The Esplanade
The Minuteman Bikeway may seem the obvious choice for bike enthusiasts, but it's too straight for our taste. A good bike path needs some twists and turns, with long, empty stretches of solitude and glimpses of the city skyline. Only the Esplanade provides all that. The paths along the Charles River in Boston and Cambridge are usually so packed they require complete attention, but once you reach Newton and Watertown, the ride is all yours. The stretch? Watertown Square, where you glide over wooden bridges, swoop under low-hanging trees, and, for a few wonderful, brief moments, hear nothing but the crickets and the whir of your pedals. MA
Tara West Fashion
This Boston-based personal stylist and lifestyle blogger is who you call when a “good enough” outfit just won’t cut it. From L.A. glitz to East Coast chic, Tara West has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends, curating jaw-dropping looks for any occasion (including, most recently, the Nantucket Film Festival). Need a bigger clothing overhaul? West has an uncanny knack for turning closet chaos into organized fashion nirvana and can even put together a “lookbook” of your new outfits so you’re always dressed to impress. tarawestfashion.com.
Stereo Jack's
When “Stereo” Jack Woker learned a weed dispensary would displace his Cambridge record store’s longtime Mass. Ave. storefront, it sadly seemed time to retire his 40-year-old vinyl business. But employee and drummer Chris Anzalone had a better idea, buying out Woker's voluminous inventory, purchasing the Stereo Jack’s name, and relocating the operation to Somerville’s Ball Square. Now with Anzalone at the helm, Stereo Jack’s remains a veritable Boston music clubhouse, the kind of impeccably curated place where you could find the Britney Spears discography on wax one day and a stack of jazz-head idiosyncrasies the next. 736 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144, stereojacks.com.
Sinesia Karol
Bathing-suit shopping can be a fraught endeavor. (Is there anyone on Earth who likes trying on spandex in a poorly lit dressing room?) Mercifully, this Boston- based designer eliminates much of that stress with an array of options — from classic string bikinis to one-pieces that offer a little more coverage — that can be ordered online or browsed in-person at Karol’s eponymous brick-and-mortar in Newport, Rhode Island. And while some swimwear runs frumpy or just plain bor- ing, Karol’s line (inspired by her native Brazil) is jazzed up with fun patterns, interesting cutouts, and unusual details you won’t find elsewhere. 135 Spring St., Newport, RI 2840, sinesiakarol.us.
Grill 23 & Bar
It’s notoriously difficult to unseat an incumbent. Such is the case with the city’s standard-bearer steakhouse, a Best of Boston winner year after year (after year, after … ). Look, we’d love an excuse to vary our endorsement, but — straight talk, people — nobody throws red meat to the voters (i.e., our stomachs) like this chief-executive-courting chop shop with a world-class wine program and hand-rolled cigars. And besides, as those famous 100-day-aged rib-eyes make clear, some things only get better with time. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116, grill23.com.
Notch Brewing
From the Euro-style lagers crowned in creamy foam to the pints of English bitter and New England IPAs, everything in Notch Brewing’s beer lineup lands under 4.5 percent ABV — making them perfect for enjoying with friends all day (while maintaining your wits, of course). Where you clink those drinks is up to you: Notch’s waterfront taproom in Salem is a quick ferry ride away, and now it’s brought the low-octane party to Boston, with a beer-garden-equipped outpost at the Charles River Speedway. Multiple Locations, notchbrewing.com.
Villa México Café
You can’t toss a tortilla without striking a trendy New Boston version of a taco joint these days, but we’re still hung up on the humble, proudly homemade fare churned out by Downtown favorite Villa México Café. The immigrant-family-owned spot offers five options for stuffing those soft corn circles; we’ll direct your attention, though, to the spicy chorizo prepared in-house. It’s all served with a side of the rich and smoky black salsa lovingly made by owner Julie (“Momma”) King, bona-fide food-world royalty around these parts. 121 Water St., Boston, MA 02109, villamexicocafe.us.
Crescent Ridge Dairy
There’s no better place to enjoy Crescent Ridge’s thick, luscious scoops (made from locally sourced milk) than its pastoral “dairy bar” and market in Sharon. Admire the pastures of the working farm behind the scoop shack while you dive into oh-so-luscious scoops of butter crunch, maple walnut, and vanilla-and-fudge-swirled Cow Prints. But not a bit of freshness fades on its way to the family-owned farm’s city location inside Boston Public Market — or in the packaged quarts you can take home for a nightly treat. Multiple Locations, crescentridge,com.
Idle Hands Craft Ales
Since Idle Hands arrived early into the Boston area’s craft-brewery explosion in 2011, times have certainly changed: Plenty of other makers have joined the game, and you can now find a juicy, locally made IPA on every corner. But founder Chris Tkach continues to set the pace by adding trendier brews, such as the Kill Your Idles sour beer series, to a lineup distinguished by exemplary European styles. His flagship hop bomb Four Seam, meanwhile, is still one of the best hazy IPAs around. 89 Commercial St., Malden, MA 02148, idlehandscraftales.com/site.
<em>Trial 4</em>
The Netflix treatment of Sean Ellis’s wrongful conviction and ultimate exoneration in the 1993 killing of a Boston police officer is both triumphant and infuriating, exposing cracks and rampant corruption in the criminal justice system that put him away as a teen. The eight-episode series also gives a major platform to familiar voices in the city, like GBH’s always excellent investigative reporter Phillip Martin, and introduced the world to Rosemary Scapicchio, the no-nonsense local attorney with an unforgettably spiky platinum-blond hairdo who spent years fighting to set Ellis free.
Michael's Deli
Our New York friends won’t let us forget it: Boston doesn’t exactly abound with traditional Jewish delis. Even Manhattan, though, would be lucky to have Michael’s, which epitomizes everything you’re looking for in the deli experience — namely, sandwiches with meats stacked high enough to crack your jaw, bitingly sharp horseradish, and a hint of something green (and probably pickled). Remember to order a side of latkes for your mom, then stand aside and wait for your name to be yelled. Ah, yes! That feels just right. 256 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02446, michaelsdelibrookline.com.
ArtsEmerson
ArtsEmerson certainly brings the world to its stages. This season alone, it hosted acrobatic feats from Montreal's troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main in Traces; Isabella Rossellini in her cult-tastic one-woman show, Green Porno; an oil-drums-and-marimba reimagining of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, by South Africa's Isango Ensemble; and, from the Hub's own Israeli Stage, a North American premiere of the affecting Ulysses on Bottles. Most impressive, ArtsEmerson realizes its global vision while remaining audience-focused and community-centric. (Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston) 559 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, artsemerson.org.
Blank Label
You could easily drop a few grand on a bespoke model from a name-brand designer. But if you want to save thousands and strut away looking just as dapper, pay a visit to Blank Label. This Boston-based company houses a cadre of knowledgeable tailors who will measure you from head to toe while demystifying the finer points of pick stitching, venting, and canvassing. Within three weeks, Blank Label’s partners in Shanghai will ship off your new favorite outfit. Correction, July 5, 11 a.m.: A previous version of this post misstated the location of Blank Label's international partners. They are in Shanghai, not Hong Kong. We regret the error. 36 Bromfield St., Boston, MA 02108, blanklabel.com.
Rare Moving & Trucking
Moving in Boston is a special kind of hell. Just ask anyone who's dragged a hand truck over Beacon Hill cobblestones, squeezed a couch through a twisty Somerville stairwell, or extracted a piano from a South End brownstone. It pays, then, to enlist a mover with a deep knowledge of the city and all of its U-Haul-destroying perils. Enter Dorchester native Kamaul Reid and his crew, who've been racking up rave reviews for their meticulous work since 2009. Not only will they move that piano for you—they'll do it with a smile. 41 Bailey St., Boston, MA 02124, bostonraremovers.com.
Brix
Carri Wroblewski and Klaudia Mally founded Brix in 2003 on a radical idea: that inventory should be determined not by household-name popularity or distributor pricing windfalls but the owners' discerning tastes. Apparently, believing in every last bottle on your shelves wasn't a bad business model, as evidenced by their expansion to two additional locations, and by the city's patiently groomed taste for high-toned Burgundies, off-the-oaken-path Italians, and deep-track rosթs. Multiple locations. Correction, June 26, 12 p.m.: In the July issue of Boston, Carri's name was misspelled. We regret the error. 1284 Washington St., Boston, MA 02218, brixwineshop.com.