Brad Duncan Skin Care
Brad Duncan is the best kind of aesthetician. He isn't an alarmist, he doesn't push product, and, as years of sun damage and bad living dissolve under gentle fruit enzymes, he contributes just enough useful information and amiable chatter, even suggesting an excellent derm from his exclusive address book. Further ingenious use of downtime: the stress-defusing foot massage while your mineral mask sets. 530 Tremont St., Boston, MA bradduncanskincare.com.
Andre Dubus III
Released this winter, Dubus's Townie was a rarity: a Bay State memoir entirely lacking in Oirish flavah and Whitey Bulger references. Instead, Dubus chronicled his days growing up in the Merrimack Valley of the 1970s, broke and in a broken home, and learning to fistfight out his frustration. When redemption comes, it's a devastating punch to the gut, making Townie one of the best books of the year. andredubus.com.
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
At a resort, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. But not here, where a personal concierge caters to your whims. That's a welcome addition to the Ocean Edge, which has undergone $50 million in renovations to its villas, mansion rooms, and restaurants. So now you get the coddling you'd expect from a boutique hotel, plus smart touches like a fridge stocked with ice cream and all the fixin's for s'mores if you book a villa. 2907 Main St., Brewster, MA oceanedge.com.
Scullers Jazz Club
With its elegant low-lit atmosphere and glittering river views, Scullers is the cool king of local jazz haunts. Intimate without being overcrowded, it sports a heady roster of legends and rising talent, spiced up with Latin, blues, and R&B. For those who like some crooning with their cocktails, the club even books a regular list of cabaret acts. DoubleTree Guest Suites, 400 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston, MA doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/massachusetts/doubletree-suites-by-hilton-hotel-boston-BOSSBDT/index.html.
Abelardo Morrell
The Cuban-born Morrell, who teaches at the Massachusetts College of Art, actually had two exhibitions this year (at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) showcasing his silvery photographs of sublime landscapes, his shots of mysterious old books and maps, and strangely beautiful double-images he made with a pinhole camera. The Morrell of the story: This magical-realist artist is the real goods.
O Ya
How to lure people back downtown? Pristine nigiri — say, wild squid brushed with smoky bonito soy and flecked with salted cherry blossom — certainly seems to do the trick at O Ya, where seats for the omakase, now the sole offering, are booking a solid two months in advance. Fifteen years after opening and $400 (if you opt for wine pairings) later, it’s still the city’s favorite destination for any night you need to turn into a special occasion. 9 E St., Boston, MA 02111, o-ya.restaurant.
The Street
Always a fun spot for al fresco shopping and dining, the Street has become a must-visit even for city dwellers in recent months thanks to an infusion of topnotch local talent — from lauded private chef David Welch’s first restaurant, Chef Dave’s, to Wendy Dodson’s Hummingbird Books. Even with all of the new choices, though, we’re still suckers for a Shake Shack frozen custard eaten outside on the Green. 33 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, thestreetchestnuthill.com.
Encore Boston Harbor
Let’s count the reasons why this is the premier spot for fun. There’s the casino, of course, including the new WynnBet Sportsbook. More than a dozen dining and drinking options. A full-on Vegas-style nightclub. And a gorgeous water shuttle that gets you into the action in 25 minutes from downtown Boston. Come to think of it, you’re probably going to want to book more than one night. One Broadway, Everett, MA 02149, encorebostonharbor.com.
Strega by Nick Varano
Even celebrities need to eat when they’re in Boston, and nobody — we mean nobody — packs ’em in like North End restaurateur Nick Varano. Want to catch a glimpse of Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey, or Pedro Martínez? To say nothing of Celtics super-fan Donnie Wahlberg or the Celtics themselves, including Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? There’s literally only one place to go. (Stargazing tip: Book a table before or after TD Garden events, especially when a VIP is in town.) 379 Hanover St., Boston, MA 02113, stregabynickvarano.com.
The Urban Grape
Husband-and-wife team TJ and Hadley Douglas wrote the book (literally) on Progressive Shelving, their innovative, palate-broadening system that organizes wines by body rather than region or grape. The shop’s whole culture, really, is forward-thinking—see: its Clink Progressively education series, which hosted a virtual Juneteenth panel about issues facing Black winemakers, or its new Wine Studies Award for Students of Color, which will send ambitious oenophiles through wine school and connect them to paid internships. 303 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA 02116, theurbangrape.com.
Ten Percent Happier
If the thought of contorting your body into yoga sleep pose or sitting still for extended periods of time seems anything but relaxing, do yourself a favor and download Ten Percent Happier, the Boston-based spinoff of journalist Dan Harris’s self-help book. Dubbed a “meditation app for fidgety skeptics,” the program helps newbies and Zen masters alike regularly practice mindfulness with 500-plus guided sessions. And with plenty of shorter clips, it ensures you can get in the right headspace just about anywhere (really). tenpercent.com.
Andrea Sealey, Boston Hairnista
The pandemic didn’t seem to put a damper on Sealey’s beloved Dorchester salon: In fact, the talented stylist recently launched her own online shopping portal, Hairnista Market, with same-day local delivery of her clients’ favorite products, and is booking up to six months out for services. Take a peek at her impressive work, which includes micro-link extensions, kinky twists, silk presses, and braids in all shapes and sizes, and you’ll understand why. 1690B Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, MA 02124, bostonhairnista.com.
Sophia's Grotto
Booking a dinner on a big, buzzy, splashy restaurant patio is a fine way to impress a first date. But when it's time to build a truly romantic vibe — and settle in for quieter conversation — we love tucking into a meal on more-intimate patios, like the one at Roslindale Village’s Italian charmer Sophia's Grotto; its brick-laid courtyard, hidden from street view, is the ideal spot for Lady and the Tramp–style canoodling. No wonder we’re in love with the al fresco era. 22 Birch St., Roslindale, MA 02131, sophiasgrotto.com.
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
With a selection ranging from the latest bestsellers to indie up-and-comers, this Newbury Street institution pleases all manner of bookworm. Home to two stories of books, magazines, and quirky gifts, not to mention a full-service restaurant, it’s easy to spend an entire day lost among the shelves (and you can—the store is open until midnight seven days a week). 338 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02115, tridentbookscafe.com.
Kelly Link
Link's fiction may be teeming with the inexplicable—polite zombies, world-swallowing purses—but it's no mystery why the work of this Pulitzer-nominated Northampton author was chosen for the Boston Book Festival's "One City, One Story" campaign last year. Razor-sharp, her take on magical realism is packed with local flavor. Who else would start an urban fairy tale in the Garment District's $1-a-pound pile? kellylink.net.