Toscanini's
899 Main St., Cambridge, MA 2139, tosci.com.
A. Boschetto Bakery
In a neighborhood graced with over half a dozen worthy bakeries, peerless Italian pastries and cookies make Boschetto's the king. 4172 Washington St., Roslindale, MA 2131, aboschettobakery.com.
Flour Bakery + Cafe
The chocolate chip macaroons alone are worth the trip to the cheerful, family-friendly outpost behind the Boston Children's Museum. 1595 Washington St., Boston, MA 2118, flourbakery.com.
Sweat Fixx
What should you do if you miss pumping iron with your crew, but you’re still not ready to step foot inside a gym? Grab your yoga mat and some optional weights and head to Sweat Fixx for an outdoor fitness class, pronto. Offering al fresco strengthening sessions at its Southie location seven days per week, this woman-owned studio makes it (mostly) painless to squeeze in a low-impact workout filled with squats, biceps curls, planks, and more planks whenever the mood strikes. 323 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, MA 02127, sweatfixx.com.
The Boston Women's Heritage Trail
Walking tour flyer available at the Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau information booth, 147 Tremont Street, on Boston Common. If you don't know who Margaret Fuller, Myrna Vasquez, Melnea Cass, and Amy Beach were, you had better take the tour.
Pawsh Dog Boutique
It's no wonder Gisele Bundchen stops at Pawsh with her handsome Yorkie: The couture collection of doggie apparel and upscale grooming services makes the daily walk look more like a runway strut. There are necessities like nail clipping and tooth cleaning, but there's also an assortment of healthy organic treats, and two-legged customers are rewarded with dog food delivery and a return program for chewed-through toys. 31 Gloucester St., Boston, MA 2115, pawshboston.com.
Tim's Bar & Grill
This brick-walled South End hole in the wall reminiscent of an Alabama dive bar serves up the perfect antidote for a hot, sticky day: cool shade, cheap beer, and a cheeseburger the size of a small cow. Trust us; you won't be asking, "Where's the beef?" Oozing with fatty juices, these burgers taste as if Dad just flipped them off the backyard grill onto the not-big-enough Kaiser roll. The steak fries may be like lead paperweights, but Tim's friendly devil-may-care atmosphere, brewery mirrors, boom box funk music, and gap-toothed regulars make up for any feeling of weightiness. 329 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA .
Tiger's Baku
In Japan, a baku is a creature reputed in mythology to eat bad dreams. Here, it is a blend of jazz and fusion that soothes the savage beast. Tiger (aka Toru Okoshi) came to Boston from Japan in 1972 to study at Berklee. He's been in the mainstream of the local jazz scene ever since.
Vizio Optic
This petite Brookline Village shop is a four-time Best of Boston winner, and for good reason: Vizio Optic's top-notch service starts with the on-site optometrist and ends with the 360-degree photo booth, which allows buyers to see how those glasses look from the side, too. More than 1,000 frame choices include high-fashion, time-honored favorites from Chanel, Alain Mikli, and Robert Marc, as well as funky, lesser-known lines like Kata and Lafont. 11 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 2445, viziooptic.com.
Canto 6
In Dante's Inferno, Canto 6 describes the circle of hell reserved for the gluttonous. In J.P., it's a cheery bakery that lures patrons with dark chocolate cookies studded with tart dried cherries and buttery almond croissants dusted with powdered sugar. Nothing's too sweet or too rich, even the French canelles—champagne cork-size treats made with caramelized vanilla and rum. If you're looking to give into temptation, this is the place. 3346 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, MA canto6bakery.com.
Nicole Eldridge
The 12-year-old who played Clara in the Boston Ballet's annual The Nutcracker gave a lyrical and unaffected performance. The best since Edra Toth.
Black Magic Chimney Sweeps
Larry O'Connor is even honest enough to tell you that you don't need your chimney cleaned when you think you do. 10 Spring St., Cambridge, MA .
KO Prime
Gazillion-thread-count sheets aside, a hotel is really only as good as its bar. And chichi steakhouse KO Prime has admirably elevated the one at downtown's Nine Zero Hotel over the past year. Adjacent to the restaurant's sweeping dining room, the loungelike space caters to an in-town audience as well as trysters and overnight guests with a smart by-the-glass wine list and wowza cocktails such as the green tea-calamansi gimlet (chilled with liquid nitrogen!). For travelers with work to attend to, the combination of wireless Internet and tush-pleasing seating banishes the memory of sterile hotel business centers. 90 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2108, .
Anne-Cecile Curot
It's bad enough getting waxed—best to do it in a fun, distracting atmosphere (with Donna Summer cooing softly in the background). What makes this place unique is Cecile, a charming French woman who brought a trade secret with her when she came to Boston— azulene , a green wax that's as soothing as such a thing can be. And her efficiency and professionalism will prevent you from wondering what you're doing there in the first place! Jean-Pierre David, 24A Newbury St., Boston, MA .