Best of the New: Diversions

All work and no play? Not really a problem in 2005, the year we all got iPods and those teensy hamburgers replaced beer nuts as the bar food of choice.

Arsenal Center for the Arts

This renovated red-brick building, almost hidden in a visual blur of chain stores, became the Watertown home of the transplanted New Repertory Theatre in July. The New Rep's productions, ranging from Shakespeare to Sam Shepard, will surely win the venue more notice. The space is also used by the Watertown Children's Theatre and by scores of visual artists who work and exhibit there. Ample free parking is an added draw. 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617-923-0100, arsenalarts.org

Foundation Lounge

It would have been exceedingly easy for the Hotel Commonwealth to construct a bar that was a billet-doux to nearby Fenway Park, complete with red socks and neon beer signs. Happily, though, it opted for a sophisticated subterranean lounge with polished marble walls, modern orange seating, and a decidedly non- Fenway menu of sushi and sake. Visits to the lounge are never a disappointment - both for the excellent wild-mango martinis and the entertainment derived from watching well-heeled business travelers hit on Boston University trust-fund kids. 500 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617-859- 9900, foundationlounge.com

(Globe Staff Photo / Essdras M. Suarez)

28 Degrees

Despite its chilly moniker, it didn't take long for the South End to warm up to 28 Degrees. The lounge serves food meant to be shared - including tacos and shrimp pot stickers - by the fashionably hungry, who perch on designer cube seating. Its unisex restroom, complete with water fl owing across a glass ceiling, can be a confusing place to visit after too many frozen bellinis, but the soothing soundtrack of chill-out music emanating from the DJ booth and the lounge's low lighting give it a permanent air of calm - even on frequently busy evenings. 1 Appleton Street, Boston, 617-728-0728

HarborWalk

Boston may be "America's Walking City," but too many local strolls are characterized by nightmarish traffic, rotting infrastructure, and a host of other hazards. What joy, then, to sashay the nearly half-mile stretch of the HarborWalk along the east side of Fort Point Channel, where your only obstacle is a gaggle of grazing Canada geese. From the Summer Street Bridge to Dorchester Avenue behind the Gillette plant, the path, officially opened in November, has big-sky views of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. This is what an urban walkway should be: infrastructure as if pedestrians matter. For a map and events, go to bostonharborwalk.com.

Mojitos Lounge

Shake things up at the new Down- town Crossing dance club with a Latin theme. There's dancing on both the first-floor club level and the second-floor lounge. Take an hourlong lesson at 9:15 p.m., then stick around as things really heat up. The club is open only on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, but it's worth the wait. The scene at Mojitos is as fresh as the sprigs of mint in its namesake drink, which the bartenders mix expertly. 48 Winter Street, Boston, 617-988-8123, mojitosboston.com

(Globe Staff Photo / Pat Greenhouse)

Boston Public Market

Last summer's outdoor farmers' market on the Northern Avenue pedestrian bridge was an experimental glimpse of what a market with a permanent home in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood wants to be when it grows up - a destination with local color, action, and, of course, flavor. As with other markets around the city, vendors on the bridge offered farm-fresh produce for sale and to sample. But this one also reflected its neighborhood: A down- town crowd gathered, hoping for a cool breeze off the water at lunchtime; local musicians played; and the Institute of Contemporary Art put up installations. This summer, look for a repeat of the market on the bridge, with possibly another at Dewey Square in front of South Station. bostonpublicmarket.org

(Globe Staff Photo / Suzanne Kreiter)

Spark Craft Studios

Sure, Somerville shop owners Jan Stephenson and Amy Apple- yard sell yarn and needles, beads and jewelry clasps, rubber stamps and paper. But their store offers more than supplies. For a fee, members can work in the light, airy studio space furnished with roomy tables, comfy couches, and expensive equipment a lone crafter might not want to buy. Take a class, or just ask one of the knowledgeable consultants on hand. Spark is also a popular site for grown-up craft parties. 50 Grove Street, Somerville, 617-718-9132, sparkcrafts.com

CHILD'S PLAY FOR GROWN-UPS ADULTS CAN EXERCISE LIKE KIDS DO - BY HAVING FUN - WHEN THEY JOIN A SPECIALIZED GYM AND GET SERIOUS ABOUT A SPORT.

Dana Barros Sports Complex

It's always fun to watch Dana Barros in action - first as captain of the Boston College basketball team, later on the Celtics, and then as a commentator. His newest game is a 70,000-square-foot facility in Mansfield. Members can play indoor soccer, flag football, field hockey, lacrosse, and, of course, basketball. In addition, there are classes, weights, and the other gym standards. Barros himself is often on the premises, where he offers personal basketball training for all ages, and his mother, Stephanie Mondesire, directs the entire show. 31 Oxford Road, Mansfield, 508-337-3100, danabarros.com

The Harmon Club

Legendary teaching pros (and brothers) Bill, Craig, and Dick Harmon opened their Rockland golf course partly in response to an industry study showing amateur players thought the game was too expensive, too difficult, and took too long to play. Their innovative complex, which in 2005 completed its practice facilities and clubhouse, allows member-golfers to practice year-round in a heated bay, to improve their fitness using weight and cardiovascular training equipment, to have their swing analyzed and revamped, and to play either the nine- hole regulation course or the nine-hole short course. "Whether you have 10 minutes or six hours," says fitness director Rich Campbell, "you can improve your game." 168 Concord Street, Rockland, 866-942-7666, harmongolf.com