Lester Harry's
For children's clothing that is high style, head north. Lester Harry's is all about subtlety, from cargo shorts to hand-knit baby sweaters, custom baby linens, and Italian shoes. Accessories include pint-sized, denim bean bags, cribs and changing tables. 140 Washington St., Marblehead, MA lesterharrys.com.
Wally's Café
With a hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, raw jazz, and bartenders who bust ass, Wally's is an institution unto itself. A conglomerate of Berklee students, longtime barflies, and twentysomethings keep the narrow bar crowded, while early birds get a shot at one of eight tables. It's a tight fit, to be sure, but the vibe is lighthearted and appreciative. 425 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 2118, wallyscafe.com.
Long's Jewelers
Some jewelry stores know only engagement rings and wedding bands. Others have eyes just for luxury timepieces. Long's is the rare shop that specializes in both, from custom-designed sparklers to sophisticated watches from Tag Heuer and Breitling. The selection of conversation pieces of conversation pieces Yurman and Marco Bicego is also not to be missed. 35 Cross St., Peabody, MA 1960, longsjewelers.com.
Dairy Fresh Candies
This store is packed with tempting goodies—specialty chocolates from local candy makers, imported Italian sweets, bags of familiar and exotic dried fruits and nuts, holiday novelties, candied mint and roses, quality bulk chocolate. If you don't see what you want, just ask. It's probably there. 57 Salem Street, Boston, MA .
Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream & Twentieth Century Bowling
Ice cream in a bowling alley? It works because the ice cream is delicious—creamy, with lots of wild flavors like Amaretto Swirl and Irish Coffee Madness. The candlepin bowling is a fun challenge, and they'll set up bumpers in a few lanes so kids (and adults) will never have a gutter ball. 1231 Hyde Park Avenue, Hyde Park, MA .
Baker's Best
Fabulous chicken (the piccata is especially wonderful), great veggie pizzas and calzones, and some of the best Caesar salad we've ever had. They'll even cater your weekend party, or—chicken soup to shank bone—your Passover Seder. 27 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA .
Bennett Street Cafe at the Charles Hotel
On Sunday mornings the sunny Bennett Street Cafe has an air of eternal spring. A mind-boggling array of exquisite baked goods, smoked fish, fresh fruit, salads, and entrees are mere warm-ups for the fabulous raw bar and the omelet station—where you can have an omelet made to order. 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA .
The Brendan Behan Pub
When a local film company needed a bar in Ireland for a scene, they came to the Brendan Behan. The Guinness is well drawn, and the pub offers readings from the likes of James Carroll plus a surprising variety of live music, including rockabilly, reggae, and, of course, the weekly Irish seisun (session). 378 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA .
The Chocolate Box
If this perfect pearl of a shop had been around 200 years ago, Marie Antoinette would have said, "Let them eat chocolate-dipped macaroons." Then again, anything from the Chocolate Box would have suited Marie. 1768 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
The Boston Phoenix
"Cardinal Sin" by Kristen Lombardi in the Boston Phoenix, March 23, 2001, which reported four months before the Globe that the court had sealed documents related to whether Cardinal Bernard Law knew in 1984 about Geoghan and did not remove him.
Home Entertainment Expo
Tired of pricey refreshments, sticky floors, and views blocked by the bald guy in the row ahead? Bring the big screen to you with help from this Sudbury showroom, where speakers, amps, and plasma TVs share space with custom lighting, European-made chairs, and touchpad control systems. 490 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 1776, homeentertainmentexpo.com.
Mighty Sam McClain
Soul singer and local legend, Mighty Sam McClain has had many ups and downs in his 30-year career, but with his late 1993 recording "Give It Up to Love" McClain is riding high once again.
The Regattabar, the Charles Hotel
The Regattabar is the place to go to hear big-name jazz artists. Sonny Rollins played there in May, and Herbie Hancock and Dizzy Gillespie are no strangers. July renovations—including additional carpeting and a new location for the bar—should improve the acoustics and sight lines. Cambridge, MA
Q Restaurant
Chinatown's upscale hot-pot joint Q Restaurant hits all the right notes for a first date. It boasts mood lighting as well as a crowd-pleasing (but not pandering) beverage selection. The cook-it-yourself cuisine provides an instant conversation starter, while the menu accommodates herbivores, low-carbers, anti-glutenites, and pretty much every other dietary restriction imaginable. Things going poorly? You're within sprinting distance of various MBTA lines. Hitting it off? Keep the party going at Shōjō, right around the corner. 660 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111, thequsa.com.
GreCo
Opened in the Back Bay in 2017, GreCo has since expanded to the Seaport and, very shortly, downtown. Given the super-fresh pitas; tender marinated lamb and pork sliced from vertical rotisseries; and fixings such as spicy whipped feta and crispy fries, we’d put one on every corner if we could. 225 Newbury St., Boston, MA grecoboston.com.