Lester Harry's
The atmosphere at this Newbury Street store is more gallery than Gymboree. The precious collection of baby- and kidswear is set against a backdrop of chandeliers and hardwood floors. The tiny down jackets and cashmere cardigans will cost you, but it's important to spare no expense when outfitting tomorrow's Ivy Leaguers and tycoons. 115 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, lesterharrys.com.
Tile Showcase
Planning a back splash in your kitchen? A mosaic in your bathroom? Tiling your entryway or looking for flagstones for your patio? The selection might be overwhelming, but the consultants are adept at navigating you through the many lines such as Country Floors, Grazia, Emil Ceramica, and Tagina. They'll also help answer any design questions. 1 Design Center Place, Boston, MA .
Vapor
The owners of Chaps were so excited about last summer's renovation that they gave their club a new name. Reincarnated as Vapor, the space has a new floor plan, a beefed-up sound system, and an amplified light show. Already the high-energy dance hall is a hot scene, complete with Manhattan deejays on the weekends. 100 Warrenton Street, Boston, MA .
Bombay Club
There are other Indian restaurants in town, but none present top-quality food as consistently as the Bombay Club. Check out the Chicken Tikka Masala, and try the garlic and onion naan as an accompaniment to your meal. The lunch buffet is easy on the taste buds and the wallet, and the restaurant's top-floor view of Harvard Square doesn't hurt, either. Harvard Square Galeria, 57 JFK St., Cambridge, MA .
Tiger Home Inspection
Tiger was putting its inspectors through a comprehensive training course even before it was required by state law (legislation the company's cofounders helped craft, by the way). The 60-odd inspectors—overseen by president Carl Pucci—are renowned as the region's most thorough, whether they're probing floor joists for termites or expounding on repointing a chimney. 969 Washington St., Braintree, MA 2184, .
Avalon, Sunday nights
Many area nightspots sponsor weekly gay nights, but none satisfies the masses quite like Avalon Sundays. Beautiful players sip cocktails and get groovy in superlative style to pumping tunes spun by local DJ heavyweights, while drag queens take advantage of the airline hangar of a dance floor to strut their stuff. 15 Lansdowne St., Boston, MA .
Lookout Rooftop and Bar
Sunset cocktails never tasted as good as they do at Lookout Rooftop & Bar, which serves up an exceptionally elevated, buzzy scene from a seventh-floor vantage point that offers vistas of cloud-scraping buildings and bobbing boats below. 70 Sleeper St., Seaport, MA 02210, theenvoyhotel.com/dining/lookout-rooftop-and-bar.
Delfino
Peek into Delfino’s floor-to-ceiling windows, and you’ll never see an empty table: For years, this cozy trattoria has been packing in scores of hungry Rozzie dwellers. They come for the heaping plates of Bolognese, the extensive wine list, and—most important—the warm, attentive service. 754 South St., Roslindale , MA 02131, delfinorestaurant.com.
Boston Book Annex
Like a portal to Narnia, a door below street level reveals an impossibly boundless collection of used books, neatly organized into hundreds of irresistible categories, including "espionage," "nature writing," and "UFOs." Two cats doze near the front, and there's quiet but the sound of the creaky wooden floors. 906 Beacon Street, Boston, MA .
Pearl Art & Craft Supplies
Bins of brushes, passels of paints, plus everything from buttons and beads to hand-printed papers and zinc plates for etching fill the two floors of this huge art-supply supermarket. And all art books are at least 20 percent off. 579 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Vox Populi
In this den of preppy testosterone, the open floor plan encourages circulating (the better to scope prospects), the pop soundtrack doesn't drown out conversation (the better to initiate small talk), and the martini menu is 20 varieties long (the better to loosen your inhibitions). 755 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2116, voxboston.com.
Buzz
Two dance floors crammed with beautifully sweaty bodies, awesome music by DJs Michael Sheehan and Mary Alice, friendly bartenders (including Christian, with the chest-hair configuration of a young Sean Connery), and a lounge where conversation is almost audible. What's not to like? 67 Stuart St., Boston, MA .
Cambridge Center Rooftop Garden
One of the city's most breathtaking green spaces is located atop a weary hunk of concrete in Kendall Square. Walk into a nondescript parking garage, ride the elevator to the top floor, and you'll discover the Cambridge Center Rooftop Garden, an oasis of landscaped flora. Cambridge, MA 2142,
Room & Board
Journey through this airy five-floor showroom—deftly organized by category and function—for catalog-style displays of classic and midcentury designs. More than 90 percent of the selection is American-made, and the origin of each piece is included, along with the wood used. 375 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115, roomandboard.com.
Boston Fire Museum
This museum and working firehouse has become a hot tot birthday spot, and for good reason: Festivities begin on the spacious second floor, where kids can burn excess energy, then move to an exhibit hall, where they can climb, "steer," ring bells, and wind sirens on old-time engines. 344 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210, bostonfiremuseum.com.