Amy Bailey, Townhouse Beauty Bar
Getting your makeup done sounds glamorous—until you look in the mirror and don’t recognize the face staring back at you, that is. That never happens when Bailey is the one wielding the brush. The makeup artist has a light hand with foundation, skillfully applying just the right amount so your freckles still shine through, but your blemishes do not. You’ll leave every time looking (and feeling) like the best version of yourself. 28 Charles St., Boston, MA townhousebeautybar.com.
Café ArtScience
Photograph by Bruce Peterson The past couple of years have been big for hybrids—see the grocer-meets-restaurant Commonwealth, the sandwich-shop-meets-restaurant Tavern Road, and the coffee-shop-meets-bar Ames Street Deli. But none match Café ArtScience's scope and ambition. Sure, it's a forward-thinking bar, product space, and classroom. But it's also one of our finer modern French restaurants. 650 E. Kendall St., Cambridge, MA 02142, cafeartscience.com.
Sophie Hughes
Photograph by PJ Couture This young designer forges rings from start to finish in her studio using recycled metals and reclaimed or ethically sourced gems. Choose a ready-made design or meet with Hughes to get creative. From classic shiny bands to one-of-a-kind baubles, the possibilities are endless. (She'll even fuse metals together for a two-tone match made in heaven.) Hughes is adept with old miner stones, too, so incorporating Grandma's diamonds won't be a problem. 80 Dartmouth St., Boston, MA 02116, sophiehughes.com.
Saus
First, Idaho russets are aged for at least a month before the peeling, cutting, and rinsing commences. Next comes a low-temperature dunk in the fryolator. Finally, the Belgian-style frites are flash-fried to order in a vegetable-oil blend, salted, and corralled into a stiff paper cone—and only then are they ready to be dunked into one of the 12 house-made sauces on offer (we're partial to the curry ketchup, cheddar Duvel, and "Saturday-night chive"). 33 Union St., Boston, MA eatfrites.com.
The Paradise Rock Club
You wouldn't usually think of a rock club as the place for poetry. But the Paradise's regular habit of mixing literary readings with hard-rocking indie bands adds a welcome bit of boozy erudition to the local rock scene (not to mention one of the best singles scenes for literary twenty-and thirtysomethings). Not everything at this long-standing rock club is so namby-pamby, of course: The spacious back room where U2 once graced the stage still shakes with the bass and drips with the sweat of rock bands on the verge of hitting the big time. 967-969 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA crossroadspresents.com/paradise-rock-club.
Bouclé Salon & Spa
Being on vacation is no reason to neglect your tresses. So bring your salty, sun-damaged, unruly mop to Bouclé for some deep conditioning and a sleek, sophisticated cut. The young staff—including one cab driver turned stylist—is professional without the pomp. Getting your hair done with Bumble and Bumble products and a healthy helping of island gossip can be even more rewarding than a do-nothing day at the beach. 71 Main St., Edgartown, MA bouclespa.com.
Kendall Square Cinema
It's not the fresh popcorn, hot cappuccino, or high-gloss neon that draws the crowds to this megaplex arthouse near MIT. Sure, those things don't hurt. But even if the seats weren't plush and the parking weren't plentiful, crowds would still flood to this theater for one of the largest selections of eye-sprinting subtitles on the East Coast. With nine screens of foreign and indie flicks, this is the place to catch an obscure tearjerker while boning up on your Czech or Urdu. 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA .
Backbar
Photograph by Alex Lau Discerning boozehounds have long since perfected the art of snaking into this legitimately industrial hideaway, but Backbar’s drink artistry also extends to its deceptively potent non-alcoholic offerings. The unexpected-in-one-glass flavors are what pack a punch. An "avocado piña colada" is at once hot and cold, with familiar coconut milk and pineapple spiked with throat-warming curry and unctuous avocado. A fennel-saffron " absinthe lemonade without any absinthe" is a brighter, more brilliant spin on Death in the Afternoon—without, you know, the impending death. 7 Sanborn Ct., Somerville, MA 2143, backbarunion.com.
The Centerpiece Flower Shop
Photo by Mona Miri Nothing cheers up a space like a gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers. And these days, no one’s spreading more flower-powered joy than ángel Diaz. With an eye for design, the Venezuela native and owner of the Centerpiece Flower Shop — founded in 2020 — uses seasonal blooms and greenery to create artful arrangements bursting with color and texture. Bonus points for his monthly subscription service, which promises mood-boosting handtied bouquets delivered on your date of choice. 2051 Centre St., West Roxbury, MA 02132, thecenterpieceflowershop.com.
Rue Sherwood Landscape Design
From design conception and development to installation, Sherwood will work with you to transform a mere garden into a thriving outdoor extension of your home. Ipswich, MA ruesherwood.com.
Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs
With 4,500 square feet of equipment and studios, the BHAC could hold its own anywhere. 3 Hancock St., Boston, MA 2114, beaconhillathleticclubs.com.
Bread & Circus
Where hippie and yuppie meet over whole-meal fettuccine. So who needs sugar anyway? 916 Walnut St., Newton Highlands, MA .
Minni Art Studio
Is it even an art class if they don’t come home with paint all over their arms and legs? This airy SoWa space is a haven for pint-size makers as young as 18 months. 71 Thayer St., Boston, MA 02118, minni.space.
On Centre
Charlie, the resident Tibetan terrier, will keep you company as you browse a thoughtfully curated collection of home accents and accessories that includes J.P.-themed silkscreened pillows, artisan jewelry, and elegant leather goods by Hobo. 676 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, oncentrejp.com.
Patch NYC
Curated by design duo John Ross and Don Carney, this eclectic home décor and accessories shop is chock-full of treasures, from Miriam Haskell’s beetle-inspired brooches to whimsical Astier de Villatte serveware. 46 Waltham St., Boston, MA 02118, patchnyc.com.