Quotes of the Day

DEBI GREENBERG, owner, Louis Boston 
 clothing store
My ideal Boston day would begin by waking up next to a roaring fire at the XV Beacon Hotel, tel: (1-617) 670 1500, followed by a walk down Beacon Hill to the Paramount diner on Charles Street, tel: (1-617) 720 1152, for the perfect breakfast of eggs and bacon. Then I'd suggest a stroll through the Boston Common, on toward Boston Harbor and over the Seaport Bridge, followed by a visit to my store on Northern Avenue, Louis Boston, tel: (1-617) 262 6100. There you can browse men's and women's clothing along with home accessories, furniture and music. You might have a bite to eat upstairs on the balcony of Sam's Restaurant, tel: (1-617) 295 0191, overlooking the harbor.

I'd spend the afternoon at a Boston Red Sox baseball game, then in the evening I'd go for sushi at Oya, tel: (1-617) 654 9900, or Oishii, tel: (1-617) 277 7888, in Chestnut Hill. Both are outstanding, creative and quite delicious; Boston's best-kept secret is that we have the country's best sushi! Afterward, I'd try to catch a performance of the Boston Ballet, tel: (1-617) 695 6950, at the elegant Boston Opera House, which is always a treat.

JODY ADAMS, owner-chef, Rialto and Trade restaurants
My fantasy Boston day would start in Cambridge, with an early-morning massage at the Corbu Spa in the Charles Hotel, tel: (1-617) 661 5772. I'd then take a short walk to Hi Rise Bread Company in Harvard Square, tel: (1-617) 492 3003, for the best cappuccino and breakfast quiche. Next up is a visit to the Formaggio Kitchen, tel: (1-617) 354 4750, where I might select some of their cheeses for my Harvard Square restaurant Rialto, tel: (1-617) 661 5050. Then I'd hop on my bike for a quick ride down the river to my restaurant Trade, tel (1-617) 451 1234, on the Boston waterfront.

I might hit up one of the popular food trucks nearby. I've become a fan of the Clover Food Truck, cloverfoodlab.com, which offers healthful fare like chickpea fritters and soy BLTs. Or I might recharge with an herbal tea and a homemade Pop Tart over at Flour Bakery in nearby Fort Point Channel, tel: (1-617) 338 4333, before heading into Trade. At the close of dinner service, I'd end my night by taking a few of the staff over to Drink, tel: (1-617) 695 1806, for cocktails. And if I'm craving bivalves, I'd head to Island Creek Oyster Bar, tel: (1-617) 532 5300, for the city's best selection.

ANNE HAWLEY, director, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
I would visit as many of Boston's art museums as possible in a day. I would check on the progress of the new wing designed by Renzo Piano at my workplace, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, tel: (1-617) 566 1401. It's a transformative new space that will preserve our historic building and collection. I never tire of encountering the central courtyard filled with flowers and antiquities.

Just around the Fenway stands the stately Museum of Fine Arts, tel: (1-617) 267 9300, where the new Art of the Americas Wing presents some of the best American paintings of the 18th and 19th century in a Norman Foster-designed building. Then I'd head to the waterfront for a visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art, tel: (1-617) 478-3100, where daring architecture houses great new art. Next, I'd wish for a longer day so that I could get to the Harvard Art Museums, tel: (1-617) 495 9400, with their extensive collections of blue-chip works, before winding up at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, tel: (1-617) 253 4680, which is always cutting edge and offers ways to explore art that you won't see somewhere else.

• David Kaufman
• Let the locals tell you how to spend it right