Every year, for 15 years, Sara and I have been meeting for a girlfriend "Shop Newbury Street in Boston" getaway. She drives up from Philly, I tool up from Connecticut, and we spend three days popping into shops and stopping for meals from one end of Newbury to another. Fifteen years brings change to commercial city streets and to people - especially to women in and out of marriages, with kids, who are headlong into middle age. So it's no surprise that our lives have paralleled the ups and downs of "Boston's most enchanting street with eight blocks filled with salons, boutiques, and fabulous dining," as the district touts itself.
Shopping Newbury Street is just an excuse to catch up, to talk, to "get real" and break bread together. It's never been just about shopping. We try to solve problems, we gossip, we celebrate each other's achievements and suffer each other's sorrows. We cheerlead and talk sense into each other while pounding the pavement, trying on clothes, getting our nails and hair done, meeting shopkeepers, and drinking wine, or specialty martinis, or craft cocktails (as each came into vogue).
Our first year celebrated Sara's new (second) marriage. Our kids - each of us has two boys - were pre-teens. This year, one son lives in London, one is in the Air Force, one lives and works in Boston and another lives at home and commutes to work. They are grown. As they've changed, so have we, and so has Newbury St.
Restoration Hardware now occupies the 1862 Boston Society for Natural History building. The museum became Bonwitt Teller and then Louis Boston, where we once ogled designer fashions and purchased cutting edge cosmetics, before it was transformed into its latest incarnation as that upscale furniture store known by its monogram - RH.
Through all this change, though, artist Charlie Wang, has been selling his prints and watercolors of Boston landmarks without fail for years on the corner of Dartmouth St. A constant in the constantly changing face of Newbury St., Wang has himself become a Boston Landmark.
Of course Sara and I have our favorites. A few are still here, but many have closed or decamped for cheaper areas (like Tremont St. and the South End). One of those is the couture fashion boutique, OKW, which became our number one preference by virtue of its friendly owners and incredible, unique clothing. We could not ignore OKW (pronounced O-Koo) when it moved to 631 Tremont about 6 or 7 years ago, so, every year now, we get to Boston Friday mid-day and start there.
OFF NEWBURY
We spend a couple of hours at OKW before stopping into Gifted (corner of Dartmouth and Tremont) down the street. Full of greeting cards, offbeat gifts and scarves, I usually pick up a fun bracelet for a song.
TACKLING NEWBURY STREET
Newbury St., which runs eight blocks from Arlington to Mass Ave., can be divided into two realms, shopping-wise. The top half bordering Boston Public Garden- alphabetically, Arlington to Essex- is mostly the "high rent" district, where you'll find the Taj Hotel, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Armani, and the like. We steer clear of these designers, but do have quirky favorites, like our preferred "blow out" spot, Salon Capri, right above D&G. The lower half - Essex to Mass Ave., tends toward smaller boutiques, start-ups (like Etsy, Frank & Oak, and Ministry of Supply), and chains like North Face and Diesel.
There are several places we've tried once and determined they are not for us. (We'll try anything once). We are not into fairies, unicorns, or rustic hemp styles, so we've passed on The Fairy Shop and Hempest almost since day one. And we've been puzzled by the staying power of Johnny Cupcakes, a purveyor of $30 pop-culture t-shirts.
And naturally, there are those places we've outgrown. Urban Outfitters, on Newbury at Mass Ave. had incredible summer deals on teen boy furnishings, so every year I'd stock up on lighting, collapsible chairs and desk knickknacks for my kids' rooms. Over the years, as prices increased, the boys moved out, and inventory appealed more to the pierced and tattooed, we'd spend less and less time there. (This year, in an interesting turn of events, UO has gone retro - featuring vinyl records and turntables in its main floor gallery).
WHERE WE SHOP STOP AND EAT THEN AND NOW
Starting on Fairfield and heading "downstream" we stop first into Sikara & Co. where every year I purchase cufflinks for my guys. This shop has by far the most extensive collection of unique ones I've ever seen.
A bricks and mortar Etsy set up shop recently - with artisans making and selling their crafts IRL. Always worth a perusal, as entrepreneurs and their handiwork change year by year.
Next door, MIT textile geniuses opened the first Ministry of Supply men's clothing shop where they sell moisture-wicking, anti-microbial, breathable, wrinkle-free shirts for just over $100 - a bargain given that a runner completed the NY Marathon wearing the Men's Archive Dress Shirt and, at the finish line, looked and smelled like he had just put it on.
Lunarik, the corner of Gloucester St., has been our go-to stop for colorful handbags and other leathergoods since it opened in 2008. We dish with owner, Rick, pet his beautiful dogs, and scoop up great wallets (my sturdy purple one), jewelry, and this year, a cute reversible hat.
Next up, I scored a much-commented-on pendant necklace for under $50 at Bobbles & Lace, a clean and tidy relative newcomer that we've come to adore.
And we never miss a year at L'Attitude Gallery - a terrific art gallery that features a phenomenal selection of ceramic, metal, glass, textile and recyclables (e.g. discarded flip-flop animals) crafts and jewelry.
Over the years, costume jewelry stores have come and gone. Colorful plastic designer, Lalo, closed (boo hoo), but Alexis Bittar opened a stand-alone shop much to my unique-jewelry buying pleasure. I just love those 50% off sales.
We stopped into another brand new men's shop, Frank & Oak, to chat up the store manager and peruse the Canadian merchandise for our grown sons. This is F&O's very first bricks and mortar shop, joining Ministry of Supply and Etsy in that category, and I hope it sticks around awhile. Prices are reasonable for the quality of product.
Speaking of a first bricks and mortar shop, Fresh originated in Boston in the early 1990's - and has been going strong ever since. I buy my favorite makeup remover - Fresh Soy Face Cleanser - and the newest Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment (for 2015, Nude) every year.
And every year, we save some time for the $50 Sale racks at Betsy Jenny (not Betsy Johnson, another favorite that sadly closed). Betsy Jenny is crammed with high-priced items, so the lucky forager can find good deals representing hundreds of dollars off dresses, shirts, skirts and accessories. It's a hunt, but a fun one.
On upper Newbury, Sara and I stop into Nespresso. Several years ago, I purchased an espresso machine there, and every year since I stock up on sleeves of coffee capsules. The Nespresso Boutique's very hip coffee and dessert café is also the perfect place for a mid-day caffeine infusion.
Near the end of a long shopping day when fatigue sets in, pampering is in order, especially if we have dinner plans with other friends in town. So, up we go to Salon Capri, a L'Oreal Professional Education facility, streamlined, up to date fashion-wise and (wo)manned with stylists, like the fabulous Shaun O'Connor, who know their stuff. We indulge in a reviving blow-out ($50), which may include a quick bang-trim if required, and are good to go.
DINING ON NEWBURY ST
We've tried most of the dozens of restaurants on Newbury St., but constantly return to our favorites: Sonsie, with its outdoor café feel, Stephanie's - the traditional salad spot, Dirty Water Dough for fantastic fresh pizza, and Snappy Sushi (I'm partial to the Crispy Eel Roll).
We will, however, trudge a few blocks away for a meal at Brasserie Jo, which serves, bar none, one of the best French baguettes in the country (the world?) - warm from the oven, crusty exterior, the perfect chewiness within. It comes to the table, along with deliciously seasoned al dente carrots, as prequel to the meal. I'd be happy with the bread, a glass of wine, and the sweet and bacon'y Shaved Brussels Sprouts ($11.95) alone.
HOTELS ON OR NEAR NEWBURY ST
Initially, in 2001, we looked for 4 and 5-star hotels nearby with summer weekend rates under $200, and found them. We could score a room at The Lenox, The Elliot, the Park Plaza and others for a summer breeze. By the mid 'aughts, the only place to find those kind of rates was at the Newbury Guest House right on Newbury St - and we were amazed with our large room's classic beauty. But over time, even those rates increased. By 2011, we were hard pressed to find rooms under $300, but we did, at the Fairmont (when Adam Sandler was shooting a movie there), Jury's - which became Lowe's, and the Marriott. Most are now in the mid $300's - including our latest choice - The Colonnade.
Across the street from the Prudential Center in Back Bay, The Colonnade has been here for decades. Pleasant rooms have been redone in handsome earth tones, and the lobby impresses with vivid art, but it's the roof-deck pool that elevates The Colonnade Hotel to standout status in Boston.
By day, the pool attracts a mix of families with kids, bikini-clad teens, businessmen and women on break, empty nesters enjoying adult life - in other words, the whole of humanity seeking relief from the heat of the city.
At night - the place turns into an illuminated wonderland. Floating balls in the water glow with ever-changing colors. There's a "beautiful people" element to the crowd at the bar: 20 and 30-somethings capturing themselves and surrounding views on their cellphones, getting progressively boisterous as the drinks pour. It's a party crafted nightly by weather and personalities - a good deal of fun, even more so for hotel guests since it's just an elevator ride (and a two-level staircase) away.
For more to do in Boston - or many "Offbeat" destinations in the Northeast USA, check out GetawayMavens.com.