 Berkeley St., Brookline, MA ilexflowers.com.
Boston Athletic Club
By far the most complete facility in the Hub. A South Station shuttle totes the club's downtown professional clientele to its palatial Summer Street facility; a kiddie gym takes care of the little ones while parents pump up; and a swimming pool, driving range, and squash, tennis, and basketball courts offer every possible perspirational opportunity. The BAC also has in-house trainers, nutritionists, hair stylists, masseurs and masseuses, and a restaurant and TV lounge. The BAC serves with fin-de-siècle family style, and members wouldn't have it any other way. 653 Summer St., Boston, MA .
Alex & Co.
The way it wriggles off a finger or pops out of its setting, you'd think jewelry had a mind of its own—one that knows how to roll juuuust out of reach under the refrigerator or, worse, straight down the garbage disposal. Capricious gems need a strong hand, which is where the dexterous staffers at Alex & Co. come in. They can restring, reset, or resize anything quickly and securely; if more-drastic measures are needed, owner Alexander Zamsky will pour his European design training into creating a brand-new piece guaranteed to fit, and look, a hundred times better. 100 Needham St. #1, Newton, MA 2464, alexandcompany.com.
Giordano's Restaurant
Before you board the ferry in Oak Bluffs, make time for one more taste of island living at its greasy, salty, satisfying best: a cardboard box full of Giordano's fried clams. Housed in a no-frills walk-up stand (there are a couple of picnic tables outside) just across from the Flying Horses carousel, Giordano's fries the clams in a light batter until they're crisp and serves them with fresh tartar sauce and lemon wedges. You could order a side of crunchy, boardwalk-style fries, but leave room instead to sample the superlative fried oysters or a lobster roll. 107-109 Circuit Ave., Oak Bluffs, MA giosmv.com.
Flyer's Boat Rental
There are plenty of great day trips available on Cape Cod, from whale watches to dune tours, but no other excursion company offers them as comprehensively as Flyer's, master of everything on or in the water. The company has built a sturdy reputation for its well-kept vessels (from Sunfish to pontoons), reasonable prices, and professional instructors and staff who will bend over backwards to get you what you need—whether it's a seasoned captain for a 13-person cruise to Long Point, a simple kayak to rent, a mid-range power boat, a temporary mooring for the weekend, or a season's worth of sailing lessons. 131A Commercial St., Provincetown, MA flyersboats.com.
The Seasonal Table
Imagine, if you will, a place with simple, well-prepared foods, a courteous and friendly staff, and truly terrific international noshes. Welcome to the Seasonal Table—one-stop shopping for epicures and entertainers alike. Come with your picnic basket in hand and fill it with a smattering of perfectly aged cheese (try the beautiful ash-rolled cylinders of chèvre), fresh-baked bread and pastries, imported beer and wine, exotic ice creams, flavored oils, even elegant flatware and linen. On Sundays the baby grand in the corner comes to life while the "Seasonal Table Sopranos" serenade you. 61 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA .