Window Seats

By Erin Byers

While every restaurant likes to put on a show, some sit back and let the scenery take over. Window seats provide the liveliest entertainment, especially in these spots where the view is as good as going to the theater.

Clio Seated at the corner of Massachusetts and Commonwealth Avenues, inside the Eliot Hotel, Clio rests at the gateway to Back Bay life. Everyone from Tom Brady to Mayor Thomas Menino passes by here, so a perch behind the wrought iron window work is guaranteed to produce some scenery. That is, of course, if you can look up from chef Ken Oringer's world-renowned French-Asian cuisine.

Turner Fisheries Besides being one of Boston 's best seafood restaurants, Turner Fisheries, located in the Westin Copley Place Hotel, also boasts a stunning aquamarine dining room and an unrivaled view of Copley Square , a busy intersection where the city's business people, shoppers, public musi cians and students all come together.

Aquitaine From the corner table inside this South End mainstay, all of Tremont Street and its frisky street life is laid out for diners to watch. The colorful crowd comes out every night, but for the best people- or dog- watching moments, stop in for the unforgettable Sunday brunch.

Top of the Hub Soak in the skyline view from 52 stories up, at the top of the Back Bay's Prudential Tower . Sitting back with one of the bar's rose petal martinis while watching a soft, glowing sunset is truly one of the finest ways to see the city in all its splendor.