Reed's Country Way Nursery and Florist
On a bucolic pond in Hingham, you'll find the answers to every horticultural question you've ever thought to ask—and some you probably haven't. Reed's employs a team of garden experts to educate customers with thumbs of even the palest green about hanging baskets (a particular specialty) and their assortment of more than 600 varieties of perennials. If your car isn't already loaded down with flats, stop at the garden shop on the way out: With a selection of candles and pottery, you can't go wrong. 387 East St., Hingham, MA .
Woodman's of Essex
This is what you might call seafood in the rough: You stand at the counter, shout your order, eat it, and leave. But paper plates and plastic cutlery aside, there's very little that's actually rough about Woodman's, which offers some of the smoothest fried seafood around. The breading isn't a disguise for a small and salty chunk of meat, as it is at lesser seafood shacks, but a crispy golden complement to the tender bivalves beneath. 121 Main St., Essex, MA woodmans.com.
Interlocks Salon & Day Spa
These stylists just might be more obsessed with your hair than you are. Blowouts, cuts, color—you name it, they'll do it, and do it well. The Interlocks team of 15 clip artists (some of them—gasp—Newbury Street defectors) is well schooled, having traveled to Milan and London to learn from the best in the trade. Nervous about switching stylists? Stop in for a complimentary consultation. This spa is so certain of itself, it offers clients a free follow-up appointment if they're not completely happy. 58 Merrimac St., Newburyport, MA interlockssalon.com.
Red Rock Bistro & Bar
The food at Red Rock Bistro & Bar is a bonus. The beautiful view of the pounding Atlantic surf and Boston skyline is filling enough. On the other hand, we would never give up chef Allen Bohnert's brunch menu of fluffy mushroom-, cheese-, and spinach-stuffed omelets; challah French toast with ruby-red strawberries; or blueberry flapjacks with cassis butter. It's worth setting the alarm clock on a Sunday. Ease out of your postbrunch food coma with a long walk along the soft sand beach below the restaurant. 141 Humphrey St., Swampscott, MA redrockbistro.com.
Jamaica Plain Women's Flag Football Association
You can't get much more physical than this intramural league that takes over Jamaica Plain's English High field each fall. In the four years of its existence, the league has grown to include more than 150 women in two divisions (including some fierce straight girls), and been responsible for not a few off-the-field passes. Make no mistake, these girls come to score, and the bruises they get are real. But the tradition of post-game brews at Doyle's goes a long way toward soothing the pain. E-mail jpwff1@hotmail.com for more information, MA .
Castle Island
What more could you want in a picnic spot? There's grass for the kids and animals, picnic tables, water surrounding you on all sides and a 2.1-mile exercise loop to work off your lunch. Want to picnic without packing? Swing by Sullivan's, a takeout eatery serving burgers, fries, seafood, and ice cream at the entrance to Castle Island. The kicker? Free entertainment in the form of planes roaring over the area seconds before they land at Logan. William J. Day Boulevard, South Boston, MA mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/castle.htm.
Minuteman Bike Path
Designed as a commuter bikeway, this 10-and-a-half mile trail has won the hearts of walkers, runners, and rollers (including cyclists, in-line skaters, and people who use those bizzarre dry-land cross-country skis). There are plenty of entry points along the way, but we recommend you begin west of Arlington Center to avoid having to cross cobblestones and four-way intersections. Moving past ponds, historic sites, and wooded areas lends the feeling that you're 700 miles from the city, instead of just seven. Alewife T Station, Cambridge-intersection of Railroad Avenue, Loomis Street, and South Street, Bedford, MA minutemanbikeway.org.
Coolidge Corner Theatre
This Brookline landmark sure knows how to draw 'em in. While other art houses are content dishing out classics, these guys go right for the guts, with events like Annie Sprinkle's Herstory of Porn: Rell to Real, Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival, the New England Film & Video Festival, and even a summer jazz series. They've got a new lease under negotiation, a new spirit, and a fresh pot of coffee brewing for late-night shows. 299 Harvard St., Brookline, MA .
The Roof at the Ritz-Carlton
Plan ahead if you want to trip the light fantastic at this, the city's chicest summer dinner-cum-dancing destination for those of us who outgrew Landsdowne Street years ago. Seating, especially for groups, is booked weeks, sometimes months, ahead. The good news is your alfresco evening will take place regardless of weather: A huge tent encloses tables, band, and dance floor, keeping well-coifed guests warm and dry. 15 Arlington St., Boston, MA .
Digital City Boston (www.digitalcity.com/boston)
A simple way to sort through the cultural offerings on any given day, Digital City Boston does all the little things right. A single movie page, for instance, tells you when and where a film is playing, and gives a synopsis, a critic's review, and a chance to submit your own rating. The dining area constantly updates the top 10 users' choices; it's also easy to search for restaurants by location, price range, or name.
Lenox Hotel
Whether you're a movie star craving anonymity or a suburban couple looking to flee the rugrats for a night, the Lenox beckons with European elegance and discretion, meaning the doorman may know your name but he'll make sure nobody else does. Escape into the newly renovated (at a cost of $20 million) Back Bay jewel, with its imported crystal chandeliers, working fireplaces, lush carpeting, Victorian wallpaper, gilt-framed Italian, French, and English prints—and the fabulous Anago restaurant. 710 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Boston Center for Adult Education
On the social faux pas scale, making a fool of yourself on the dance floor ranks second only to bad karaoke. And with dance so popular these days, your chances of blowing it publicly are increasing exponentially. What to do? Sign up for a class at the Boston Center for Adult Education, where sympathetic and experienced instructors will have you gliding like Astaire in a matter of weeks—for under $100. And you don't have to have a partner to enroll. 5 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Kendall Square Cinema
Culture and film buffs thank the celluloid gods for this place to see all the idiosyncratic flicks that get reviewed in The New Yorker and The New York Times. Still the sole straddler of the art house/multiplex genres, it offers a great selection on nine screens and in many languages. Great snacks too: real biscotti and cappuccino, and birdbath-size containers of high-quality popcorn. All this and gumfree floors. One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA .
Club Cafe
One of the few gay bars you can go to where your friends— male and female, gay and straight— can all have a good time. Whether in a group or with a friend this is the best bet for a good time. The weekend can turn into a meat market, but the atmosphere is friendly enough that you feel comfortable approaching that cute someone in the baseball hat. 209 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA .
Regattabar
Some may complain that it's a bit pricey, but it still delivers the highest-caliber jazz acts in town. From Sonny Rollins to Herbie Hancock, Don Byron to Tito Puente, you know that Raggattastars have earned their way to the top. Sure, the atmosphere's more still upper lipstick than whiskey-soaked back-alley, but sit close to the stage and close your eyes. The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA .