1. Newton Wellesley Hospital
City: Newton, MA
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (617) 243-6000
Address: 2014 Washington St.
Description: Boston isn’t the only place in the state to get top-notch medical care. Newton Wellesley is a 313-bed community teaching hospital offering many of the inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and diagnostic services of the city teaching hospitals—with fewer hassles and valet parking. The hospital is located at mile 17 of the Boston Marathon and its emergency room is extremely experienced in every sort of running injury. The wellness and education center is comprehensive, offering everything from nutrition counseling to baby massage, support groups for caregivers, and babysitter certification for teens.
2. Necn
City: Newton, MA
Category: Media
Telephone: (617) 630-5000
Address: 160 Wells Ave.
Description: The nation’s largest 24-hour regional cable news network reaches close to 4 million households in the six-state New England region. On-air and online, NECN is a full-service news channel that delivers world and national stories, but the predominating content is decidedly local. Although owned by Comcast, the station is carried on most cable systems in New England.
3. New England Mobile Book Fair
City: Newton, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (617) 964-7440
Address: 82 Needham St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Don’t let the name fool you; there’s nothing mobile about New England’s largest independent bookstore. Open for more than 50 years in a quirky, rambling warehouse in a Newton commercial/business district, the Book Fair is beloved by bibliophiles near and far. The store’s haphazard layout lends itself to browsing. There are more than a million books in stock, mostly organized by publisher, a throwback to the days when the store catered to librarians and other bookstores that would come here for their inventory. Everything is always discounted at least 20 percent off of publisher’s list. Special strengths of the Book Fair are its children’s, travel, and cookbook departments. And the Book Fair’s frequent author events are among the best in the area.
4. Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh
City: Newton, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (617) 244-1836
Address: 1838 Washington St.
Description: Founded by author Anita Diamant (The Red Tent), this modern take on the centuries-old Jewish mikvah (ritual bath) tradition is a welcoming space for the Jewish community (both women and men) to celebrate life changes, such as marriage, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthdays, divorce, or conversion to Judaism.