Although it may not seem so at first, Boston is a real town and real people live here. Thus, almost anything that real people need, can be bought in the area. Chances are, you can get to what you want to buy on the T or the bus or a combination of the two (see Transportation), but occasionally a car is useful. We have given public transportation directions to places in the suburbs when we could. If we did not give directions, call the store. Most stores are quite willing to give you decent directions; after all, they are expecting you to give them your money. Ask for a student discount wherever you go; many places offer them if asked but won't bring the matter up themselves.

If you don't find what you are looking for here, ask around. Chances are good that someone you know has wanted to buy what you now want to buy. You can ask around to check a store's reputation.

Appliances

Get advice from a knowledgeable person or organization before making a major purchase. Consumer Reports is one place to look; they also produce a Buying Guide Issue. Both of these can be found at the Humanities Library.

Probably the best and most convenient place to buy appliances is Sears (221-4900) (see Department Stores, below).

Art and Drafting Supplies

Perhaps the first place one would think of to go for art supplies is Charette (495-0250) at 95 Mt. Auburn St. in Harvard Square. They charge list price, but have a very large selection. If you can't find what you want anywhere else, Charette will have it. Get into their student discount program: $4 per year will get you 20% off everything and 40\% off paints in tubes.

There are some other options: Pearl Art and Craft (547-6600) in Central Square has an extensive collection and reasonable prices. Bob Slate Stationery (547-1230), at 1288 Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square, has art supplies as well as stationery and office supplies.

Bicycles

Bicycles and accessories can be purchased from several stores in the area; check the Yellow Pages. Stores include International Bicycle Centers, Cycle Sport, Beacon St. Bicycle, and the Ski Market. Shop around before you buy and make sure you don't get rooked on accessories. Hint: Buy a lock and chain first, so that you have a means of keeping your brand new bike.

Books

This is a very very very incomplete list. There are literally millions (ok, maybe not millions...) of places to buy books in Boston and Cambridge. One of the best places is Harvard Square, which probably boasts more book stores than ice cream parlors. However, there are bookstores scattered throughout Boston. For lack of time, the "book'' lists herein are largely comprised of stores in Harvard Square. There are many others in Boston, particularly on Newbury St. but also elsewhere. The yellow pages, friends, and an afternoon to go wandering are among the best ways to find new ones. Following this list there are separate lists of special interest books, textbooks, and used books.

Two of the largest bookstores in Boston are Waterstone's (859-7300) in Back Bay and Barnes and Noble (267-8484) in Kenmore Square, each with over 15, 000 titles. In addition to their vast selection, each has helpful staff and welcomes browsers. Wordsworth (354-5201) discounts everything except textbooks, and is very convenient to MIT. Barnes and Noble in Downtown Crossing also discounts and has a good selection. Other bookstores in the area include:

Borders Books (557-7188) just opened a huge new bookstore with a very good selection, but high prices, on 24 School St. in downtown Boston.

The Harvard Coop (494-2000) 1400 Mass. Ave. Good selection of text, reference, fiction, and nonfiction.

Books, special interest

Ahab Rare Books (547-5602) 5 JFK St., Harvard Square. Antiquarian, literature, Americana, autographs.

The Avenue Victor Hugo Bookstore is located across from Tower Records on Newbury St. Rare books, magazine back issues back to 1850.

Glad Day Bookstore (267-3010) 673 Boylston St., Boston. Gay and lesbian literature.

The Globe Corner Bookstore (1-800-358-6013) has lots of travel guides and maps. There's one in Harvard Square at 28 Church St., as well as one downtown at 1 School St.

Grolier Poetry Book Shop (547-4648) 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square. Poetry. Catalogue; special and mail-order; poetry contest; readings; bulletin board.

Harvard Book Store (661-1515) 1256 Mass. Ave. Wide selection of new books, particularly fiction, philosophy, criticism, psychology, Afro-American studies, women's studies, classics. Great remainders. (They also have a pretty good used book section.

Harvard Press (495-2625) 1135 Mass. Ave. Harvard Press books.

Mandrake Bookstore (864-3088) 8 Story St., Harvard Sq. Art, architecture, and philosophy books.

MIT Press (3-2889) Building E38, 292 Main St., Kendall Square. All MIT Press publications, plus a selection of books by MIT authors from other publishers. Excellent postcards and T-shirts.

New Words Bookstore (876-5310) 186 Hampshire St., Cambridge. Women's books.

Pandemonium (547-3721) on JFK St., Harvard Sq. Science fiction and fantasy, with discount program, games, used books; also some used videos for sale.

Quantum Books (494-5042) 4 Cambridge Center (behind the Marriot). Excellent technical/science bookstore. Friendly and helpful staff.

Revolution Books (492-5443) 14-B Elliot St., Harvard Square. Marxism; RCP, USA; Political economy; Central America; Africa; Women; Third World culture.

Schoenhof's Foreign Books, Inc. (547-8855) 76 A Mt. Auburn St., Harvard Square. Foreign language bookstore. Takes special orders for in print titles.

Seven Stars (547-1317) 58 JFK St., Harvard Square. New Age books and crystals.

Starr Book Shop, Inc. (547-6864) 29 Plimpton St., Harvard Square. Antiquarian; sets, scholarly books, literature, philosophy, classics, general.

Books, textbooks

The most obvious place to buy your textbooks is The Coop in Kendall Square. This is where books ordered by the professors come in. They are organized by course number and are easy to find. However, they are crowded at the beginning of the term, so go early. The prices are list, because there's less markup on textbooks. (Blame the

publishers, who think they have everyone cornered.)

The good news is that they don't always have you cornered. The first place to try to find books is from people you know who have taken the class. They may be willing to loan or sell you their books. Next try the TCA Book Exchange (3-4885) which exists year round in the TCA office (W20-450) and the APO Book Exchange (3-3788), which is held at the beginning of each spring and fall term. At the end of a term, ads to sell textbooks are often posted on bulletin boards around campus. Many classes, particularly literature and other humanities classes, have books that can be found in normal new or used bookstores. The Coop sells used textbooks at a discount, and The Harvard Bookstore (see above) has a good selection of used textbooks, cheap, and other used bookstores occasionally do too -- call around.

One potential problem with used textbooks is that they may be an older edition of the book than the professor is using. For some classes this matters; for many it doesn't. Just be aware that it might.

Books, used

Used books are a wonderful thing. Luckily there are many used bookstores in the area. Some are:

The Brattle Bookstore (542-0210) at 9 West St., Boston, is a "wicked awesome'' (to quote an MIT student who has been here a bit too long...) used-book store. They will search for a book for you if they don't have it.

The Harvard Bookstore (see above) also has a wonderful used book selection downstairs.

McIntyre & Moore Booksellers (491-0662) 8 Mt. Auburn St., Harvard Square. Has "academic'' books, literature and general stock. You'll almost always find a jewel hidden in the stacks at a good price. Has another, smaller store at 30 Plimpton St.

Starr Book Co. (662-2580) at 1675 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, has a great selection of used hardbounds at reasonable prices.

Many of the "special interest'' bookstores also carry used books in their particular fields.

Cars

Buying a car is often a person's first big purchase, and, if not done carefully, can easily become a person's first big monetary mistake. Whether buying a new or used car, you should first look at three publications. First, read the April issue of Consumer Reports (available in the Humanities or city libraries), which compares all current models (repair records, how well they survive crashes, how well they handle, etc.), and gives specific recommendations for new and used cars. Second, buy the current copy of Edmund's car price guide for the type of model(s) you are interested in. (There are price guides for American, foreign, economy, large, and used cars.) Edmund's car price guides detail all list and dealer cost prices for cars, as well as all options. Edmund's also includes specifications, list of standard equipment, warranties, some gas mileage figures, and some photographs. Finally, before even considering walking onto a car dealer's lot, read Don't Get Taken Every Time by Remar Sutton. Despite the hokey title, this really is an outstanding book. Remar Sutton, a former car dealer himself, details everything you need to know (in a very readable fashion) to insure that you get a good deal. In addition, do not let the dealer affix an inspection sticker; have the car inspected yourself. If it does not pass, the dealer must repair it for free. This advice goes double for used cars.

New Cars: Take time to shop around and be prepared to bargain with the salesman; his first price usually isn't the best he can offer. Prices tend to be up to 30% lower in the suburbs. It is possible to buy a car and have it registered in your home state (if you're not from Massachusetts), thereby saving the sales tax (5%) and excise tax (2.5%). This may affect insurance rates, which are discussed later.

Used Cars: Be doubly careful. Used car dealers are generally disreputable and overpriced; national dealers are not much more reputable than local dealers. Instead of buying from a dealer, check Tech Talk, the Phoenix, and the Globe for potential sellers. (Buying from a stranger is risky, but not so much as purchasing from an experienced salesman.) If you do buy from a dealer, first consult the Better Business Bureau.

Maintenance Car maintenance can be a problem. Many garages are shady if not outright dishonest. Find a reputable garage and stick with it; ask someone who has been around for awhile. There are several tire companies in the Cambridge area that sell tires at large discounts; watch for ads in the MIT newspapers. Good News Garage (75 Hamilton St., Cambridge, 354-5383) offers auto repair courses and will rent its facilities for do-it-yourself repairs.

There are many car washes in the Boston-Cambridge area. Allston Car Wash (434 Cambridge Street., Brighton, 254-3200), Lechmere Auto Wash Centers (262 Msgr O'Brien Hwy. Lechmere Sq., Cambridge, 492-4073; 2013 Mass Ave. Porter Sq., Cambridge, 546-1368), and ScrubaDub (239 Stuart St., Boston, 482-5457) are the closest. Services vary from do-it-yourself to auto-wash, wax, polish, vacuum and shampoo (carpet), and engine washing. Prices vary with the amount of service you want.

Clothing, new

Boston's better (read: more expensive) clothing stores are for the most part along Boylston and Newbury Streets from Boston Garden to the Prudential Center. These include Saks Fifth Avenue (262-8500) at the Prudential Center, Brooks Brothers (261-9990) at 75 State St., Louis (262-6100) at 234 Berkley St., and several smaller stores. Copley Place also has many fancy stores, but it is generally much more fun to look and drool there than to actually buy anything. Macy's and Filene's at Downtown Crossing also have rather expensive clothing, although not quite as expensive as the stores in Copley. Filene's Bargain Basement (542-2011) is a great place to shop, as everything there is reduced. Some of the merchandise is seconds or irregulars, and you should be sure you know why it's irregular before you buy it. Beware: there is only one dressing room for women, and none for men. Wear clothing which you can try other clothing on under or over. It gets very crowded on Saturdays; the best time to go is during the day during the week. For more creative styles, try the stores on Charles St. at the foot of Beacon Hill and in or near Harvard Square.

Clothing, used

Used clothing is a cheap way to get funky things that you may refuse to pay more money for. Many stores that sell used clothing sell it sometimes (but not always) for less money than their new clothing. Oona's (491-2654) at 1210 Mass. Ave. near Harvard or 1110 Boylston Street in Boston has creative-styled used clothing. Cheaper sources of used clothing include Salvation Army stores, one of which is at 382 Mass. Ave. Dollar-A-Pound at 200 Broadway in Cambridge sells used clothing by the pound on Saturday mornings only. It's an experience. Upstairs from Dollar-A-Pound is The Garment District (876-5230), which is worth visiting when you make it to Dollar-A-Pound.

Comics

You can buy the latest comics from the major publishers (Marvel, DC, Image, etc.) at Newbury in Harvard Square and on Newbury St. in Boston. They don't, however, deal in used comics. Million Year Picnic (492-6763) in Harvard Square prides itself on having the largest collection of independent and underground comics in Boston. They also sell a vast and eclectic collection of graphic novels, Japanese animation, and comic related T-shirts. New England Comics (354-5352) is the store for collectors. They have a huge stock of back issues (all the way to the 1940s!) and will gladly search for special requests. They have a VIP program for those who buy lots of comics regularly, and a free newsletter of upcoming comics. Comicopia (266-4266) in Kenmore Square, run by an MIT alumnus, has perhaps the best service in the city. They also have good back issues.

Department Stores

Name any type of merchandise, and there's probably a department store somewhere in Boston that sells it. The largest clothing department stores in the area are Filene's (357-2100) and Macy's (357-3000), although there are others. Most of them, along with several other department stores, are located near Downtown Crossing. The prices tend to be on the high side, but every other month or so one of them will have a sale, where they are quite affordable. Woolworths (876-7214) has a store on Mass. Ave. in Central Square and a much larger one at Downtown Crossing, at 350 Washington St. Sherman's (482-9610) at 11 Bromfield St., also at Downtown Crossing, is a courteous and friendly "fine discount store'' selling jewelry, calculators, appliances, and luggage. The largest Sears (221-4900) in the area is located in the Burlington Mall; see Shopping Malls and Districts, below, for directions there. There is a smaller one in the CambridgeSide Galleria.

Drug Stores

There are several drug stores in the area. Most convenient to East Campus is Kendall Drugs (492-7790), in Kendall Square. They charge list price, but give discounts to MIT personnel on prescriptions and sometimes run coupons in The Tech. More rationally priced drugstores include CVS (354-4130) on Mass. Ave. in Central Square. CVS in Porter Square, Cambridge (876-4037) is open 24 hours.

Duplicating Services

There are copying machines everywhere, particularly on campus. Most offices have one, and there are several in the library. There is also CopyTech (bldg 11 and bldg E52 among other locations). If you have a very large job, talk to LSC, The Tech, APO, or CopyTech for advice..

Off campus offers several options too. Gnomon Copy (492-2222) is at 245 Mass. Ave. and also has several other stores, particularly in Harvard Square. Kinkos (497-0125) is at 907 Main St. (almost where it hits Mass. Ave.) and they, too, have other offices. Typotech (492-6300) at 1120 Mass. Ave. has many services, including doing blueprints. There are other places to copy things, but there's generally no need to go to them.

Eye Care

Routine eye examinations and services for eyeglasses and contact lenses are available in several nearby establishments. The Eye Service of the MIT Medical Department offers comprehensive eye care including contact lenses. Appointments can be made for routine eye examinations, contact lens fittings, or evaluations with one of the staff optometrists. These visits are fee-for-service. Contact lenses can also be ordered from the Eye Service. If you are experiencing an eye problem, which requires urgent care, you should call or visit the Eye Service at E23-268, x3-4351. Visits that are not considered "routine'' are often covered by the MIT Student Health Fee. The Medical Department also offers eyeglass services at MIT Optical in the basement of the Stratton

Student Center, and they can be reached at 258-LENS.

There are many eye doctors in both Central and Harvard Square. Richard Glugeth (optometrist) is at 14 JFK St. in Harvard Square. Others include Cambridge Eye Doctors on Mass. Ave. just south of Harvard Square, and Vision House also on JFK St. in Harvard.

Fabrics

Good fabric stores do exist in the Boston area; they're just hard to find. Many of them hide out in Chinatown. Winmil Fabrics (543-1815) at 111 Chauncy St. in Chinatown has mostly remnants and basics. They're cheap, if they have what you want. North End Fabrics (542-7763), also in Chinatown, has silks, cheap cottons, and upholstery velvet. There is a store on the corner between these two stores which has junk up front and brocades and interesting stuff toward the back of the shop. The staff here tends to be unhelpful. Clement Textile (542-9511) at 54 Kneeland St. has some good stuff but mostly junk. You should unfold and check anything you intend to purchase here before you pay for it to be sure it is in decent condition. Windsor Button (482-4969) at 36 Chauncy St. has buttons, buckles, trims, embroidery stuff, notions, fake flowers, beads, etc. Two out of town stores also ought to be mentioned: Fabric Place (508-872-4888) in Framingham and Woburn is good for decorating fabrics, including drapery and upholstery materials, and basics. It has retail prices and a helpful staff. Fabric Town (944-6996) at 577 Main St. in Reading is aimed at the interior decorator. There is also a small, expensive fabric store at 99 Mt. Auburn St. (a very small mall) in Harvard Square, and it is worth noting that Woolworths has a fabric/crafts section.

Florists

There are two florists down Mass. Ave. from MIT: University Florist (492-5700) on the corner of Main St. and one on Mass. Ave. in Central Square. Both are decent and friendly. Kendall Flower Shop (661-8180) in Kendall Square is an award-winning FTD florist that delivers in the greater Boston area. There is often a person standing right by the T in Kendall Square selling flowers. There are a couple of florists in Harvard Square too: The Brattle Square Florist (876-9839) at 31 Brattle St. is very good and is reputed to never have an imperfect flower. Other local florists include the Faneuil Hall Flower Market (742-3966) in Quincy Market. Winston Flowers (541-1100) has a very good selection of rare and imported flowers and plants, although they can be rather expensive. Super Stop and Shop in Allston has a good flower selection. Other grocery stores also have flowers.

Food, Bakeries

Central Bakery (547-2237) at 732 Cambridge St. has good bread and fair desserts.

Rosie's (491-9488), 243 Hampshire St., is open until 11 or midnight every day and has amazingly good desserts. Inman Square boasts the

S&S Deli (354-0777), which in addition to being a very good deli also sells baked products. There are many bakeries in Harvard Square. There are other bakeries on Cambridge Street in Cambridge and several good Italian pastry shops in the North End in Boston, most notable Mike's (300 Hanover St., 742-3050). Bagels are available in several shops in Brookline. Some groceries also have bakeries, with varying degrees of quality. Cezanne (547-9616), a new bakery and cafe just south of Central square, is said to be good.

Food, Co-ops

There are two main co-ops in the area. The Cambridge Food Co-op (661-1580) on Mass. Ave. in Central Square recently moved to larger quarters. In exchange for buying $150 worth of stock (which can be paid for by the month, if you'd like) you get a 2% discount, and if you work in addition to this you get an 8% discount and monthly 15%-off coupons. The other is the Boston Food Co-op (787-1416) at 449 Cambridge St. in Allston (call them for directions). Here membership can come in two forms: a $5 membership fee and an orientation, which entitles one to a 2% discount for a year, or a working membership, which entitles one to a 10-25% discount depending on the amount of work. Call them for details.

There are also smaller co-ops which operate on the block level or out of a church or community center. The theory behind these is that when more people buy food together, they can buy bulk and it will be cheaper. Ask your neighbors if you live off campus and are interested in this possibility, and find out if one exists in your neighborhood.

Food, Grocery Stores

Which grocery store is most convenient for you will depend, of course, on where you live. There are several decent ones in the area. There is a Star Market (492-5566) located right in University Park at MIT.

There is also a grocery store, LaVerde's (621-0733), in the Student Center. It is a privately owned market supplied by Star. It is a bit more expensive than the larger markets, but hey, it's in the Student Center. LaVerde's has a limited selection but also has a sub counter, and many people often get their lunch or dinner right there.

Food, Haymarket

Haymarket is an open market, something you don't see too often around here. You should go there at least once in a while at this holy institute, for the experience if nothing else. There is a Haymarket stop on the Green Line, or you can easily walk there from Government Center (also on the Green Line). If you continue down the street to the left of Faneuil Hall when coming from Government Center, you'll run right into it.

Haymarket is open Friday and Saturday more-or-less all day. Official hours are 6 AM to 6 PM and tend to be longer, especially in the summer. The hours vary with the booth. Some booths will stay open very late Saturday to try to sell the last of their produce; it gets cheaper in the evening, but remember: it's the last pickings, and it's been sitting out all day. Even earlier, prices are usually much better than those in the groceries, and the produce can be better, but beware. The produce you look at is not necessarily what will be put in your bag. Make them let you pick your own fruit or vegetables, or check what they put in the bag and refuse to pay for bruised or overripe produce. This happens less often if you go to the same people often enough that they recognize you.

There are wholesale-retail meat stores in nearby buildings, Quincy Market, and around Faneuil Hall. But this is often not high-class stuff. Again, once you know the butcher you can get good bargains, but until then be careful. During the summer you should make sure the merchants you frequent have good refrigeration.

There are also grocery, cheese, canned goods, leathercraft, and other types of stores in the area. Be careful and watch your wallet, backpack, or purse. Pickpockets aren't stupid. Also, bring your money to Haymarket in the form of $1 bills or change, not tens or twenties.

Food, Health Food

Bread and Circus (492-0070) at 115 Prospect St. in Central Square is the ultimate yuppie health food shop. They have both organic and non-organic produce. The organic is expensive, but this is true anywhere you find it. The non-organic is competitively priced and is as good or often better than that at "normal'' groceries. They also have a decent selection of ethnic and "healthy'' foods other than produce, but much of this has recently been fairly easy to find in the normal groceries for much lower prices. Lee Nutrition (661-9600) on Main St. in Kendall Square has some health food and some not-so-healthy food. They tend to be inconsistently priced: some prices are quite reasonable, while others are high. The Cambridge Food Co-op (see Food, Co-ops, above) also has healthy/organically grown food, and many of the local grocery stores have "health food'' sections.

Furniture

Check bulletin boards around campus and ads in Tech Talk for people selling their own furniture. The best time to do this is generally in the spring, as students graduate and move out. There is also the MIT Furniture Exchange (3-4293) for MIT students. They both buy and sell used furniture. The hours are from 10-2 Tuesday and Thursday. They are located in WW15, at 350 Brookline, beyond Next House.

Bargain Basement (see Used Clothing, above) and Salvation Army (354-9159) at 382 Mass. Ave. sell cheap used furniture, but you should be sure to check the quality. Sadye & Co. (547-4424) at 182 Mass. Ave. has some antique furniture which they usually display outside, but they tend to be quite expensive (though not unreasonable for antiques).

For new furniture, head on out to the VFW Highway out in Dedham, where there are stores ranging from Sears and Levitz to discount outlets. Making furniture is also an option; see Hardware and Building Supplies, below, for more details.

Haircuts

There are a couple of places on campus to get your hair cut: Kendall Barbers (876-1221) is not too far away. The Tech Barber and Technicuts are both in the Student Center. After this you must (gasp) venture off campus. Elias Hair Care (497-1590) is just up Mass. Ave. and cost $21, or $19 with a student ID. They occasionally have discount coupons in The Tech. Diego at the Loft (262-5003) at 157 JFK St. in Harvard Square offers $15 hair cuts on Tuesday nights, when their students cut. At other times the cuts cost $28--35. They also have a store on Newbury St. in Boston, which is more expensive. Great Cuts (576-3920) in Harvard Square (and other places) cuts your hair for $9 without an appointment. John's Barber Shop (492-2962) on Prospect St. in Central Square is an old-fashioned barber shop (no women). Nu Image (354-9898) specializes in hairstyling for blacks. Supercuts (236-0130) at 829 Boylston Ave. will cut your hair for about $8. They do not however, color hair. They also have a shop in Harvard Square.

Hardware and Building Supplies

Economy Hardware (864-3300) a few blocks up Mass. Ave. in Central Square is a good hardware store with great prices, particularly on paint. Dickson Bros. (876-6760) on Brattle St. in Harvard Square has a good selection, but they are in Harvard Square and their prices will on the whole reflect this (some things are cheap, though). Inman Square Hardware (491-3405) is on Cambridge St. in Inman square. Central Square Hardware and Tool Rental at 453 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge is a very crowded store with a good selection of standard hardware, unfinished furniture, housewares, mirrors, and scrap lumber. They also, true to their name, rent tools. Somerville Lumber (623-2800) delivers.

Jewelry

Jewelry Services of Boston (367-1550) at 333 Washington St. is a single building with several jewelers in it, if you are looking for "real'' jewelry. Bargain with them; they'll take you for all you're worth and then some if they can. Also, all the expected stores (fancy department stores, etc.) have jewelry; you will pay accordingly. For more funky fare, wander down Mass. Ave. toward Harvard Square or visit Newbury St. in Boston and stop in anyplace interesting-looking. Most of the places which sell funky clothing also sell creative jewelry.

Kitchen Supplies

Liquor

In order to buy alcohol in Massachusetts, as virtually everywhere else, you must prove you're 21. This law is enforced to varying degrees by the different liquor stores, but things get noticeably tighter around election time.

The following stores either have convenient locations or above average selections and services.

Blanchard's (782-588) 103 Harvard Ave., Allston is a large liquor store with good prices.

Brookline Liquor Mart (734-7700) at 1354 Comm. Ave., Brookline offers a good selection of wines with low prices and helpful salespeople. Credit cards are accepted.

Harvard Provision Company (547-6684) 94 Mount Auburn St. in Harvard Sq., has a pretty good selection of all sorts of drinks. Free parking, free delivery, credit cards accepted. There is an ice machine outside operating 24 hours a day.

Libby's Liquor Market (354-3678) 575 Mass. Ave., Central Sq. Convenient location and reasonable selection. Good prices, sometimes undercuts Warehouse.

Marty's Liquors (782-3250) at 193 Harvard Ave., Allston, has lots of unadvertised discounts.

Martignetti's (782-3700) at 1650 Soldier's Field Road Extension, Brighton, is supposedly the world's largest liquor store. A huge selection of anything ever fermented or distilled. Low prices, free parking.

Savenor's Liquor Mart (547-7300) at 100 Kirkland St., Cambridge, has a good selection and knowledgeable assistance. Credit carts are not accepted, and they don't deliver. It is part of the Savenor's Supermarket complex.

Music, CD's and Records

You can get discounts at many places with cards from radio stations. The WCRB "Classical Advantage'' card, which is free, gets 20% off at the Coop and between 15% ad 20% at Tower. Tower gives the same discount to members of WGBH, Boston's public television/radio.

Used music is easy to come by in this college town. BCD carries used CD's, as does Mystery Train II (497-4024) on Mass. Ave. on the way to Harvard Square. Mystery Train also has used records. Second Coming (576-6400) has a few used CD's and an amazing selection of used and bootleg records. They also have lots of posters and postcards. They seem to have erratic hours, though. There are several good used record stores, none of whose names are really memorable, in Kenmore Square (by BU, on the Green Line), one just off Mass. Ave. on Boylston St. in Boston, and one on Mt. Auburn St. in Harvard Square which keeps changing hands and names. Most used record stores are also willing to buy your used records or CD's.

Music, Making Your Own

Photography

SBI Sales (576-0969) at 57 JFK St. and Ferranti-Dege (499-2750) on Mass. Ave., both in Harvard Square, are decent places for both film and equipment. Colortek (868-6606) in Kendall Square and on Newbury St. in Boston does excellent in-house processing at reasonable rates. Film can also be bought at grocery and drug stores, and there are a couple of small film-developing stores on Mass. Ave. in Central Square.

Plants

Shoes

There are a couple of choices in terms of shoe repair. Kendall Square has LaRossa's Instant Shoe Repair (734-6363). On Prospect St. in Cambridge there is Jimmy's Shoe Repair (868-8838), which has been there longer and is not a chain.

Shopping Districts

Classy, exotic, and trendy stores tend to cluster in Harvard Square, Boston's Back Bay (especially around Newbury St. and Commonwealth Ave.) and at Copley Place and Quincy Market. These are fun places to look around and occasionally buy things. Lower priced, more pedestrian merchandise can be found in Central Square and in other not so touristy areas.

Chinatown is found on Essex and Beach Streets, on the orange line (Chinatown stop, of all things). The Italian North End, located across the expressway from Haymarket on the Green Line, boasts a large number of great Italian restaurants and pastry shops of all sorts. Portuguese and Italian specialties and the best bargains in town can be found in East Cambridge between Lechmere and Harvard Square.

Shopping Malls

If you can't for some reason find what you are looking for nearby, there are a number of large malls residing in suburbia. These include the Burlington Mall (272-8667), the Chestnut Hill Mall (965-3037) at 199 Boylston St. in Newton, and the Natick Mall (508-655-4800). To get to the Burlington Mall, take the Red Line to Alewife and then take the \#350 bus. To get to the Dedham Mall, take the #35 bus from the Forest Hills stop (Orange or Green Line). There are also several shopping centers located along Routes 9 and 128 and both North and South Shore shopping centers.

Stationery and School Supplies

Stereo Equipment

One way to buy stereos is to check bulletin boards and ads in Tech Talk for students selling theirs. Sometimes equipment gets sold because it is dying, but also sometimes it gets sold because the owner has bought a better system or is moving and doesn't want to or can't take the stereo with him or her.

For new stereo equipment, Cambridge/Boston is not a great place to shop. The Coop has some equipment, but they don't have a huge selection. It might be a good idea to look there to get an idea of prices and what features you want. They tend to be expensive, though. Lechmere carries some equipment also and is recommended by some people as the best place to shop. Goodwin's Music Systems (734-8800) at 870 Commonwealth Ave. in Brookline will allow you to listen to anything in their store. Q Audio (547-2727) at 95 Vassar St. buys and sells used equipment and has a good reputation. New places include Audio Lab (864-1144) at 36 JFK St. near Harvard.

Toys