Shreve, Crump & Low

You are treated politely even if you don't look rich enough to shop here. 330 Boylston St., Boston, MA .

The Nuvo Shop

Has a nice identity of its own and a well-edited selection of the very best of the newest looks. Neiman Marcus, Copley Place, Boston, MA .

Apley's, Sheraton-Boston Hotel

David Woodward may hail from England, but his cooking is representative of the finest contemporary continental cuisine. 39 Dalton St., Boston, MA .

Mandarin

Another in the emergence of Chinese cooking on the Charles. You can order a half-duck as well as a whole one here. 323 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .

Mary Chung

In recent years, Cambridge has become a cornucopia of good Chinese cooking. And Mary Chung, a newcomer, is the best. 447 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA .

Allegro owner Jim Burke's decision to bring his style of cooking into the city from Waltham.

Institute of Contemporary Art

Thanks to its innovative exhibits, even the Museum of Fine Arts is taking a close look at new local art. 955 Boylston St., Boston, MA .

John F. Kennedy Library

Sure, it looks like something out of 2001. But to stroll through the interior is to be swept away in nostalgia. Columbia Point, Dorchester, MA .

Savoy

Its turn-of-the-century elegance makes most of Ben Sack's sterile movie picture palaces look like isolation wards.

The Waltham-based Cabot Corporation has slashed and burned, selling off some of its western oil and gas reserves, paying greenmail to a menacing suitor, and refocusing on its chemical and northeastern energy business.

The numbers look better, and the firm is thinking of returning to downtown Boston, where all Cabots belong.

Greg Allman

He's off drugs; he's off booze. The Allman we saw was all music. The Channel, .

North End Fabrics

If you're looking for upholstery or haute couture fabrics, luxurious silk fringes or hard-to-find trims, this cramped shop has it all. And helpful service, too. 31 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA .

Chef Lee's Famous Soul Food

From collard greens to pig's feet to fried chicken to sweet-potato pie, Chef Lee's offers a full menu of homey cooking. they cater, too. 1140 Blue Hill Avenue, Dorchester, MA .

Mark Roosevelt

His boast that he was one of the best Massachusetts legislators of the twentieth century makes Charles de Gaulle look like Joe Meek.

Boston's Inspectional Services Agency

For implementing the cliché You Get What You Pay For. Contractors looking for speedily issued building permits reportedly had to pay cash to the appropriate bureaucrat.