Suya Suya
Fast-casual joints are about as riveting as a half-flaccid traffic cone reserving a parking spot. But this Nigerian restaurant in Northern Liberties operates in its own lane, serving a menu of grilled and yaji-rubbed proteins heavy on peanuts, paprika and scorching cayenne. Customize a bowl for takeout (or sit inside with your laptop and some generously provided wi-fi) for what’s by far the best lunch you’ll eat all week. 400 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123, suyasuya.co.
The Story Coffee & Bookstore
With its whimsical wall installation made out of books and a cozy coffee-shop ambience (try a cortado), this new shop feels more like a work of fiction than a place that sells it. While the shop has a spiritual bent (it specializes in nonfiction focusing on history, faith and culture), it also houses new and used tomes from the likes of James Patterson and Robert Louis Stevenson. Proceeds benefit the Helping Hand Rescue Mission. 45 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, thestoryardmore.com.
Care Package Bakes
Elisa Ludwig is an author and mom who, relatably, had no peace and quiet in which to write during lockdown. The hobby baker started Care Package Bakes to bring a little joy in the form of small-batch goodies like graham mallow blondies and brown-butter-glazed banana pudding bites. Ordering a box is an easy way to send some frazzled friend a little love — and proof that at least one good thing has sprung from the pandemic. Carepackagebakes.com.
PHL Pride Collective
Just when you thought change couldn’t come any faster in the city’s ever-evolving LGBTQIA community, PHL Pride Collective told everyone to hold their beer. After last year’s dismantling of the original (and arguably antiquated) Philly Pride Presents, this diverse group of community activists organized one of the most intersectional, inclusive and overall-badass Pride celebrations ever. Those trying to reimagine their problematic programming (looking at you, Mummers) should take notes from them ASAP. phlpridecollective.org.
RAM Floral
One of owner and founder Rebecca DePasquale’s favorite creations is a “floud” — a floral cloud that seems to hover on the ground, on tabletops, and on other surfaces. (She uses elements like pin frogs, shallow vases, and blooms in a cavalcade of colors, primarily sourced from local growers.) You can see the flower-filled feat come to life at your wedding — if you book her services. 660 West Washington Street, Norristown, PA 19401, ramfloral.com.
Soul2Sole Bounce Fitness
Some forms of cardio can be dreadful — and pretty rough on your body. That’s why we love buckling up the rebounding boots for Soul2Sole’s low-impact, out-of-the-box group workouts on all kinds of surfaces, from pavement to vinyl floors. You’ll be jumping like a kangaroo — while supporting your heart health and muscles, bones and joints — and loving every second of it. Goodbye, aching knees. soul2solebouncefitness.com.
Laura Jenkins
A visit to Jenkins’s Massage Studio of Philadelphia will immediately affirm her 14-year bodywork cred. In her Old City space, she’ll knead your muscles like a baker would dough, intuitively working out all your kinks (and then some) with deep-tissue, trigger-point and cupping therapies, for optimal mobility. Next appointment: booked on the spot. 219 Cuthbert Street, 4th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106, massagestudiophilly.com.
Arepa Grub Spot
This is exactly the place you want to keep in your back pocket for lunch or a late-night snack. If you can’t find something to love among its 20 different kinds of Venezuelan arepas, you got problems no restaurant is gonna fix. It’s fast, delicious and, most of all, generous. Everyone comes here hungry. But no one leaves that way. 1112 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, arepagrubspotpa.com.
Plaza Garibaldi
All restaurant-inclined Philadelphians have an arsenal of Mexican spots they talk about with regularity. But, surprisingly, Plaza Garibaldi doesn’t come up in conversation that often. Since 2002, it’s been serving excellent cabeza and al pastor tacos in fresh corn tortillas, tomahawk steaks with grilled scallions and nopales, and house horchata. You’ll find yourself wondering how you’ve never been here before. 935 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147, plazagaribalditogo.com.
Private School by Bela Shehu
You could find rainbow art installations, bleacher seating, DJs, chef tastings, and dozens of local vendors selling everything from jewelry (Forge + Finish) to clothing (the founder’s own NINOBrand) to design-forward furniture (Minima) at this tastemaker’s ticketed month-long pop-up last spring. Missed it? Don’t fret: More, at different locations, are coming soon.
Baldwin’s Book Barn
This place has the location (an 1822 dairy barn built by a local Quaker family), volume (almost 300,000 books for sale), and quirky, creaky charm (it’s a Hobbit-like warren of rooms and corridors), but on top of that, it also has first editions from Hemingway and a $1,400 leather-bound set of Jane Austen tomes. 865 Lenape Road, West Chester , PA 19382, bookbarn.com.
State & Union
Come for gear from brands you already know: Pendleton beach towels, Red Wing shoes, Filson bags. Leave with goods from the brands you don’t: Charlotte’s Weld bottle openers made from repurposed horseshoes, J.R.Burd leather wallets and keychains, and lisa b. cashmere socks. 103 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348, stateandunion.co.
Brewerytown Beats
Vinyl heads come here to flip through the 50,000-strong record collection (all genres, though the specialty is funk, soul and hip-hop), to listen to live midday performances, and to talk music with owner Max Ochester, who has sold LPs to everyone from Questlove to Q-Tip. Check out the shop’s Instagram feed for a first look at the latest rare finds. 2710 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130, brewerytownbeats.com.
Nurture Spa
Remember natural light, city dwellers? Trade the concrete jungle for New Hope’s recently renovated Nurture Spa. The freshly brightened space is an escape unto itself – think floor-to-ceiling windows and an upper deck where you can surround yourself with nature – but the customized massages are where the stress relief really begins. After, be sure to budget time for a sit in the detoxifying Himalayan salt room. 31 West Ferry Street, New Hope, PA 18938, nurturespa.com.
Soundwalk
Pioneering composer Ellen Reid pushes the definition of public art with this GPS-enabled immersive exhibition. An app sends location-based musical compositions featuring musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra, sound effects and soundscapes into your earbuds as you walk through some of your favorite outdoor spaces in Fairmount Park. The exhibit ends on September 30th. manncenter.org/soundwalk.