The Wellness Floor at One Dalton
If the makeshift desk setup in the corner of your bedroom didn’t destroy your neck and back this year, the stress of the pandemic likely did. Not to worry: The Four Seasons One Dalton’s spa has the post-pandemic massage you’ve been patiently waiting for. Like a homing device, the talented therapists’ hands zero in on every knot and trouble spot without needing direction, ensuring you walk out the door feeling looser and more relaxed than you have in a very long time. One Dalton St., Boston, MA 02115, fourseasons.com/onedalton/spa.
Company One Theatre
Let's get one thing straight: Fringe isn't synonymous with small. In fact, the fringe companies in town are all about big ideas, big risks, and big heart, none more so than Company One Theatre, a long-standing resident of the Boston Center for the Arts. Dedicated to performances you aren't likely to forget (did you see the perfectly perturbed Shockheaded Peter ?), Company One should be celebrated not only for its adventurous theatrical achievements, but also for its efforts to carve out a more diverse, informed, and open-minded city. 539 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116, companyone.org.
Martignetti's (the ones that are still open)
The labels read like the grocery list for a U.N. cocktail party: Mexican, Polish, and Danish beer, and liquor and liqueurs from all over the world. Prices are reasonable. MA
Company One Theatre
Whether it’s tackling stories about immigration or staging resident playwright Kirsten Greenidge’s vision in a Back Bay school, Company One will take you places you never expected, but are better for having been. Think, for example, of this season’s rom-com Vietgone: A collaboration with Pao Arts Center, the perspective-shifting, often hilarious look at the Vietnamese refugee experience from Marvel Studios writer Qui Nguyen skewered, subverted, and surprised the whole way through. 539 Tremont St., Boston, MA companyone.org.
Barneys New York
You have nothing to wear to the Best of Boston party, which is tomorrow. Hustle your Manolos over to Copley's new superstore, where clothing designers both ultrafamous (Marc Jacobs) and ascendant (Jovovich-Hawk) merge with bags, jewelry, and 3,700 square feet of shoes. What's more, an in-house concierge will offer opinions, fetch you lunch, and even arrange your ride home. (The hot date you'll have to get on your own.) 100 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 2116, barneys.com.
<em>One Strike Away</em> by Dan Shaughnessy
The Globe's baseball writer gets inside the 1986 season effectively.
Louis Boston
Between the sidewalk throngs and the cheesy chain stores, Newbury Street's attractions can seem overshadowed by, well, the pedestrian. Particularly when you consider that Louis offers all the perks of the strip—but with on-site parking, pristine bathrooms, and guaranteed protection from inclement weather. Owner Debi Greenberg's internationally praised taste informs each and every buy for the four-story retail landmark, from the cutting-edge home goods floor (featuring many plucked-straight-from-Paris pieces, as well as a new Mrs. John L. Strong stationery boutique) to the double-decker layout of dandy men's apparel. The women's collection, showcasing the likes of Rag & Bone and the much-coveted Marni, reposes on the top floor—icing on the cake. 60 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 2110, louisboston.com.
Louis Boston
Maybe we've heard where Louis will relocate when its lease is up next year; maybe we haven't. What we can confirm, though, is that while everyone has been buzzing over the Boston style bastion's next address, Louis's focus on ahead-of-the-curve finds for women, men, and home has continued undistracted. In addition to long-stocked designers like Marni and Proenza Schouler, the arrival of knit whiz Kimberly Ovitz and stealth favorite the Row appeals to the current value-obsessed mindset. Meanwhile, the revitalizing powers of the skin-care department, recently boosted by 3 Lab Series and Rodin Olio Lusso, puts chain department stores to shame. Big move or no, here's betting Louis stays in one place: on top. 60 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 2110, louisboston.com.
Ore
Crafted with recycled metals and reclaimed or ethically sourced baubles, Sophie Hughes’s minimalist pieces are made to be worn alone or layered, with a plain tee or a little black dress. 681 Tremont St., Boston, MA sophiehughes.com.
Memory Hole Vintage
Step inside and transport yourself into a world of collectibles, antiques, and oddities, including a century-old Kodak camera and a Happy Days lunchbox. memoryholevintage.com.
Mass Hole Donuts
Launched as a pop-up before moving into a brick-and-mortar shop last year, this doughnut maker seamlessly adapted once again during the pandemic, offering special deals for healthcare workers and delivering delicacies to doorsteps by the dozen. The cake and brioche confections arrive bearing Bay State–inspired names such as “New-berry Street” (gooey Nutella and blackberry) and “Sumner Breeze” (a strawberry-cream-filled, pineapple-glazed dream) that make it hard to pick just one. Thanks to their adorable, bite-size nature, you never have to. 2 Lake St., Arlington, MA 02474, massholedonuts.com.
The Alchemist
435 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA alchemistlounge.com.
Farfar's
Maybe you hate the beach. Maybe beautiful homes and manicured lawns make you sick. If you're an ice cream lover, you still have one great reason to go to Duxbury: Farfar's. It's where the creamiest, smoothest ice cream gets doled out in such pure and intense flavors as peanut butter, banana, and ginger. And the sundaes? They're the object of weekly pilgrimages from all over the state and one of the region's greatest (frozen) assets. 272 St. George St., Duxbury, MA farfarsicecream.com.
Ore
This bauble shop shines all the brighter in its new sunlit digs on Tremont Street, the perfect showcase for Sophie Hughes’s stunning hand-forged jewelry. As beautiful as the craftswoman’s opal necklaces and diamond necklaces are on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts: Made with antique tools for an appealingly rough-hewn texture, her work features recycled metals, reclaimed gems, and other ethically sourced materials. 681 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118, sophiehughes.com.