Best store for new CDs
With the advent of the iPod and its competitors, our old trusted friend the CD is feeling a little neglected. Okay, we're riding the wave of the future, but there's still something to be said for the thrill of trying until your fingernails bleed to rip the shrink-wrap off a new disc. Well, Virgin Megastore hasn't forgotten the importance of that feeling. It has everything for your listening pleasure, including extensive collections in every genre: rock, pop, hip-hop, classical, country, Yanni. And if it's not in the store, you can easily order it from the Web site, which is linked to Amazon.com. It must be nice to be a multigazillion-dollar company.

Local staple Newbury Comics has an incredibly varied selection - everything from the new single you heard on JAM'N 94.5 to Johnny Cash to Stephen Malkmus. There's even a section of underground music so you don't have to scour the city for that album no one at Sam Goody has ever heard of. Throw in a impressive collection of toys, whatsits, knickknacks, and doodads, and you could just spend hours here.

Virgin Megastore, 360 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 896-0950, www.virginmega.com; Newbury Comics, multiple locations, www.newbury.com