Pinocchio's Beer Garden To Go
More than 800 beers by the bottle plus 23 drafts by the growler make this Media shop a great place to stock up. And the reasonable prices and to-go pizzas next door make it worth a trip from downtown and beyond. 131 East Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063, pinbeer.com.
Charlie's Pizzeria
Though all the love these days goes to gourmet pies with imported toppings, Charlie's is an archetype for the kind of place we hope never vanishes the classic American neighborhood shop serving crisp, sweet slices. 107 West Germantown Pike, Norristown, PA 19401, pizzacharlies.com.
Rittenhouse Tavern
A patio at the Art Alliance should probably be aesthetically pleasing. The outdoor nook at Rittenhouse Tavern exceeds that expectation, but abjures the pretentious 'tude that often sneaks into such a place. Go for brunch, but wear your drinking shoes. 251 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rittenhousetavern.com.
Paper Moon
At this kooky little gift shop, you’ll find hilariously NSFW paper goods that will offend, delight, and hang on refrigerators long after the cheesy Hallmark cards have been tossed in the trash. 520 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, facebook.com/PaperMoonSouthST.
Carriage Trade Cleaners
The story goes something like this: A beloved blazer was mistakenly tossed on a candle (it was a Jewish holiday), and the garment gods at this third-generation-owned shop performed a Miracle of Passover and made it whole again. 1108 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville, PA 19053, .
Le Caveau
When the PLCB temporarily closed all its stores, Philly wine shops stayed open and kept us drinking and drunk during the apocalypse. And they deserve all the attention in the world. 614 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, lecaveaubar.com.
The Katacomb: Vintage
For some, the search is the best part of shopping vintage. For everyone else, there's Brooke Dillon's appointment-only boutique, where the best stuff (read: Chanel and YSL and Oscar) has already been found and dry-cleaned for you. 1514 Pine Street, 1st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102, thekatacomb.blogspot.com.
Groom Barbershop
When you need a barber, owner Joe McMenamin and his crew of three give the cleanest, sharpest and most stylish man-cuts in town, in a throwback shop with its own jazzy soundtrack. 1324 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, groomphilly.com.
The Southern Company
They'll make your patio furniture look as cared-for as your living room furniture, even though you've left the former in the sun, snow, sleet and damp for a decade. Also: They pick up and deliver. 2330 Wyandotte Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, thesouthernco.net.
Hello World
Amp up your home bar with ultra-modern wine carafes, sleek flutes and cheeky cocktail shakers at the recently relocated University City shop. It's like Mad Men, but more fun. 3610 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, shophelloworld.com.
Blue Octagon
Step inside this tiny shop and be immersed in a whirl of color and shine, with heaps of Jonathan Adler whimsy, shiny gilt and lacquer, Deco lines and Palm Beach glamour. (Pucci caftan and martini not included.) 335 East King Street, Malvern, PA 19355, theblueoctagon.com.
Yoga at the Art Museum
How's this for an evening out? During Wednesday's pay-what-you-wish nights at the Art Museum, there's a free hour-long yoga class on the second-floor east balcony overlooking the Great Stair Hall. Afterward, you can explore the collections for nearly two hours until close. Feel free to tell your date you thought of this brilliant plan yourself. 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130, philamuseum.org/wednesdaynights.
Philadelphia Mycology Club
You probably didn’t realize that Philly’s parks, trails and even sidewalks are home to a huge variety of mushrooms, many of them edible. But how do you begin? And how do you not, you know, die from ingesting, oh, say, a death cap? Simple: Find the Philadelphia Mycology Club on Facebook. They host mushroom hunts all over the region, and if you’re lucky, you’ll come home with some tasty hen-of-the-woods or morels for supper. facebook.com/phillymycoclub.
Marks Jewelers
There’s a custom jewelry lab inside this two-year-old shop, so you can work alongside a designer/gemologist to create your dream ring or repurpose a family heirloom. You’ll get to slip on a 3-D preview of your new creation, too. 975 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville, PA 18936, marks-jewelers.com.
Pizza Gutt
Young pizzaiolo Dan Gutter is just out there slinging dope square pepperoni-and-onion pizzas out of the back of a coffee shop, and people who know what’s up are reserving their pies ahead of time via Instagram. We live in a world where this is possible, and that’s a wonderful thing. 931 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, pizzawhat.com.