This year the Frog Pond introduces freestyle skating on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. for $12 a session. Don’t forget to bring your own skates, because there are no rentals during that time.

Season Passes
Individual season passes are available for $100, family passes are $150, and a lunchtime pass good Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (holidays excluded), is available for $60.

Mass Transit:
Park Street Station on the Red and Green Lines.

The prime location of Frog Pond makes it easy to squeeze in just an hour or so of ice skating. Why not go skating while waiting for a movie at the Boston Common Loews Theater? Or go skating to relax after a crazy day of shopping in the nearby Downtown Crossing. And for the hopeless romantics out there, go skating under the starlit sky and finish it off with a stroll in the park.

For more information, call (617) 635-2121.

For more on Boston Common (click!)

Locke-Ober Café is just off Boston Common is classic Boston with a twist. The largely male clientele includes many politicos from Beacon Hill, who meet here to cajole and twist arms over lunch – keep an eye out for the likes of John Kerry and Mitt Romney.

Jackets are recommended. Think dark wood, gold chandeliers, worn mosaic tile floor, stained glass and the famous nude painting of “Yvonne,” much of it dating back to 1875 when the cafe was founded.

The menu, which changes weekly, includes a collection of old and new – grilled bluefish and salmon luncheon entrees swim between traditional poached eggs with roast beef hash and the calf’s liver with bacon and onions. Lunch appetizers are $13 and entrees range from $15 to $25. Dinner entrees start at $25.