This isn't the largest place to buy wine in the city, nor is it exactly a store. It's kind of like a cozy neighborhood bar with an excellent wine list that happens to serve delicious, Mediterranean-inspired tapas. But you can just stop by to pick up a bottle. Owner Ben Neji — he's French, and it shows in the menu and wine offerings — stocks some 250 vintages; the bottles stand, floor-to-ceiling, right in the dining area. Many of them come from small-production vineyards, and (surprise) many are affordable. That is, they go for under $20. There are also weekly winetastings, during which you can pay $17 and try five or six delicious varieties from around the globe. And if you're not sure what to buy for a dinner party, take a seat. Wine 69 offers 10 "flights" of three wines each (from $11 to $17, generously poured), which allow you to sample everything from delicate California Chardonnays to blood-red Old World offerings. Neji certainly took a chance on opening his place on this stretch of Biscayne Boulevard — not too long ago, it was a catwalk for hookers and homeless — but now that Michy's and Starbucks have arrived, he has proven a unique concept can thrive on the Upper Eastside.

Those were the days. Sneaking sips of Boone's Farm with your high school friends under the bleachers. It splashed across the palate like a boozy, overripe strawberry. Oh so bad, but oh so good. We get older. It becomes all about the Cabs and Pinots — turning our noses at our fruit-flavored roots. Family-owned Schnebly Redland's Winery will bring you back. But not too far. Their fruit wines are far from the cheap stuff. The rural winery transports you to Northern California, where, for $5, visitors receive a glass to sip five of the local fruit wines. Keep the glass; it's good for a lifetime of free tastings. A standout: the award-winning sweet litchi wine. A bottle of it retails for $18.95 and tastes like an exotic Riesling.

Gas prices are killing you. Every time you think about how much you've spent filling and refilling that friggin' SUV, it makes your back hurt so much you can't move. And not long ago, while checking the oil, you tripped and sprained your ankle. And then the damn thing overheated because you didn't add water to the radiator. Well, the answer to your automotive prayers awaits in Little Haiti. It's full-service gasoline — just like it was back in the Sixties. Sure you'll pay a bit more at the Unico — full-serve regular cost $3.94 on a recent day, while self-serve was a mere $3.27. But every now and then, it's worth it. The efficient attendants will make sure your car is in running order (except the tires ... they're your problem). Your hands won't stink of gasoline. And the gentlemen are friendly too. Just say merci when they finish pumping.

If you have a tat that you regret, you didn't get it done at Lucky Tattoo. Not at the Collins Avenue location ... nor at the one on Washington or 15th Street. And you couldn't have possibly gone to Kentucky or overseas for it. Nah, you sure didn't. The shop has catered to more than 250,000 customers, but the Lucky artists had nothing to do with that muddy tribal tattoo on your forearm. So try 'em out. You can bring in your own sketch or choose from one of the thousands of premade designs, and get exactly what you want. Costs range from $60 for something small to $10,000 for a full body tat. And if you ask for Dow at the Collins location, she'll hook you up with a design that can be seen only under the black light of your favorite club (or Eighties bedroom).

Inspiration hit in a chilly Dublin bathroom in 2005. Miami native Kino MacGregor decided to break from globetrotting as a guest teacher and return home to launch a studio. The following year, she opened Miami Life Center on a peaceful portion of Sixth Street. But the homey studio in the golden brick building is far from a dank Ireland restroom. The smell of incense and the sound of a trickling fountain fill the warm space where yogis can buy DVDs, props, and pleasantries. A single class costs $18, but the more you buy, the less you pay. Budget-conscious options are the $5 community class each week and a free monthly event covering topics from shamanic healing to life coaching. MacGregor, who is 30 years old, is an emerging standout among the deep-breathing set. The doctoral candidate in holistic health was recently named Yoga Journal's top 21 teachers under 40. She just released her first DVD and is the youngest of only 12 women in the world certified to teach high-energy Ashtanga yoga. And like her, much of the staff holds graduate degrees or has studied with the 93-year-old founder of Ashtanga yoga, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in India ... not Ireland.