Phoenix Landing
It's time to change up your sports-bar rotation. Head to the Phoenix Landing, where soccer—er, football—is almost always on the telly. This pub is Boston's official Liverpool FC clubhouse (the Red Sox's John Henry owns the team). Of course, all fans are welcome here ... as long as they're willing to drink Guinness while belting out, "We'll fight for the boys in Red, We'll fight, we'll fight for Liverpool, The team that Shankly bred." 512 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 2118, phoenixlandingbar.com.
Michael Schlow of Cafe Louis
Schlow put the newly renovated restaurant at Louis, Boston on the culinary map just a few weeks after his arrival from New York. A protege of Manhattan restaurateur Pino Luongo, Schlow and pastry chef Paul Connors, who worked at Aurora, in New York, and the four-star Ryland Inn, in New Jersey, have brought simply prepared but elegant and sometimes surprising cuisine to Boston, featuring notably fresh produce and other ingredients. Try the tasting menu.
Lynn Woods
Scenic and easy to find, Lynn Woods covers 2,200 acres with a maze of single-track and fire roads for bicyclists—all easy to intermediate—plus advanced trails such as Steel Tower, which has great views of Boston's skyline and the vast Atlantic. For new visitors, the park has easy-to-read grid-coordinated trail markings that match the map, making it a breeze to bike off-road without fear of getting lost. 106 Pennybrook Rd., Lynn, MA flw.org.
Great Scott
A terrific core of rock clubs anchors Boston's music scene, places like T. T. the Bear's, the Middle East, and the Midway Café. But if you're into discovering emerging bands, Great Scott is the finest; it's been booking the best new talent for years (including early concerts from Of Montreal and MGMT). What's more, the sound is exceptional, and the place is so tiny there's no backstage area, leaving musicians little choice but to mingle with the crowd. 1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston, MA 2134, greatscottboston.com.
Courageous Sailing
One way to minimize your exposure to E. coli is to sail on Boston Harbor instead of the Charles River, and Courageous Sailing is the best way to go for the bucolic-urban experience. Courageous offers easy access to Harbor Islands State Park, where with a little advanced planning you can even go camping. The only year-round sailing center in Boston, it merits its name because of its iceboating events and other cold-weather adventures. 1 First Ave., Charlestown, MA .
Machine Age
Okay, so 20th-century goods aren't exactly antique. But if you're simply seeking exquisite items with a storied past, you'll find them at South Boston's Machine Age, a 9,000-square-foot warehouselike store overflowing with the most iconic furniture and lighting from the past century, plus rare Danish modern pieces that have never been stateside until now. 645 Summer St., Boston, MA 2210, machine-age.com.
Bernard Toale
Toale wins this year not just for his keen eye but for his moxie. When all five gallery owners at 11 Newbury Street were forced to leave in April because of an outrageous rent hike, all but Toale went across the street to 14 Newbury Street. He boldly chose to move to the South End, adding his adventurous style to a handful of galleries that are trying to turn this area into Boston's version of SoHo. 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA .
Get Konnected!
In a town where the power to convene is more valuable than gold, public relations pro Colette Phillips’s cross-cultural networking group is priceless. And with some of the biggest-name partners around, including Eastern Bank, Wayfair, State Street, and the Boston Foundation, plus a business or multicultural celebratory event offered nearly every month, there’s no one in Boston who helps busy professionals make meaningful connections like Get Konnected! 529 Main St., Boston, MA 02109, getkonnected.com.
The Wilbur Theatre
Big enough to command a prime Theater District spot but cozy enough to feel like an intimate club, the Wilbur has blossomed into Boston's premier place for biggish-name comedy. Recent headliners have included Amy Schumer, podcast pioneer Marc Maron, and Cosby antagonist Hannibal Buress, as well as Women in Comedy Festival sets by Glee deadpanner Jane Lynch and Cristela namesake Cristela Alonzo. 246 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, thewilbur.com.
Hive & Colony
Originally launched as a roving custom clothier in Manhattan (think: a food truck, but for made-to-measure menswear), Hive & Colony is now outfitting Boston's most fashionable grooms from its first brick-and-mortar, in Copley Place. The boutique, equipped with a measurement-capturing 3-D body scanner and a handsome bar, offers hundreds of fabric options for customizable suits and tuxes: Choose a lapel, add sharp buttons, and stitch your wedding date into the lining for a truly memorable getup. Copley Place, Boston, MA 02116, hiveandcolony.com.
Follain
Prepare to come in for a cleanser and leave with a changed life. Just one brief consult with a member of the dewy-skinned staff about the benefits of using natural products and you'll make plans to overhaul your bathroom cabinet. Luckily, it will take several visits to the Pinterest-worthy space to fill your shelves with serums, oils, and creams from Tammy Fender, True Botanicals, Osea, and May Lindstrom. 65 Charles St., Boston, 857-233-5211; 53 Dartmouth St., Boston, 857-284-7078; shopfollain.com. 65 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, shopfollain.com.
Eugene Mirman
A Lexington native, Mirman made his name with appearances on Flight of the Conchords and a starring role in the animated series Bob's Burgers while living in New York. But he never forgot about his hometown, remaining a presence on Boston's standup scene and even creating a comedy festival here. He's since moved back to the area, letting us reclaim him as our own. eugenemirman.com.
Winston Flowers Design Studio
Sixty years in, there's nary a Boston venue that hasn't been decked with Winston's spectacularly traditional yet fresh-feeling arrangements. While the venerable chain's seven Great Boston stores do a brisk retail business, weddings are no small side project: Brides get close personal attention at the South End design studio. 160 Southampton St., Boston, winstonflowers.com.
River Gods
Central Square is one of Greater Boston's most eclectic neighborhoods, and no restaurant captures the area's unique vibe quite as well as River Gods. Small but not cramped, energetic without being earsplittingly loud, it's usually populated by a mix of students, yuppies, old-timers, and Che Guevara acolytes. On top of a great beer selection, there's a menu that should satisfy everyone from the pickiest vegans to the most carnivorous diners. 125 River St., Cambridge, MA 2139, rivergodsonline.com.
Clio
Among Boston's power-breakfast set, Ken Oringer's otherwise high-profile restaurant (and the chef's own 'baby') has mostly remained a close-kept secret. Exquisitely mannered servers glide through the elegant dining room, quick with the coffee and sparing with the interruptions. The only risk is that the caviar scrambled eggs, banana galettes, and fresh-baked zucchini bread might have you paying more attention to your plate than to your breakfast companion. 370 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 2215, cliorestaurant.com.