Michael O'Shea, Newton Cabinet and Furniture
O'Shea is among the last of a breed that's giving way to discount building-supply houses and plastic furniture: a craftsman who'll make home visits. "I really enjoy cabinetmaking," says O'Shea, who's been in the business for six years, "and I do a good job." His favorite material is cherry ("Soft woods dent too easily"), and will do most any "variation on a rectangle" that is related to furniture or cabinetry. Cambridge, MA
Chillingsworth
If you (or your waistline) can't afford Chillingsworth's seven-course dinner, make straight for its Sunday brunch. The 300-year-old estate serves scrumptious French and American cuisine amid fresh flowers and antique furniture. Chef Nitzi Rabin takes brunch fare to the next level, whipping up Chesapeake crab—cake Benedict, omelets with lobster meat, and scrambled eggs with black truffles. 2449 Main St. (Rte. 6A), Brewster, MA chillingsworth.com.
Andrew Zona Studio and Day Spa
Past the bustling ground-level salon is one of the area's most soothing (and healing) oases. Andrew Zona's second floor is a temple of quiet body treatments, cleansing facials, and massages so relaxing they're practically coma-inducing. And if you just can't stand to bypass the boutique, browse its selection of international products and pick a tube of Kérastase shine serum or Sundãri moisturizer that will keep your skin in shape until the next visit. 65 South St., Hingham, MA .
Arthur & Pat's
It simply isn't summer in Brant Rock without the smell of crab cakes and eggs—and the epic brunch lines it attracts—pouring from Arthur & Pat's. And it isn't Arthur & Pat's without Aerosmith blaring through the salty air, waitresses in tie-dyed shirs slamming groaning plates onto the granite tables, or ridiculous cartoons illustrating the killer daily specials: shrimp florentine omelettes, gloriously crispy fried clams, and the aptly named "Artie's Orgasmic Lobster Roll." 239 Ocean St., Marshfield, MA .
Tresses & The Day Spa
The very idea of being stressed out on Nantucket may seem absurd. But when it happens, rush to the relaxing world of Tresses, where anxieties evaporate into the salty air. Tresses provides superb treatments for hair, body, skin, and nails in an environment that's fresh, sunny, and—most of all—soothing. From hot stone massages to seaweed wraps, Tresses tames and beautifies even the most frazzled travelers. It's like a vacation from your vacation. 117 Pleasant St., Nantucket, MA nantucketspa.com.
Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar
The long lines don't lie: Arnold's serves fried clams at their messy best alongside the fluffiest, tastiest onion rings we've ever eaten. The location doesn't hurt either: It's right on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, with picnic tables in the shade of tall pines where you can pitch your kickstand and enjoy surprisingly reasonably priced seafood on a cafeteria-style tray. As a gesture to gourmets, there's even a raw bar. But stick to the specialties: fried clams, steamers, lobster, and corn on the cob. Rte. 6, Eastham, MA arnoldsrestaurant.com.
Andrew Zona Studio
It's not just that stylists here can take your hair from bed head to pin-straight in a friendly flash—though that would certainly be enough. Nor is it only that you'll find an international dream team of products, from Kérastase to Bumble and Bumble to Kiehl's. It isn't even that the helpful, affable counter staff goes out of its way to avoid the fabled Hingham hauteur. It's the intersection of all of the above—which is precisely where you'll find Andrew Zona Studio. 65 South St., Hingham, MA .
Reed's Country Way Nursery and Florist
On a bucolic pond in Hingham, you'll find the answers to every horticultural question you've ever thought to ask—and some you probably haven't. Reed's employs a team of garden experts to educate customers with thumbs of even the palest green about hanging baskets (a particular specialty) and their assortment of more than 600 varieties of perennials. If your car isn't already loaded down with flats, stop at the garden shop on the way out: With a selection of candles and pottery, you can't go wrong. 387 East St., Hingham, MA .
Red Rock Bistro & Bar
The food at Red Rock Bistro & Bar is a bonus. The beautiful view of the pounding Atlantic surf and Boston skyline is filling enough. On the other hand, we would never give up chef Allen Bohnert's brunch menu of fluffy mushroom-, cheese-, and spinach-stuffed omelets; challah French toast with ruby-red strawberries; or blueberry flapjacks with cassis butter. It's worth setting the alarm clock on a Sunday. Ease out of your postbrunch food coma with a long walk along the soft sand beach below the restaurant. 141 Humphrey St., Swampscott, MA redrockbistro.com.
Anna Cherkasska, Salon Capri
Anna Cherkasska takes her work seriously, which means clients take her work vigorously. Expect lots of effective pressure that goes deep tissue, gets right to the middle of the muscle, and leaves you ache-free and loose as a rubber band. Cherkasska is charming, diligent, and not at all shy; don't be surprised if she jumps on your back to face down a knot. The salon itself provides a slew of other top-notch services and a serene but sophisticated setting. 31 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA saloncapri.com.
F1 Boston
Forget Schwarzenegger films, mini golf, and laser tag. Once you've felt your own adrenaline spike through you from one mere inch above the ground at Braintree's indoor "Formula 1"-style kart-racing complex, just about everything else seems lame. NASCAR lovers, take note: This is, by any standards, a luxury establishment, with conference rooms, cafés and lounges, billiards, and exhibitions. 290 Wood Rd., Braintree, MA f1boston.com.
Mighty Mighty BossTones
Ska may come and ska may go, but the BossTones are forever. Going on 20 years, the band is forcing listeners to again Pay Attention with a best selling new studio release. Notwithstanding some catchy hooks, the album features a more melodic side of the plaid-bedecked eight-some, or, as frontman Dicky Barrett says, songs that are "thought out, not just half-assed." Get your tix for the Throwdown now! bosstones.com.
Sacco's Bowl Haven
If you happen to own custom-made bowling gloves and look down on those who roll anything under 220, then this Somerville candlepin joint isn't for you. But if you've got some skeeball chops and a penchant for craft beer, grab a lane between a toddler's birthday party and a gaggle of college freshmen, order a few fabulous Flatbread Company pizzas, and get your game on. 45 Day St., Somerville, MA 2144, .
Mottley's Comedy Club
Performing a set at a sweaty, cramped, underground club like Mottley's is the embodiment of what comics call paying your dues. Owned, operated, and booked by two funnymen (and their business partner), Mottley's is a proving ground for some of Boston's most promising comedy talent. The stage show is the main attraction, but if you hang back by the bar, you'll get a second serving of entertainment—eavesdropping on the performers' post-set repartee—for the same reasonable admission price ($8 to $20, depending on the show). Trinity Bar, 61 Chatham St., Boston, MA 2109, mottleyscomedy.com.
Silhouette Cocktail Lounge
If you require more than two ingredients in your cocktail (ice and booze), the Silhouette is likely not for you. True to dive décor, the walls are cheaply paneled and the floors cheaply tiled; the windows are largely covered to keep swillers insulated from school, work, the light of day, etc. The Tam may have the craziest clientele and TC's the most Big Buck Hunter nuts, but the Silhouette reigns as the best no-frills place to be, or start becoming, hung over. 200 Brighton Ave., Allston, MA 2134, .