Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar
Coordinating your gal pals for mani/pedis would be a logistical nightmare if not for group-welcoming Nail Bar, where the mimosas are complimentary and the polish job is exceptional. For dinner, Alma de Cuba is fun and flirty, but not a meat market, so you won't have to spend your time fending off creeps. Bring the evening to a giddy end at Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar, where tipsy girls singing loudly are perfectly acceptable. 2006 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, jollyspianobar.com.
Nail Bar
Coordinating your gal pals for mani/pedis would be a logistical nightmare if not for group-welcoming Nail Bar, where the mimosas are complimentary and the polish job is exceptional. For dinner, Alma de Cuba is fun and flirty, but not a meat market, so you won't have to spend your time fending off creeps. Bring the evening to a giddy end at Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar, where tipsy girls singing loudly are perfectly acceptable. 133 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, nailbarphila.com.
Head House Books
As Philly’s local bookshop scene shrinks — Shakespeare and Co. and Joseph Fox Bookshop both shuttered this year — Head House Books is turning the page on 17 years in business. Owner Richard De Wyngaert’s self-proclaimed “fiercely curated” selection resonates with his fiercely loyal customers, who line up for the latest thought-provoking titles and author events from the likes of Jennifer Weiner. 619 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, headhousebooks.com.
Kensington Derby and Arts Festival
It takes a lot to get thousands of people to stand around in the pouring rain, but in the case of the Kensington Derby, rain makes the finale even better. After costumed teams have pedaled tricked-out homemade vehicles across three miles of obstacle courses throughout the neighborhood, there’s the pièce de résistance: the mud pit. Some make it through; others break down. Either way, the crowd goes wild. Kensingtonkineticarts.org.
Southwark
This institution—revamped last year by Chris D’Ambro and Marina de Oliveira—does it all right, from the tidy menu of casual comfort foods to the elegant cocktail list. Both are best enjoyed on the Secret Garden-like patio, where twinkly lights, soft music, and the aromatics of fresh herbs (grown by the kitchen staff) make for the chillest summer hang in the city. 701 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, southwarkrestaurant.com.
Tacos California
This is one of the only shops in town serving tacos de canasta, a typical Mexican street food atypical to Philly’s food scene.Small corn tortillas (stuffed with taco fillings) are stacked in a basket, doused in seasoned hot oil, then steamed. The result is a plate of light, crispy, almost pierogi-like tacos. Treat ’em like fries and order a bunch for the table. 1030 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, .
Tribe
The space is white and bright, there are oodles of leather and wood, a flamingo mural and a living wall, and-—well, basically, we’d like to move in. Luckily, husband-and-wife team Emily and Andrew De Stefano’s venture just outside Kennett Square has pretty sweet hair and makeup services, too. (They offer four different kinds of ponytail styling alone!) 882 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317, tribebeauty.com.
Kelly Writers House
With more than 150 author-focused happenings each year, this quaint gothic cottage on Penn's campus is beloved by literary types and writers in the making. All events are open to the public and free, so check the calendar for once-a-month open-mic nights, workshops, and speakers of the caliber of Buzz Bissinger, Esquire's Tom Junod and GQ contributor Lisa DePaulo. 3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, writing.upenn.edu/wh.
Riverside Tool & Dye
We’ve noticed Riverside’s subtly dyed clothes popping up at local boutiques, but the bedding from this on-the-rise Fishtown brand – indigo shibori-dyed sheets, hand-dyed raw silk pillows, watercolor-dyed duvet covers, hand-painted African mud-cloth throws – is still what has our hearts. riversidetoolanddye.com.
The Market at DelVal
Delaware Valley University’s locavore campus grocery stocks produce from the school’s fields and nearby Shady Brook Farm; it’s also home to a full-service bakery and a deli counter that slings hearty sandwiches. 2100 Lower State Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901, themarketatdelval.com.
ReDecor Home Consignment
If all of the Main Line got together and had a communal yard sale, it’d look something like this shop, where very gently used French marble sideboards, antique claw-foot dressers and rich leather love seats find fresh life in new – equally fabulous – homes. 880 West Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, redecorhome.com.
Di Bruno Bros.
Sande Friedman has bought and sold a lot of wine as the Di Bruno Bros. wine buyer. Now, in collaboration with some of her favorite wineries, Friedman helped create two new bottles — a barbera-zinfandel blend from La Clarine in California, and Rosé of Carmine, with WayVine Winery & Vineyard in Chester County — with stellar results. 1730 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, dibruno.com/9th-street-bottle-shop.
Di Bruno Bros.
With apologies to any cheese shop trying to compete: You just can't beat a place with this kind of selection, or such educated mongers, or cheese that's aged in the shop's own freaking cave. Di Bruno's is the gold standard. Multiple locations, dibruno/com.
Alex Da Corte
At the age of 32, Camden-born Da Corte has already won international acclaim but remains planted in his Nicetown studio, where he's made a name for himself in the modern American pop-art scene by_manipulating scavenged objects a_malt-liquor bottle filled with pee, a lonely hoagie perched on a candy-cane-striped bench, a basketball impaled on a kitchen knife into artistic commentary on consumer culture. Let him wow you and/or make you squirm in mid-September, when his "Easternsports" exhibit with Jayson Musson will be on display at West Philly's Institute of Contemporary Art. alexdacorte.com.
DJ Sara Sherr
Escape frat-boy "Freebird" karaoke hell with this friendly, tattooed, pixie-haired gal of 40, who does actually have "Freebird" in her vast songbook, but also lots of B-sides, rare cuts and other music-nerd tracks. Venues include Tabu, P.O.P.E. and 12 Steps Down; connect with Sara Sherr via facebook.com/singyourlifekaraoke. 00000, facebook.com/singyourlifekaraoke.