Fitcorp, Prudential Center location
Somewhere between the grunting at Mike's Gym II and the primping at Sports Club/LA falls Fitcorp's new Prudential Center location, which strikes just the right balance of sweating and socializing. At 31,000 square feet, it's Fitcorp's largest health club, and it's become the gym for those who'd rather not pay for the more upscale fitness-cum-spa experiences around town. With this gym's more than 100 machines (from treadmills to stair-climbers to recumbent bikes), yoga and aerobics classes, big-screen TVs scattered all over, and 10 p.m. weeknight closing, any excuse not to join sounds like just that—an excuse. Prudential Center, Boston, MA fitcorp.com.
Antonio Vitale, Studio for Hair
Let the Newbury Street bigwigs battle it out for the spotlight. Color virtuoso Antonio Vitale is content to sit back in his humble Kenmore Square studio and fix any of their overzealous fiascoes. Vitale discreetly repairs even the worst mistakes; his eye for natural, flattering color is invariably dead-on. Little wonder, considering that his other career is as an artist. (This summer saw his gallery show of beautiful three-dimensional landscapes). And while there's nothing abstract about his talent with hair, Vitale brings the same respect for light, color tones, and nature to both of his vocations. 464 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Crema Cafe
By virtue of its excellence-obsessed baristas and premium roasters (Terroir, Barismo), our city is pouring itself a righteous coffee reputation that gives new meaning to the nickname 'Beantown.' Coffee nerds adore the top-quality espresso drinks pulled at the tiny Taste Coffee House (Newtonville) and the crowded Simon's Coffee Shop (Cambridge); however, only Harvard Square java den Crema has the full-service offerings impressive enough to take this year's title. To wit: stellar brew (they serve French press!), abundant seating inside and out, made-from-scratch food, and an inspiring independent spirit. 27 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, cremacambridge.com.
Hungry Mother
How we grieved when Alon Munzer and Rachel Miller Munzer shuttered their popular Rachel's Kitchen last year. The Bay Village café (now reopened under new ownership) was our go-to for morning coffee and midday lobster rolls, served hot with drawn butter and chives. But as they say, when one bistro closes, another one opens, and the couple's new Kendall Square eatery was worth the wait. Chef-partner Barry Maiden plates up inspired French-southern dishes in a space that has the same congenial air that won Rachel's its many loyalists. 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., Cambridge, MA 2141, hungrymothercambridge.com.
The Cantab Lounge
Next Wednesday about 10 o'clock, shake yourself out of your TV-induced stupor and set out for Central Square. when you spot the Cantab, take a sharp right through the door, go down a narrow staircase, and for a measly three bucks you'll discover a world of beer-drinking word lovers who are out to rescue poetry from the mannered monotone of more civilized readings. The poetry is usually impressive if not ground-breaking (as those present at the premiere of Patricia Smith and Michael Holly's collaborative "Funk 101" can attest) and always energetically rendered. And you may even get to judge. 738 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Machine Age
If tripping over midcentury treasures is your idea of a good time, then you'll party like it's 1959 in this 9,000-square-foot showroom where Charles and Ray Eames are alive and well. Encompassing hundreds of pieces from the 1930s through the 1970s by Italian, French, Scandinavian, and U.S. designers, Machine Age may have a few items that creep you out a little (hey, wasn't that easy chair in Uncle Morty's living room two decades ago?), but for aficionados, shopping here feels so much more right than shelling out for those Design Within Reach repros. 645 Summer St., Boston, MA 2210, machine-age.com.
Covet
Even the pets are well dressed: On our last trip to this Southie consignment boutique, we spotted the Chihuahua mascot, Olive, rocking a fierce faux-fur vest. Humans will fare even better. What this tiny store lacks in square footage, it makes up for in seriously stylish duds at steep discounts, from vintage Yves Saint Laurent frocks to nearly new Jimmy Choos. Act fast when you see something you like on Covet’s Instagram account, lest another eagle-eyed buyer snap it up. 395 W. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127, covetboston.com.
ManRay
Where can you go to get weird? For two decades, the answer was ManRay, a legendary Cambridge nightclub that doubled as a kinky hub for goths, leather enthusiasts, LGBTQ+ identifiers, and other alternative-scene nonconformists. But when the Central Square venue shuttered in 2005, the place to get weird became…we dunno, Providence? In true goth fashion, ManRay miraculously rose from the dead this past January, reopening three blocks from its former location and with its crew and suggested dress code (no jock gear!) intact. Break out the eyeliner — even Wednesday Addams needs a place to dance. 40 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA 02139, manrayclub.com.
Bonde Fine Wine Shop
This wine shop in Harvard Square sells more than world-class bottles. It sells art: from handcrafted contemporary glassware to silver corkscrew cufflinks and other “sommelier jewelry.” It sells education: Grape expert Bertil Jean-Chronberg regularly leads ticketed tastings and private experiences around Bonde’s gathering table. It proffers a sense of community, too: The shelves include eco-conscious bottles from Jean-Chronberg’s Black Donkey Project — dry whites and fruity reds produced in collaboration with top wine- makers to support nonprofits like No Kid Hungry. We’ll drink to that. 54 Church St., Cambridge, MA 02138, bondewines.com.
Black Market Nubian
For husband-and-wife team Chris and Kai Grant, founding this Roxbury-based market in 2017 wasn’t just about giving local Black- owned businesses a much-needed platform; it was about revitalizing the neighborhood. It’s no surprise, then, that Black Market has since evolved to include a public-art initiative, designed to support area artists in the creation of community-centric murals throughout Nubian Square. And as for the pop-ups? They’re still going strong, with events featuring vendors hawking bath products, handmade jewelry, sweet treats, and more. 2136 Washington St., Boston, MA 02119, blackmarketnubian.com.
Little Donkey
Food styling by Joy Howards, photo by Joe St. Pierre When Tony Maws’s celebra- ted Craigie on Main closed, taking with it the area’s most- buzzed-about burger, Central Square neighbor Little Donkey — from Beard-winning chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette — quickly refocused our attention as the experienced understudy for that part. Theirs is a more-playful interpretation of the role: a delightfully hot mess of melty-cheese-topped dry-aged beef stacked with spicy Buffalo pickles, “onion soup” mayo, crispy jalapeño chips, and a little luscious foie gras. And you know what? It’s a star, baby. 505 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, littledonkeybos.com.
A Good Yarn
No matter what project they've got in mind, people with the gumption to make something themselves all need to start from the same place: that is, surrounded by the best materials. A Good Yarn stuffs quality supplies into every nook and cranny of its tiny Brookline Village store, enticing knit-wits with yarns in a wide spectrum of colors and weights (from baby to bulky to super bulky and beyond) by brands like Art Yarns and Colinette. The experts behind the counter can explain a tough pattern or point out the right needles or hooks for the job, and the store schedules classes for knitters at every level. 4 Station St., Brookline, MA 2445, agoodyarn.biz.
Frank's Steakhouse
Sadly, the rediscovery of the cocktail culture has perverted the once noble activity of drinking, reducing it to a runway show for an unfortunate breed of baseball cap-sporting frat rats, who choke on cigars, while wincing through martinis. The lounge at Frank's Steak House, in North Cambridge, is sufficiently off the beaten path to attract the fully grown who really enjoy the basics—conviviality, entertainment, and, of course, booze. The rat-packy lounge is free of the smarmy irony that characterizes some of the Johnny-Come-Lately cocktail spots; Frank's has been open since 1938, and some of the patrons look as though they've been glued to their barstools since opening day. 2310 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .
Arclinea
You know the scenario: (1) Every pot crashes to the floor as you reach for that little-used cake pan. (2) You swear you'll reorganize the kitchen as soon as you're done baking. (3) You never get around to it. (4) Repeat during your next cooking attempt. None of that would happen with an Arclinea kitchen, because those Italians have thought of everything: deep, customizable drawers instead of awkward, traditional cabinets; hidden but oh-so-useful electrical outlets; and, of course, a look that will make you the envy of every foodie in town.
Boston Public Market
The Boston Public Market debuted on Hanover Street just three years ago, and already we can’t remember a time without it. The 28,000-square-foot indoor food hall is the ultimate one-stop shop for all things local and scrumptious, from the perennially sweet-smelling cider doughnuts of Phillipston’s Red Apple Farm to the artisanal homemade sausages at Hardwick’s Stillman Quality Meats. The market’s 35-plus vendors make it tough to choose what to buy, so take an investigatory loop around first, then fill a few reusable bags right up to the brim. 100 Hanover St., Boston, MA 02108, bostonpublicmarket.org.