Sunset Grill & Tap
Just reading the beer menu at the Sunset is enough to make your head spin. At last count there were 100 brews on tap here, as well as 300-plus bottled beers. The selection ranges from the prosaic (Pilsner Urquell) to the obscure (Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale) to the unpronounceable (the Gueuze 100% Lambic is said to be the champagne of beers). For connoisseurs, there's usually a cask-conditioned ale, like the popular Middle Ages' Wailing Wench; for the less discerning, there are the always-reliable Bud Light longnecks. 130 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA 2134, allstonsfinest.com.
21 Federal
Much as we enjoy fighting for a bar stool with sunburned tourists and libidinous and over-lubricated college students, we do sometimes crave a slightly more civilized scene. 21 Federal, inside a classic Nantucket 1847 Greek Revival building, features a sophisticated downstairs bar and another cozy one upstairs. In-the-know Nantucketers congregate here for masterfully poured drinks; an award-winning wine list; good-looking, genial bartenders; and a crowd that knows how to have a stylish sort of fun. 21 Federal St., Boston, MA 21federal.com.
Coolidge Corner Theatre
The sad fact is that big corporate multiplexes show big corporate movies. Truly, you are what you screen. Which makes Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre an art-house jewel among the plastic giants. This 75-year-old, not-for-profit space boasts a classy schedule of documentary, international, and independent movies. The Coolidge also keeps a hand in the community by hosting readings, live performances, and film festivals. 290 Harvard St., Brookline, MA coolidge.org.
Club Hollywood Boston at Ekco Lounge
Butches and femmes hoist their bottles together here on Saturday nights, when this Chinatown karaoke lounge and dance club becomes the closest thing lesbians have to a downtown clubhouse. Two levels of dance floors offer ample space for the mostly young and urban crowd to get down to electro, house, and hip-hop. Once a month, grrls slip on suits and fedoras (and boys and butches, dresses) for "drag karaoke." 41 Essex St., Boston, MA .
Castle Island
What more could you want in a picnic spot? There's grass for the kids and animals, picnic tables, water surrounding you on all sides and a 2.1-mile exercise loop to work off your lunch. Want to picnic without packing? Swing by Sullivan's, a takeout eatery serving burgers, fries, seafood, and ice cream at the entrance to Castle Island. The kicker? Free entertainment in the form of planes roaring over the area seconds before they land at Logan. William J. Day Boulevard, South Boston, MA mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/castle.htm.
Coolidge Corner Theatre
This Brookline landmark sure knows how to draw 'em in. While other art houses are content dishing out classics, these guys go right for the guts, with events like Annie Sprinkle's Herstory of Porn: Rell to Real, Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival, the New England Film & Video Festival, and even a summer jazz series. They've got a new lease under negotiation, a new spirit, and a fresh pot of coffee brewing for late-night shows. 299 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .
The Roof at the Ritz-Carlton
Plan ahead if you want to trip the light fantastic at this, the city's chicest summer dinner-cum-dancing destination for those of us who outgrew Landsdowne Street years ago. Seating, especially for groups, is booked weeks, sometimes months, ahead. The good news is your alfresco evening will take place regardless of weather: A huge tent encloses tables, band, and dance floor, keeping well-coifed guests warm and dry. 15 Arlington St., Boston, MA .
Lenox Hotel
Whether you're a movie star craving anonymity or a suburban couple looking to flee the rugrats for a night, the Lenox beckons with European elegance and discretion, meaning the doorman may know your name but he'll make sure nobody else does. Escape into the newly renovated (at a cost of $20 million) Back Bay jewel, with its imported crystal chandeliers, working fireplaces, lush carpeting, Victorian wallpaper, gilt-framed Italian, French, and English prints—and the fabulous Anago restaurant. 710 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Boston Center for Adult Education
On the social faux pas scale, making a fool of yourself on the dance floor ranks second only to bad karaoke. And with dance so popular these days, your chances of blowing it publicly are increasing exponentially. What to do? Sign up for a class at the Boston Center for Adult Education, where sympathetic and experienced instructors will have you gliding like Astaire in a matter of weeks—for under $100. And you don't have to have a partner to enroll. 5 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Casablanca
Next to a terrific moviehouse and a great coffeeshop, Casablanca is your best bet for a bar where you can actually have a conversation. Faux Middle Eastern decor, amusing Humphrey Bogart murals, Billie Holiday on the jukebox, an eclectic assortment of Left Bank literati, and odd little rick-shaw-like seats contribute to an overall pleasant vibe. 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA .
The Cape Codder Resort & Spa
The resort itself may feel a bit stuck in the '70s, but the Cape Codder's spa has surely caught up with the times. Such treatments as cranberry-enzyme facial peels and detoxifying seaweed-clay masques and massages are always perfectly performed. And after you're done being pampered, your kids can frolic in the hotel's oceanlike indoor pool, which boasts two big water slides and two-and-a-half-foot waves. 1225 Iyannough Rd. (Rte. 132), Hyannis, MA capecodderresort.com.
Farfar's Danish Ice Cream Shop
The real ice-cream aficionado's conundrum: Once you've gone Danish, you'll never go back. If that Danish is Farfar's, however, you'll go back repeatedly. This isn't your over-the-top carnival of crazed flavor and obnoxious and undiscriminating mix-ins. Farfar's is about amazing, rich texture and simple but intense fresh flavors. The cinnamon is a coup de cremerie. The peanut butter reaches deep into the nut's truest flavor. And the sweet cream tastes like innocence itself. 272 Saint Georges St., Duxbury, MA farfarsicecream.com.
Grettacole
Push through the glass and wood storefront, past the bright pots of Trish McEvoy cosmetics and rows of neatly packaged Molton Brown potions (you can hit all of the above on your way out), and head straight for the heart of this operation: the spa. The intimate setting in back serves as the stage for some world-class pampering—whether it's a custom-designed massage at the hard-working hands of Amy Nicalek or a soul-saving pedicure. The entire staff works at the expert level. Better yet, they're downright sweet. 300 Boylston St. (Rte. 9), Atrium Mall, Chestnut Hill, MA grettacole.com.
Periwinkles
Glowing candles and a well-scrubbed interior may keep it more refined than your average fish shack, but Periwinkles' sea fare is straight-off-the-boat fresh. The crabmeat pie is a sweet and thick bit of retro revelry; the fresh lobster pizza on sourdough crust is tangy, filling, and scrumptious. Sitting on the deck perched over the Essex River at sunset, with an Ipswich Ale and a plate of grilled swordfish, provides an experience with which few places on earth can compete. 74 Main St., Essex, MA periwinklesrestaurant.com.
Kendall Square Cinema
It's not the fresh popcorn, hot cappuccino, or high-gloss neon that draws the crowds to this megaplex arthouse near MIT. Sure, those things don't hurt. But even if the seats weren't plush and the parking weren't plentiful, crowds would still flood to this theater for one of the largest selections of eye-sprinting subtitles on the East Coast. With nine screens of foreign and indie flicks, this is the place to catch an obscure tearjerker while boning up on your Czech or Urdu. 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA .