Boston Nature Center & Wildlife Sanctuary
A summer camp for kids and a natural oasis for everyone else, this 67-acre property boasts miles of trails and boardwalks, as well as the Clark-Cooper Community Gardens. massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/boston-nature-center.
AMC Loews Boston Common 19
This centrally located mega-multiplex is chock full of big-budget luxuries. The semireclining seats are roomy enough for even the most ample popcorn-fed tushes. The monstrous screens do justice to even the most audacious CGI effects. The sound systems pump more decibels at audiences than Logan's runways do at Eastie residents. And if one show is sold out, there'll be another screening starting down the hall in five minutes. 175 Tremont St., Boston, MA amctheaters.com.
John Aloysius Farrell, <em>Boston Globe</em>
Despite the pompous triple-barreled byline (does anybody at the Globe not have a middle name?), Farrell has written some of the smartest, sharpest, and most stylish stuff on the presidential campaign trail.
YMCA of Greater Boston, Central Branch
Yes, we know it's the Y. But you can't beat a nonprofit organization for inexpensive dues, and the Huntington Avenue YMCA has more amenities—and a more interesting clientele—than most gyms in the area. 316 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
FleetBoston's "customer service initiative."
Translation: Fleet was forced to spend $150 million improving customer service after ranking second to last among the nation's 20 largest banks in a Consumer Reports survey of customer satisfaction, and dead last in a poll of corporate reputation by American Banker.
Gerald O'Neill, <em>Boston Globe</em>
He's back as head of the Spotlight Team, where he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972. His touch was evident in the malpractice series—Spotlight's best in years.
The Boston College men's basketball team
From the elite eight to losing their troubled blue-chip recruit in one year. Already a "where are they now?" trivia question.
Bisq at Time Out Market Boston
There’s no secret ingredient in chef Alex Sáenz’s juicy, crispy fried chicken: It’s a simple flour coating. One bite and you’ll refuse to believe it, but it’s really all in the technique. A potato bun, bread-and-butter pickles, and ranch round things off for the sandwich form of his famous chicken. 401 Park Dr., Fenway, MA 02215, timeoutmarket.com/boston/eat-and-drink/bisq.
The "10 Miles West of Boston" Incident
HBO’s 2023 series The Last of Us depicted a present-day dystopian Boston in which the North End was a heavily militarized quarantine zone, and Quincy Market was a wasteland of fungal zombies. But the post-apocalyptic storyline required a greater suspension of disbelief in the third episode, when an establishing shot identifi ed a coniferous forest landscape and steep mountain range as “10 Miles West of Boston.” The Internet wasn’t having it. As one local cracked on Twitter, “I [love] to take my family skiing in the mountain wilderness of Waltham.”
Johnson Building at the Boston Public Library
No noisy, messy pizza parties here: Choose between the sunny Children’s Room, featuring cozy hangout spots with neon-colored furniture, and Teen Central, a stylish space with two 80-inch monitors for gaming or movies. It may be pricey, but we’re sure they’re worth it. 700 Boylston St., Boston, MA bpl.org.
Lisa DeCobert, Louis Boston
DeCorbet's girly chatter and down-to-earth approach is a welcome relief from the hard sell of many other makeup artists around town, so it's easy to regard her as a pal. But make no mistake. She can do what no other friend on the planet can: transform you from plain Jane into a smoldering starlet. Better still, she's not loyal to any one brand and has a penchant for mixing and matching from the specialty lines at her counter. 234 Berkeley St., Boston, MA louisboston.com.
YMCA of Greater Boston Central Branch
Maybe it's not as posh as some of the higher-priced clubs, but the Y has, yet again, first-rate offerings: squash, pool, yoga, tai chi, and a cafe, at about half the price of the competition. This year the Huntington branch added a new aerobics room, a cardiovascular center, and some Nautilus time machines to its range of services. 316 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
AMC Loews Boston Common 19
This flashy film mecca is the place to go if you want to catch the latest huge-budget Hollywood flick. Locally shot blockbusters often have their star-studded debuts here, and the theater shows films on multiple screens, so you can actually get in on opening nights. 175 Tremont St., Boston, MA amctheatres.com.