Leahy Learning
It’s not all Harvard and Hopkins: Founder Meghan Leahy homes in on your children’s strengths, weaknesses, interests and goals in order to get them into a college that most suits their needs. Along the way, she’ll teach them skills – independence, time management – to thrive on campus once they get in. 50 East Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096, leahylearning.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.
Sherman Brothers
Yes, your dad once shopped here. But look past the old-school window display. Second-generation owner Ken Sherman has filled this shop with Alden boots, G. Brown loafers and Cole Haan brogues. (And he still delivers rare old-school service!) 1520 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, shermanbrothers.com.
PackagePost
Though still very much in start-up mode, PackagePost connects you with a nearby business that will keep boxes safe while you’re not home. Don’t yet see your ’hood in their area of service? Make a request via their website. mypackagepost.com.
Via Bicycle
Curtis Anthony’s shop looks like your granddad’s garage, and it has bikes and parts older than your granddad. (Some date back to the 1890s.) And Anthony won’t try to sell you $700 in new gear if a $7 part will do the trick. 622 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, Bikeville.com.
<em>Hamilton</em>
Yes, the Broadway smash already came here. But that was at the Forrest Theatre. So we can’t wait to see it under the big chandelier when it visits us at the Academy of Music from October 20th through November 28th. 240 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, kimmelculturalcampus.org/Hamilton.
Rotelle Development Company
The Chester County builder will produce “a home that fits your everything” for you from a mix-and-match menu of layouts, styles, configurations, features, finishes, options and add-ons. You can have it built on your own lot or choose one from their developments. Need ideas? Peruse the showroom to see many examples. 1011 Ridge Road, Pottstown, PA 19465, rotelle.com.
Cathy's Half-Price Books
Most of the 60,000 or so gently used items at this 17-year-old stalwart are, indeed, half their original price or less. Then there are new reads and rare works — some with a Philly provenance — all stocked by bibliophilic owners Shannon and Cathy Rutherford. 7 Manoa Shopping Center, 1305 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083, cathysbooks.com.
Rundiscover
If you’re in a running rut and in need of views other than the Schuylkill River Trail, this virtual running challenge sneaks your routes through some of the area’s hidden gems — Wissahickon Valley Park, historic Valley Forge, the streets of West Philadelphia, and Brandywine Creek State Park. gorundiscover.com.
Cheekadee
We sent our most makeup-shy staffer to Emily Aznavourian. She came back rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed and dewy-skinned but in a natural, un-Kardashian sort of way. Even better, she returned with an arsenal of makeup tips ... and a strut in her step. (Yeah, we noticed it.) Call or see website for appointment, 00000, cheekadee.com.
Golden Nugget Antique Market
Get here early Sunday morning (6 a.m.), bring lots of cash (small bills are best for bargaining), wear old shoes (the open-air gravel lot is dusty), and, if you're smart, rent a U-Haul to lug home your treasures. 1850 River Road (Route 29), Lambertville, NJ 08530, gnflea.com.
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
Readers' Choice: When more than 50,000 people show up one one Saturday a year to eat, shop, drink, and hang around for some live entertaiment, it's going to end up giving every other festival a run for its money. (Even the Italians, who know how to throw a party.) 00000, rittenhouserow.org.
Rob Mahon
Why do people speak of this musculoskeletal therapist in hushed, reverent tones? In a two-hour appointment, he pinpoints the source of a patient's pain; resolves it with stretches, massage and realignment; and sends him or her out the door with instructions for at-home maintenance. Just like that—poof!—the pain is gone. The Bellevue, 200 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, robmahon.com.
Bonjung
A fine-dining BYO sushi bar and traditional Japanese restaurant (with some Korean dishes thrown in) isn't exactly unheard-of in Philadelphia. But in the 'burbs? You'd have better luck finding a unicorn. And a unicorn wouldn't be nearly as delicious. 50 West 3rd Avenue, Collegeville, PA 19426, bonjungsushi.com.
Pizzeria Stella
Such a simple thing just a handful of little shrimp, scraps of guanciale, ragged bits of tomato, some chilies and a few loops of calamarata pasta. And yet to sit down before this bowl and take a bite is to understand the true meaning of what it is to cook and serve pasta. 2nd and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19147, pizzeriastella.net.