T Stop: Copley

Friends, fellow students, loyal readers, this year is winding down quicker than a slinky down a stairwell. So, instead of following the rest of the red line (because who really needs to hear JFK/Umass described in luscious detail?), we're going to wrap this semester up with some fun wildcards. This week, we're following the red brick road to the self-proclaimed Rodeo Drive of Boston: Newbury St. Eight blocks long, the first residential buildings were constructed as early as 1857 and the first store opened in 1905. With its 100-year anniversary coming up, there couldn't be a better time to explore this commercial and architectural wonder. Or, you could just go to the official Newbury St. web page, click on "fun stuff" and play Mr. Potato Head with Samuel Adams' face (http://www.newburyst.com/HTML/NewburyStreetBoston.htm). The choice is yours.



Eleventh stop: Copley/Newbury St.



Once you exit the T-station at Copley, you won't be on Newbury St. In fact, you'll be exactly one block to the right, facing a rather intimidating structure constructed by the esteemed architect H.H. Richardson in 1879, otherwise known as the Trinity Church. It's a great structure, but let us not linger too long on it or the spacious, green, beautiful and open square that is Copley Square -- because there is simply too much else to do! For example, one must go into the Back Bay Harley Davidson Store (160 Newbury St., 617-236-0840) and pretend to be a scary biker dude. With leather jackets and genuine Harley hogs, you bet the legend rolls on.

But just to clarify, although Newbury St. may have a few heavy metal stores here and there, it mostly plays to upper-middle class clientele. As a result, there is basically an art gallery between every other store. No, really, there is. One store down from motorcycle mayhem is the Copley Society of Art (158 Newbury St., 617-536-5049). Also founded in 1879, this time by Boston Museum School students, the gallery has financed many Boston student artists as well various workshops throughout New England.

Right now, laser-printed designer sugar cookies are on display in the new exhibit, "A Juried Exhibition of Visual Art in Digital Media." You can get your own whole cookie for only $99. Well, at least at that price won't be hard to stop eating after just one.

Now, onto my absolute favorite store: Oliviers &Co. (161 Newbury St., 617-859-8841). With over 25 vintage olive oils (FREE SAMPLES!) and multiple olive spreads (FREE SAMPLES!) this little nook certainly delighted both me and my co-olive conspirator. Try the Fennel & Green Olive Mustard spread ($12); it's delicious.

Now, onto my absolute favorite store: E6 Apothecary (167 Newbury St., 617-236-6635). Yes, I realize that I just said that the olive store was my favorite shop and for all you intellectual Tufts students who want to debate Hume with me later, it certainly can fill that position. But this store is for all the girls out there who never got to play with make-up when they were younger because they were too busy being tomboys.

With high-end make-up of all different glittering colors, peaches, roses, fire engine reds, all just waiting to be played with, it's a rather dreamlike place. I could certainly continue on in glorious detail, but for fear of sickening 50 percent of my reader base, I'll say I'm done. Not really, but for all intents and purposes, done, finito, no more accolades for nice girly make-up store. Done.

Now for a quick question I'd like to throw out to my reading public: have you ever heard the catch phrase, "hemp wears in, cotton wears out?" No? Then check out The Hempest Cannabis Clothing Store (207 Newbury St., 617-421-9944). Taken from its blurb on the Newbury St. website, The Hempest wants to let its customers know that, "while cotton is the most chemically dependent crop in the world you need not panic, our hemp's organic." It is good that they said that. I was panicking. Sitting here, at my desk, panic ensued.

Alas, I could write an entire newspaper about the joys of Newbury St. I could tell you to drag a friend to the Jessica McClintock Store (201 Newbury St., 617-247-6667) and try on big poofy dresses, to go the Stephanie's on Newbury (190 Newbury St., 617-236-0990) to have a nice relaxing lunch outside, and follow it with some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream (174 Newbury St., 617-536-5456). I could tell you to go to Newbury Comics (232 Newbury St., 617-536-5456) and support the independent rock n roll scene -- basically, there are any number of different fun and exciting places I could tell you to visit on this fabulous nonchalant urban catwalk.

But don't listen to me; these are just the stores that I personally fancied. With blocks upon blocks of stores and salespeople just waiting to serve you, even the pickiest shopper should feel safe that they'll find whatever it is they're looking to find. But, if you don't need anything, that's all the better. For then, you can just sit on the stoop of your favorite brownstone, drink a cool beverage and watch all the people walk by. On a warm day in April, who could ask for more?