Timecycle Couriers
I find bike riding in the city perplexing. I know people do it all the time, but the combo of swerving taxis and buses that share biking lanes provides enough excuses to keep me firmly on my feet. Jorge Brito, a veteran messenger for TimeCycle, understands. It's things like this, he says, shaking his head as we maneuver around a car illegally parked in a bike lane. Our first pickup: GreenStreet Coffee Roaster in Point Breeze, whose owner serves us java as he gives instructions for out drop. From there we bike to Rittenhouse Square, then two jobs in Kensigntown assignments Brito gets via smartphone or the radio strapped to his chest. Brito is among the two-wheeled, tattooed, messenger-bagged concrete crusaders at TimeCycle who have long kept the city's daily commerce (Stephen Starr's latest menus, an architect's plans, important legal contracts) reliably moving, at the fast pace that life and Philadelphia demands. We cut through gritty neighborhoods, ride against the occasional one-way street seasoned bike messengers know how to get around. Brito, 31, used to work as a teacher in North Philly. He says the key to delivery is keeping tabs on your packages, and on the errant car doors and oblivious drivers. There was a time when he didn't wear a helmet, and got a shattered collarbone and a brain hemorrhage in return. He wears a helmet now. Keeping up with him is literally an uphill battle. My legs burn as I flip through gears; I battle a bat-out-of-hell driver; a miniv<pan cuts me off. Brito just glides along. He'll cover anywhere between 25 and 50 miles on a typical day. Not many people get to do a job that they love to do, he says. I don't wake up and say, 'Oh I gotta go to work.' I wake up and say, 'Yeah, let's go.' 230 North 2nd Street, Suite 1C, Philadelphia, PA 19106, timecycle.com.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
Sure, they've got the best Jewish deli sandwiches and free pickle bowl around. And don't miss the humongous crinkle-cut steak fries. But what cinches the deal are the free-with-an-eat-in-lunch fresh chocolate chip cookies. If they moved onto the Main Line, they'd put Hymie's and Murray's out of business in a week. 700 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com.
Rescue Rittenhouse Spa
Sometimes it takes a glamorous aesthetician who was born in Poland, trained in France, and then toiled in Manhattan to really get it. Five years after she opened Rescue, Danuta Mieloch remains peerless. Her space: spare yet luxurious, central yet secluded. Her products: splurge-y yet essential. (Show us a Philadelphienne who doesn't douse her face and dcolletage in Biologique's P-50 toner and we'll show you a poseur.) Her staff: in addition to her flawless self, prodigiously talented practitioners of beauty as religion Nives Riddles on makeup and brows, Tirzah Fowler and Erika Ianoale on facials and waxing, Anna Maria Hernandez on nails. Her Service and Help: a standard yet preeminent menu that includes the now-classic Bio-Lift and microdermabrasion, for plump and polish, respectively. Her reservations book: full. 255 South 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rescuerittenhousespa.com.
Mr. Contractor
This family-owned Fishtown company is a shining light in one of the more, shall we say, challenging industries known to man. To wit: Mr. Contractor won't pull the sort of disappearing act for which industry losers are known; they have 22 staff members to keep your job on track; and a BBB accreditation means you can be sure they'll resolve any problems. There now, isn't that better? 2634-48 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136, mrcontractorinc.com.
Michael Anthony General Contractor, Inc.
You don't want to call Mike. But when your upstairs toilet overflows into your downstairs living room, you'll be thrilled you can. Based in Delaware County, he's available 24 hours a day (even when he's on vacation!) and knows all the right people. 3315 Market Street, Aston, PA 19014, michaelanthonygc.com.
Buckminster Green
Green but not too granola, Buckminster is the brains and brawn behind NoLibs' urban-rustic One Shot Coffee. (We'd move in if we could.) Happily, they do residential work, too. 958 North 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, buckminstergreen.com.
Melissa Scully
They say behind every great man is a great woman. That's certainly true of wunderchef Jose Garces, who plucked Scully, his super-organized and modest vice president of operations, from Stephen Starr's now-shuttered Angelina five years ago. So while our man is off battling on Iron Chef, winning James Beard awards and dreaming up new restaurant concepts, his gal Friday is still working hard here in Philly, turning those restaurant dreams into reality by sourcing vendors, selecting furniture, hiring staff, training managers, and otherwise dotting I's and crossing T's. 00000,
Springboard Media
Springboard always wins this award because it's simply the best option if you're a) having computer problems; and b) not related to someone who's fluent in binary. They also do workshops, data support, trade-ins, repairs, rental upgrades, and classes in pretty much everything that isn't entirely intuitive. 2212 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, springboardmedia.com.
Ultimo Coffee
The inviting staff, comfortable vibe and Counter Culture coffee would be enough to make Ultimo Philadelphia's best. That the Newbold spot shares space with Brew-a beer store-makes it the ultimate for a 2 p.m. pick-me-up followed by a 4 p.m. happy hour. 1900 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145, ultimocoffee.com.
Hop Sing Laundromat
Youve heard the hype, the rumors about mysterious owner/operator Le, the jokes about the dress code and the hidden door. But forget about that. All you need to know is that in an age in which the mustachioed and be-vested cocktail slinger has risen to the same level of cultural importance as the celebrity chef, Hop Sing Laundromat opened as one of the best cocktail bars any of us had ever been to, anywhere. And since then, it has only gotten better. 1029 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, hopsinglaundromat.com.
900 to 1100 North 2nd Street
What with local food and beers at longtime neighborhood anchor Standard Tap (901 North 2nd Street, 215-238-0630, standardtap.com), cupcakes, tapas and corsets at Bart Blatstein's Liberties Walk (1022 North 2nd Street), and dance parties, art galleries and alcoholic milkshakes at the surprisingly resilient Piazza at Schmidts (1001 North 2nd Street, atthepiazza.com), this is the city's new adult urban playground. 00000,
Han Dynasty
We love a Chinese restaurant where they'll tell you where to go if you try to order the chicken fried rice. That's how confident Han Dynasty owner Han Chiang is that the Szechuan and Taiwanese cuisine he serves in Royersford and Exton (and Old City, for urbanites) will erase any notions you had about wanting greasy corner takeout. 260 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, PA 19341, handynasty.net.
Han Dynasty
At the new Old City outpost of owner Han Chiang's three--restaurant dynasty (joining locations in Exton and Royersford), the menu is organized by spice, on a scale of 1 (mild) to 10 (call the fire department). Han isn't shy about telling you what to eat: the delicate dumplings in a chili oil bath (number 4 on the menu), dan dan noodles (6), and the dry-pot-style fish (10). Take his advice once the endorphins from all that spice kick in, you'll be glad you did. 108 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, handynasty.net.
Fishtown
Where else to go but Fishtown? Start with the $2 tacos and tasty $4 margaritas at Loco Pezs lively happy hour (5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 3 p.m. on weekends; 2401 East Norris Street, 267-886-8061) before challenging your date to a few rounds of Asteroids and Donkey Kong (and beers, of course) at Barcade (1114 Frankford Avenue, 215-634-4400). If things are going well, proceed to nearby Kung Fu Necktie (1250 North Front Street, 215-291-4191) for some affordable live music many shows are just $10. 00000,
Calumet Photographic
If Amazon's camera section had a storefront, it'd look something like this South Philly store, where pro photogs and amateurs alike pluck serious gear from a jaw-dropping inventory. 1400 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19147, calumetphoto.com.