The Muse

Recreation prereqs.

June 11 — If you find yourself with a few minutes to spare in between registering for classes, playing awkward get-to-know-you games and sleeping in the sauna-like confines of the West Campus Complex, here are a few of the bests Boston has to offer. With endless dining and shopping opportunities, it’s worth getting to know these student favorites before classes start in the fall.

Dining

Kayuga (1030 Commonwealth Ave.) — Conveniently located on Comm. Ave. near West Campus, Kayuga offers the perfect sushi fix without the price tag of Fugakyu or the trek to Tsunami. It might not be the greatest sushi in Boston, but it’s pretty hard to mess up spicy tuna. With prices in the $4 to $8 range for maki and doors open until 1:30 a.m., keep this Japanese eatery in mind when the faux-sushi in the GSU fails to hit the spot.

University Grill & Pizza (712 Commonwealth Ave.) — With beloved UBurger stealing the spotlight, it’s easy to overlook University Grill, located a block from Warren Towers. This hole in the wall offers a wide variety of American fare that UBurger doesn’t. If the dining halls become too much to handle — and they will, give it a month tops — head to University Grill for a Buffalo chicken wrap or one of the calzones.

Sibling Rivalry (525 Tremont St.) — Run by brothers David and Bob Kinkead, you don’t go to Sibling Rivalry just for the fine dining. Here, the dueling chefs each present their own menu to a create a pseudo-Iron Chef type of dining experience. If you’re lucky, you might even get a seat at the ‘Chef’s Bar,’ where you can see the chaos of the kitchen unfold. However, with entrees such as salmon and seared tuna nearing $30, it might be best to save this restaurant for Parents Weekend.

Shopping

The Garment District (200 Broadway, Cambridge) — Although it may serve as most every college student’s No. 1 destination for a Halloween costume, The Garment District also has tons of everyday duds. The store offers everything from jeans to coats to fedoras. Even if all you find is a kitschy vintage T-shirt, The Garment District is worth a visit for the overwhelming smell of mothball-infested clothing alone.

The Tannery (11A Brattle St., Cambridge) — With two locations in Harvard Square, The Tannery is the ultimate destination for any budding fashionista — male or female. The store carries clothes by Trovata, Band of Outsiders and John Varvatos to name a few. Not to mention, there is a huge denim bar located at the back of the store. With nearly every luxury brand imaginable, it doesn’t hurt that The Tannery offers a 10 percent discount for students. Now that pair of Citizens looks even more attractive.

Nuggets (486 Commonwealth Ave.) — If you’re looking for the new Jonas Brothers album, you might want to head to Newbury Comics. Nuggets is strictly for music aficionados. Here you will find thousands of used and new records ranging from classics like Frank Sinatra to indie-darlings Bell & Sebastian. The store also boasts collectibles (Spice Girls on the cover of YM circa 1997, anyone?) as well as plenty of affordable used CDs. If Assistant Dean of Students Daryl Deluca’s speech about file sharing has scared you out of the occasional illegal download, Nuggets might have what you’re looking for.

The Muse, the weekly arts and entertainment section of The Daily Free Press, runs every Thursday.

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