Local Favorites

Seven prominent Bay Staters share inside tips on how to best enjoy Massachusetts

By Michael Blanding

Susie Castillo

She earned national attention when she won Miss USA in 2003. Today, Castillo stays in the spotlight as a VJ for MTV.

Massachusetts is full of great shops. Where do you go when you've got to get a perfect gift for someone?

I love Fun Among Us in downtown Ipswich . It's the cutest little toy store where I always find classic books and great toys for my 4-year-old nephew.

How do you enjoy the outdoors when the weather gets cooler?

I really love going to the beach ... the air is so fresh and crisp. The Massachusetts shoreline is just breathtaking, especially Crane Beach in Ipswich . And on your way out you can stop at Russell Orchards on Argilla Road and pick up some of their delicious apple cider doughnuts.

Forget watching your figure. Fill in the blanks for where you go to splurge:

The perfect Bay State day starts with breakfast at ... Stone Soup Café in Ipswich , for the giant breakfast burrito that they serve. It's amazing. Nothing beats lunch at ... Nick's Roast Beef in Beverly . You can't come to Massachusetts without having a great roast beef sandwich with sauce and mayo. If there were one place I'd eat dinner in Massachusetts , it would have to be at ... the Clam Box in Ipswich . Their fried seafood is the best. If I don't have ... the caramel and banana deep-fried ice cream from the Hardcover Restaurant in Danvers for dessert ... then the day just didn't end right

Malcolm Rogers

As director of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Rogers knows quite a bit about beauty, something found all over the map in Massachusetts.

You certainly know your museums. Besides those housed in your building, what are your favorite exhibits in the state?

I love going to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, which is one of those smaller museums that's just perfect in size ... They have the most perfect still life — those onions by Renoir — and I love the late-19th-century beauties by Tissot.

Where do you look for the state's most picturesque outdoor beauty?

I'm just beginning to discover the Massachusetts countryside. I have a home in north-central Massachusetts , in Royalston, and there is great snowshoeing and skiing up there in the land owned by the Trustees of Reservations.

What secret shopping hot spots do you visit in your free time?

My favorite form of retail therapy is antiquing. I love to go up to Essex County on the North Shore to the many shops up there. If I'm feeling a little more down-market, I go to Taunton and points south.

Andre Tippett

A five-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the New England Patriots, Tippett set the franchise record for career sacks before retiring in 1993.

Where do you like to go for a quiet getaway?

I love the Cape in the summer and the wintertime. From time to time, my wife and I will take a ride down to P-town. We love the little shops they have there, and you find a lot of interesting stuff — art, clothing. My wife likes the jewelry.

What other shopping spots do you like?

I am a big shoe horse — like you dream about — and I always go to Wrentham Outlets, to Ferragamo and Cole Haan. The prices are right, and they make those big size 14's.

Forget the Hungry Man meals and Chunky soups — a football player has to eat properly. Fill in the blanks:

Nothing beats starting the day with breakfast at ... Newcomb Farms in Milton because of their lobster omelet. If there was one place I'd eat dinner in Massachusetts , it would have to be ... Grill 23 — it's unique and they make a great steak there. I like the fact that it's not corporate owned and the atmosphere there is casual. If I don't have ... something from the dessert cart at the Four Seasons ... then the day just didn't end right. The desserts there are fantastic; I am big on the cheesecake and the crepes with strawberries — you can't beat that. And if you are lucky, you may see some famous people.

Martín Espada

A poet and professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst , Espada's work is celebrated for its strong imagery and sense of history.

When you're not busy writing, where can we find you shopping in your spare time?

Bookstores, especially the Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge, Food for Thought in Amherst, the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, and the Bookmill in Montague. The Bookmill is especially secret. Their motto is “books you don't need in a place you can't find.”

A good meal is nourishment for body and soul. Fill in the blanks for where you eat and fuel your creativity?

If there were one place I'd eat dinner in Massachusetts , it would have to be ... at La Veracruzana, in Amherst , for the taquitos de carne.

Lisa Hughes

Weekdays at 6 and 11 p.m., Hughes sits behind CBS 4's news desk, which gives her a great view of the things that make Massachusetts truly special.

When you're able to get out from behind the camera, what shopping hot spots do you visit?

Beacon Hill and the South End are two of my favorite shopping neighborhoods in Boston . But whether it's Dedham , Andover or Falmouth , I prefer small stores with fun, unusual choices.

A great place to escape the buzz of the newsroom is a museum. What's your favorite exhibit to view in Massachusetts ?

I love the Sargent paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts . And in the contemporary art collection, they have some of my favorites: Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Rauschenberg and Helen Frankenthaler.

There is so much outdoor beauty here as well. Where do you go to enjoy that?

A winter visit just would not be complete without a walk through the Back Bay . See the Frog Pond and the skaters at sunset. Walk through the Public Garden , and finally, take in the Commonwealth Avenue Mall with its sparkling holiday lights for a storybook experience.

Todd English

Chef and owner of the Olives Group, a collection of restaurants including Olives, Figs and Bonfire, English runs eateries across Greater Boston.

When you're not in the kitchen, what shopping hot spots do you hit?

I love all the little shops in Nantucket . They have some amazing clothing stores there. For gifts and trinkets, I like to visit Patina in Charlestown . Since I live on the North End waterfront, I like to hit the Salumeria Toscana on Hanover Street to pick up Italian cold cuts, pastas and cheeses.

But you can't shop on an empty stomach. Fill in the blanks:

The perfect Bay State day starts with breakfast at ... Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe in the South End. I usually order their egg sandwich. Nothing beats lunch at ... Galleria Umberto on Hanover Street . They have amazing arancini [rice balls]. If there were one place I'd eat dinner in Massachusetts , it would have to be ... Jumbo Seafood in Chinatown . I always go for their salt and pepper squid and crispy duck. If I don't have dessert at ... Finale ... then the day just didn't end right . I usually order anything chocolate from there.

Rachel Dratch

A cast member on Saturday Night Live since 1999, Dratch is known for bringing the audience — and her cast mates — to tears (of laughter, of course).

Your agent is calling. Your publicist is calling. Your mom is calling ... What's your favorite museum to escape to?

I have fond memories of the Museum of Science , the Children's Museum and the New England Aquarium. I grew up in Lexington and only went into Buckman Tavern for the first time very recently. I recommend it — that was pretty neat! I learned the origin of the phrase “Mind your p's and q's!”

Nothing beats some home cooking. Fill in the blanks and tell us where you love to eat in Massachusetts :

If there were one place I'd eat dinner, it would have to be ... the North End. No particular restaurant, but I like walking around the little streets and finding one. [It] makes you feel like you're in old Boston . And the Lobster Claw in Orleans . It's a fun, raucous lobster house — quintessential Cape Cod!

If I don't have dessert at ... Brigham's ... then the day just didn't end right. I gotta go to Brigham's when I go home. I'll give the nostalgic shout-out to Friendly's because it makes me feel like I'm in high school ... It provides a good opportunity to regress. Oh, also I need to say, another is the Ice Cream Smuggler on the Cape in Dennis.