Wulf's Fish Market
Boston Magazine's test, conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, confirmed what we've known all along. Wulf's—still the best! 407 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA .
North End Fabrics
<p>It's hard to find a decent fabric store these days. The dwindling number of people who sew their own clothes has caused many textile shops to close, and most of those that remain are either large chains with uninspired inventories or discounters selling remnants, irregular goods, and closeouts.</p> <p>In this wasteland, North End Fabrics, at 31 Harrison Avenue, is an oasis for the home sewer. The small shop on the edge of Chinatown stocks a sumptuous and well-edited assortment of high-fashion textiles including Liberty of London cottons, the beautiful silklike polyester of John Kaldor, handerchief linens, wool suiting, silk jacquards, and tropical-weight wool challises. It even has the dubious honor of carrying New England's largest inventory of fake furs. All these goodies are tucked into barebones quarters, which on Saturday afternoons can set off an epidemic of claustrophobia among the customers. But the hard-core home sewers who flock there don't seem to mind. "I have this theory about fabric stores," says owner Ellen Bick. "It seems as if a kind of reverse ambience is best. Not that you want it to be grungy, but the more it looks like a mill store or a factory, the better the serious sewer likes it."</p> <p>Just how popular North End Fabrics is with serious sewers is demonstrated by its clientele, which includes aspiring fashion designers (Boston designer David Josef shopped there during his start-up years), photo stylists, costume designer, and well-dressed professional women who want couture-quality material for the outfits they sew. October brings a colorful crowd of gay men buying sequins and gold lamé for costumes they'll wear on Halloween at the annual gay ball.</p> <p>Many shops that operated during the heyday of Boston's Garment District (during the early 1900s) are now gone—victims of rising rents, changing times, and chichi real estate developments. But North End Fabrics has stood its ground there for 30 years. If that doesn't mean it's doing something right, nothing does.</p>
Lava Bar, Saturday Night Tabu
With an amazing penthouse view of Boston and Cambridge, this intimate club attracts the most adorable girls, who dance to DJ Fran and languish on velvet sofas. 575 Commonwealth Ave., 8th Floor, Boston, MA .
The return of the real live swans to the lagoon at the Public Garden
Last May the Boston Parks Department and the Park Plaza Hotel released cygnets Castor and Polux, the first swans to swim in the lagoon in 23 years. Boston, MA
French Modernist Pierre Boulez and His Ensemble Inter-Contemporaine
Boulez dazzled Symphony Hall audiences with futuristic compositions and effects, then he dazzled even jaded members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with his conducting.
Bloomingdale's
Good source of designer anythings, and one of the first greater Boston stores to hire a personal shopper for men. Chestnut Hill Mall, Chestnut Hill, MA .
The Hampshire House
They've changed the name, but the drink remains the same—the finest in Boston, with just a hint of horseradish and garlic. 84 Beacon St., Boston, MA .
Lisa Hughes
WBZ-TV, Channel 4 anchor Lisa Hughes, for injecting some energy into the tired Boston TV market.
WBUR
The Boston University-based station has eclectic programming, informed deejay, and National Public Radio.
Safest area: Charlestown and East Boston. Most unsafe: Back Bay-South End and Roxbury.
Dairy Fresh Candies
Nothing fancy—just fireballs, Mexican Hats, Boston Baked Beans, and Gummi bears at fair prices. 57 Salem Street, Boston, MA .
Miracle of Science
Now, if only they could clone themselves all around Boston—that would be a real miracle of science. 321 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA .
Sally Ling's
While the Boston Waterfront location is fancier, the Newton outpost of Ling's gives better overall value. 10 Langley Rd., Newton, MA .