BEST BRUNCH: Lincoln Tavern, Boston

No restaurant works harder to earn your brunch fidelity than Lincoln Tavern. Not only do they have separate weekday and weekend brunch menus, but there’s also a special “brunch test kitchen” on Fridays where they preview the next batch of addictive additions. The famous Fruity Pebbles pancakes got their start there, as did the short rib poutine and a boozy Cinnamon Toast Crunch milkshake. The vibe is laid-back and neighborly—just what you want on an easy Sunday morn. lincolnsouthboston.com

BEST HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE: Fenway Park Tour, Boston

Fenway Park Tour, Boston Even if you've been to Fenway dozens of times, you've never seen it quite like this. To start, you don't have to contend with 37,000-plus fans as you follow a guide behind the scenes at one of America's oldest ballparks, fifirst opened in 1912. Listen to historic tales of late Sox greats and get a whole new perspective from atop the fabled Green Monster, standing 37 feet 2 inches high above left fifield. mlb.com/redsox/ballpark/tours

BEST HOTEL DEBUT: The Row Hotel at Assembly Row, Somerville

Assembly Row, whose opening in 2014 transformed barren fields along the Mystic River into a shopping and lifestyle enclave, got a big boost in 2018 with the debut of the 158-room Row Hotel, part of Marriott’s boutique-leaning Autograph Collection. The luxe amenities (Illy espresso machines, C.O. Bigelow bath products) are a nifty contrast to callbacks throughout the hotel to this area’s former life as a Ford Motor plant (note the reclaimed auto parts in Feliciano Béjar’s lobby sculptures). therowhotelboston.com

BEST FOOD HALL: Bow Market, Somerville

The one thing Boston’s restaurant scene lacks most is affordable space for chefs who have limited capital to test new concepts. Bow Market located in Union Square is a fresh solution: a mix of tiny indie restaurants and shops in a converted former storage facility, all arrayed around a central courtyard to encourage browsing and one heckuva food crawl. Start your evening at natural-wine bar Rebel Rebel or Remnant Brewing, nosh on vegetarian poutine from Saus or on rotating international cuisine from Nibble Kitchen. For dessert: Maca macarons and Gâté Comme des Filles chocolates. bowmarketsomerville.com

BEST UPDATED HOTEL: The Ritz-Carlton, Boston

This luxurious hotel located in the heart of downtown Boston boasts a $13 million renovation that thoroughly modernized its 193 guest rooms and suites and refreshed the 3,500-squarefoot ballroom and the already exclusive Club Lounge on the hotel’s top floor. Brand-new as well: the stunning Avery Bar in the lobby, which offers curated craft cocktails and shareable plates. While the pros behind the project—New York architecture firm Rockwell Group—are internationally known, they took care to infuse The Ritz-Carlton, Boston with local flavor: See suites with design influences that pay homage to hometown literary heavyweights Edgar Allan Poe and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as historic materials throughout. ritzcarlton.com/boston