Best of the New: Diversions
Sip, stroll, surf the Internet, or help a child with writing skills. And don't forget the new spas.
VOLUNTEER HERE
Roxbury's 826 Boston won't open its cryptozoology supply store until this spring at the earliest, but the creative and expository writing center (an offshoot of 826 National, which began in San Francisco) is offering free writing workshops and one-on-one tutoring. In just a few months, it's already served hundreds of MCAS prep-overloaded kids. The center, open to all area students, has recruited an impressive advisory board, including novelist Tom Perotta and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Even more impressive: its 250 volunteers. Join them. 826 Boston, 3035 Washington Street, Boston, 617-442-5400, 826boston.org
WALKING BLACK HISTORY
Take the Freedom Trail's African-American Patriots Tour and the name of patriot Crispus Attucks will become as familiar as that other Patriot, Tom Brady. On the 90-minute walk, costumed guides discuss the contributions that black Bostonians like Attucks, poet Phyllis Wheatley, and others made to the American Revolution. Reserve a tour spot by telephone. African-American Patriots Tour, 617-357-8300, thefreedomtrail.org
READY FOR A RAINY DAY
The renovated Boston Children's Museum, the city's "first green museum," wears a roof of plantings and other organic material, but the fun is still on the inside. That includes a new three-story climbing structure and a new exhibit called Kid Power that has a light-up dance floor and basketball shoot-out game. Boston Children's Museum, 300 Congress Street, Boston, 617-426-6500, bostonchildrensmuseum.org
BLOG TIED
The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs (fakesteve.blogspot.com), a parodic blog that purports to be written by the founder of
JAZZING UP THE TRAIL MIX
At New Hampshire's Loon Mountain, plans to expand to neighboring South Peak were drawn up in 1984. Three trails finally opened in December, including a true-blue cruiser called, well, Cruiser. The sweet 10-minute run sweeps down the mountain at a nice pitch, offering views of Kinsman Notch and the town of Lincoln. It joins bumpy Boom Run and the black diamond Undercut, which snakes through the forest. A total of seven South Peak trails are expected over the next two years. Loon Mountain, 60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln, New Hampshire, 800-229-5666, loonmtn.com
AT THE TECH
The folks at MIT want you to know what they're up to, and the new Mark Epstein Innovation Gallery at the MIT Museum is where you can find out. Underwater exploration, cancer research, and stackable cars are among the exhibits. And don't leave the museum without saying hello to Kismet, the world's first sociable robot. MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-253-4444, web.mit.edu/museum
OUTLAW OPERA
With the unveiling of Opera Boston Underground, a series featuring younger company members in shows set at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Opera Boston updates the art form for the jeans-and-sneakers set. Opera Boston Underground, 617-451-3388, operaboston.com/underground; Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-547-0759, lizardloungeclub.com
COOKING CLASS
Chef Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park, B&G Oysters, and The Butcher Shop throws open her kitchen doors at Stir, a tiny demo space and cookbook library with a pricey, inventive, and enlightening schedule of classes, each limited to 10 students. Mondays are all about wine and spirits, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are devoted to cuisine (the rest of the week is booked with private events); at each class, Lynch and her colleagues bring their knowledge to the table. Stir, 102 Waltham Street, Boston, 617-423-7847, stirboston.com
A NEW LEASE
Within the exposed brick walls and beneath graffiti-inspired murals, tasting small plates and listening to live bands or loungy DJs who play every night, it's easy to think you're in Cambridge - or Berlin - at The Savant Project. Owners Benny Kraines and Luis Sanchez took over and revamped a formerly dodgy watering hole, making the Mission Hill spot into a sexy destination for hipsters and suited professionals alike. The Savant Project, 1625 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-566-5958, thesavantproject.com
GET SNAKE EYES
The club Venom, sandwiched into the floor between the street-level Rattlesnake Bar and its rooftop smoking deck, has a spicy vibe. Food and drinks are pan-Latin, so order a pisco sour. You can dance, but plenty of leather couches add a lounge-like feel for those who want to chat rather than cha-cha. Venom, 384 Boylston Street, 617-859-8555, rattlesnakebar.com
ABUZZ AT THE BAR Dont let the line that sometimes forms outside THE BEEHIVE hinder you: It moves quickly and, once youre in the cavernous subterranean space, you're bound to have fun. This is a lounge thats grown-up without being stodgy. Order one of the Champagne cocktails and enjoy the jazz. The Beehive, 541 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-423-0069, beehiveboston.com
MORE THAN SWEAT Sure, EQUINOX has state-of-the-art fitness equipment and a packed roster of cutting-edge classes, but thats not what manages to propel members out of bed on subzero mornings. Rather, its the workout clubs super-luxe details and extras the Zen-inspired locker rooms, the $400 hair dryers. Its also easy to delay heading back out into the cold post-workout, too, with Lululemon yoga wear in the shop, bronzing services at the in-house spa, and mango smoothies at the clubs restaurant, an outpost of local favorite B.Good. Equinox, 131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, 617-578-8918, equinoxfitness.com
Relax with a pampering and primping break just a quick stop or a daylong indulgence.
A soothing sliver of a spa worth a trip to the suburbs, LOTUS MIND+BODY SPA has therapists certified in Zen Thai massage, traditional Balinese bodywork therapy, and acupuncture facials; try a milk bath or hot-and-cold-stone facial if you just need a bliss-out. Lotus Mind+Body Spa, 1183 Highland Avenue, Needham, 781-455-6887, lotusmb.com
It takes something big to get noticed on spa-packed Newbury Street, but thats what you get at MELT. The place is chic and cozy: Think English-estate elegance via Central Park West. The HydraFacial lasts only 30 minutes and doesn't leave red marks, and the $130 pedicure is a standout. Of course, the ultra-luxe (and ultra-expensive) services come with Champagne, healthy treats from the spa menu, and a light makeup application. Melt, 172 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-262-1116, meltboston.com
Broke a nail on a Sunday, with a big meeting Monday morning? No worries. MINILUXE nail and beauty salon in Newton Centre is open seven days a week, walk-ins welcome. Though the salon lives up to its name in the price department, everything else is maximal, including service, ambience, and hard-to-find nail- and body-care products. MiniLuxe, 792 Beacon Street, Newton Centre, 617-332-9200, miniluxe.com
DESTINATION: PROVIDENCE
The restored turn-of-the-century buildings on Providences Westminster Street now hold a slew of retailers on the ground level. Lucky for the locals. And for out-of-towners, the districts worth a day trip.
When CLOVER opened, owners Patrick Lavelle and Rachel Soloff were sometimes asked if the clothes in the showroomlike boutique were actually for sale. They were and are and customers are wising up to the emerging New York- and LA-based urban casual lines. Stop in, and you'll find mens and womens styles both basic (J Brand jeans and Mike & Chris sweatshirts) and luxe (silk tops by Hera and Vince cashmere sweaters). Clover, 233 Westminster Street, Providence, 401-490-4626, cloverprovidence.com
Heejun Arms created ELSA ARMS for women like herself: busy moms who have money to spend on designer clothing, but no time to schlep to Boston to shop. She fills her all-white, museumlike space with oversize kimonos hanging on the walls sorry, they're just for show and, of course, clothes customers may buy, including lots of dressier pieces. Elsa Arms, 231 Westminster Street, Providence, 401-383-5558
While consulting for a firm installing loft apartments in abandoned area buildings, Jerry Ehrlich had a realization: Future residents didn't have any place nearby to buy booze. Instead of waiting for someone else to capitalize on the opportunity, Ehrlich opened ENO FINE WINES, though his is no typical neighborhood packie. There are weekly tastings, hard-to-find craft brews, and an impressive selection (stacked from floor to 20-foot-high ceiling) of fine wines. Eno Fine Wines, 225 Westminster Street, Providence, 401-521-2000, enofinewines.com
HOMESTYLE is the latest in the growing number of home furnishings stores starting to define the area as a design district. Lisa Newman Paratore, an interior designer and the stores owner, offers an adventuresome assortment of home accents plus classic and contemporary furniture in a friendly, its-OK-to-browse-and-not-buy atmosphere. But good luck not buying anything. Homestyle, 229 Westminster Street, Providence, 401-277-1159, homestyleri.com
