Harvard Book Store
In addition to bringing the authors to Boston, the Harvard Book Store also provides the most diverse and frequent reading series. HBS increases its breadth by teaming up with the Hasty Pudding Institute, the BPL, and the Harvard Film Archive for many events. It also makes an effort to reach beyond the literary by inviting writers of nonfiction and even business gurus to speak. The business breakfast series is among the store's most popular. 126 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Globe Spotlight Team
The Boston Globe Spotlight Team, whose Pulitzer Prize-worthy coverage of the archdiocesan sex scandal was earth-shattering journalism at its and a return to the kind of aggressive investigative reporting that is badly needed in this town after years of newspaper "exposés" about such easy targets as crooked small-town building inspectors and ticket scalpers outside Fenway Park (no, really?)
Ted Kennedy
Whether it's delivering the pork, hiking the minimum wage, extending health care benefits to the poor, or working behind the scenes on the Fleet-BankBoston merger and the Patriots stadium deal, our hyperactive senior senator hasn't stopped running for reelection since 1994. Which is why, come next year, his Republican challenger-whoever the poor fool may be—will be wearing a blindfold, smoking a cigarette, and saying his last words.
There were so many of them, right? But if we had to choose, it was the night a grinch at the Globe scratched a mustache on a news photo of Governor Dukakis. Either that, or when Globe reporter Bella English wrote a heart-tugger about Boston tenants who were being victimized by condo spectators, only to learn later from a column by the Herald's Norma Nathan that the tenants in the Globe story resided in a building owned by Globe star reporter Ben Bradlee, Jr., and his wife, Martha, Channel 5's chief correspondent.
Coelho Contracting
In slightly less than a decade in business, Emanuel Coelho's firm has painted hundreds of houses around Boston. The secret of its success boils down to that magical combination rarely seen in contractors: top-quality workmanship—backed by a five-year, no-chip warranty—and a rate that leaves clients with a little extra cash for other home-improvement projects. 14 William St., Medford, MA 2155, .
Ann Romney, aka Mrs. Mitt Romney
During an up-close and personal interview with the Boston Globe, Romney attempted to strike a chord of cloth-coat, log-cabin Republicanism while recalling the family's lean years in Belmont, when her husband was attending Harvard Law. "We had no income except the stock we were chipping away at," she confessed. "We were living on the edge, not entertaining." Imagine.
Tiffany Von
No one encapsulates the “fine art” photography style of atmospheric, painterly perfection better than Tiffany Von Noronha. Although she’s been cultivating national clientele with weddings in far-off destinations and appearances in Martha Stewart Weddings, the Boston-based virtuoso is still right at home in the Hub’s finest indoor and outdoor venues — effortlessly capturing moments and details in romantic, unposed shots you’ll want to hang on your wall forever. tiffanyvon.com.
Revelry
Looking for a party? Follow chef Brian Ledet’s food truck — covered in harle- quin diamonds in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold, and green — when it pops up at Boston-area breweries or city parks. One taste of the New Orleans transplant’s spicy jambalaya, red beans and rice with fried chicken, andouille sausage gumbo, or barbecue-shrimp po’ boys, and you’ll swear you can suddenly hear Bourbon Street jazz bands all the way from the Greenway. Boston, MA revelryboston.com.
Marie Galvin Millinery
If you didn’t wear a Marie Galvin number to this hat-dotted luncheon to benefit the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, were you even there? Now that Party in the Park is officially back after a COVID hiatus, so too are the Boston milliner’s whimsical hats and fascinators, adorned with delicate orchids, sculptural bows, and other look-at-me accents. 450 Harrison Ave. #1, Boston, MA 02118, mariegalvin.com.
Nightshade Noodle Bar
Rachel Miller rode into Boston on a bus as a teen with nothing but a bike. These days, she’s blazing new trails with electrifying French-Vietnamese-inspired seafood fusion. Once a pop-up, Nightshade now offers tasting menus showcasing wild combos like crispy surf clams with tomato-ranch sauce, and glass-noodle “puttanesca” tossed with anchovies, squid, and fermented black beans. Miller’s newest endeavor: Sin City Superette, a neighborhood grocery with equally offbeat prepped foods and pantry essentials. 73 Exchange St., Lynn, MA 1901, nightshadenoodlebar.com.
Brown and Coconut
Your life may change when you discover that kale is good for more than just eating. It’s also a powerhouse skin-clarifying agent, with a magic mix of vitamins and antioxidants. That’s exactly what you’ll find in Boston-based skin-care line Brown and Coconut’s Clarifying Kale Mask, which promises to both moisturize and reduce fine lines. The formula is just one example of the ethos of sister-owners Zeena Brown and Letisha Izuchi, whose lineup of plant based cleansers, oils, and soaps offers yet another way to nourish your body (and soul). brownandcoconut.com.
Visual Comfort & Co. Systems
If you need to see something to believe it, book a consultation at this showroom in the Boston Design Center to witness the home-technology design company’s futuristic lighting tech firsthand. You’ll see everything from smart-home controls for architectural and decorative lighting fixtures (yes, the Visual Comfort & Co. Systems team can help you select those, too) to state-of-the-art tunable LEDs that emulate natural daylight. In our opinion, the simulated skylights and windows from Lightglass are the perfect antidote for gloomy, gray winter days; see ya later, seasonal blues! 21 Drydock Ave., Boston, MA 02210, visualcomfort.com.
Harkertown
Boston lost many restaurants to COVID, but few closings caused more anguish for local foodies than the loss of Garrett Harker’s Kenmore Square trio: beloved brasserie Eastern Standard, New England seafood spot Island Creek Oyster Bar, and peerless speakeasy the Hawthorne. Thus the hallelujahs from food geeks, cocktail mavens, and Fenway bound fans alike when a reborn Eastern Standard and the Hawthorne-like Equal Measure opened less than a half-mile from the stomping grounds of their former incarnations. Who says you can’t go home again? 775 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02215, easternstandardboston.com; equalmeasurebos.com.
Brattle Theatre
After 65 years of bringing movie magic to Harvard Square, this repertory theater has left us with memories as cinematic as any scene projected onto the screen: Where else could we see John Hodgman introduce The Dead Zone, snicker at Trash Night’s grade-Z dreck, and experience David Lynch’s Lost Highway in 35mm—all in the same month? Harvard alum Natalie Portman must feel the same way, given that she chose the Brattle to stage her Boston Calling Film Festival. 40 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 02138, brattlefilm.org.
Henry + Mac
Nationally recognized for her diverse portfolio, Dana Tavares has cemented herself in the highest tier of wedding photographers. The UMass grad—who runs Henry + Mac alongside her husband, Zak—pulls no punches with her documentarian style and approach, favoring gorgeously framed, naturally lit moments over gimmicky filters and poses at every event she photographs. A traditional black-tie fete at the Boston Public Library? An intimate, winter-night ceremony? A sun-soaked destination celebration in Mexico? If there’s love to capture, Henry + Mac’s photography is always the answer. henryandmac.com.