November Project
This Boston-birthed, social media-fueled fitness movement has taken Philly by storm. Evidence: the more than 100 people who show up each week for its morning boot-camp classes on Wednesdays at the Art Museum and Fridays at Penn's Franklin Field. Best part? It's totally free. november-project.com.
Baby Jives
If you want a baby gift that's more personal, local designer Jahje Ives sells her mobiles on her Baby Jives website. Each one is a handmade suspended work of art; the puffs of clouds, birdies, stars and flowers are so precious that you might even be inspired to have another kid. babyjives.com.
Amber Beech Kennel
Should you ever need to leave Fifi for a time at a kennel, this 38-acre complex in Washington Crossing gives your sweetie a taste of the country life, with so much fresh air and space (indoors and out) that he may be in better spirits post-vacation than you. 1040 Taylorsville Road, Washington Crossing, PA 18977, amberbeechkennel.com.
Sweet-potato tortellini at the Mildred
Cast iron drives Michael Santoros cooking at this spacious and relaxing new restaurant, but he does more with those black skillets than sear hunks of meat. The one loaded with sweet-potato tortellini, sunchoke knobs, pickled dates and tender fronds of flowering kale is a standout dish in any company, vegetarian or not. 824 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, the-mildred.com.
Taqueria Los Taquitos de Puebla
Local gringos know Los Taquitos de Puebla from its farmers' market stands. But for the real thing, go to the 9th Street storefront any day of the week, show some guts, and try the tongue or beef-eye tacos. Yeah, we said beef-eye tacos. 1149 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, lostaquitosdepuebla.com.
Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
You might have four servers at your table during any given meal, and somehow they all seem to be communicating wordlessly to perform exactly as necessary. They're knowledgeable but not intimidating, fluent in the intricacies of the menu, and friendly in a way that's never overreaching. If there's a future for formal dining, this seamless experience is it. 210 West Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103, lacroixrestaurant.com.
Sycamore
Down with Cheez Whiz nachos and those crusty hot dogs! On Thursday nights, $25 gets you dinner at Delco fave Sycamore (bring wine!) and your choice of art-house films showing at Cinema 16:9 just down the street. 14 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA 19050, sycamorebyo.com.
Vintage
If your baubles arent packing serious ca-rat-age, they should at least carry a st-ory. Recent treasure hunts yielded a stack of chunky Lucite cuffs from the 60s, Art Deco necklaces, and enough candy-colored rhinestones to keep everyone guessing. 63 West State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, Vintage-doylestown.com.
Ting Wong
Its fast, its cheap, its small (so plan your visits accordingly), but it also has several dishes that are the best versions in Chinatown namely the shrimp dumplings (in any soup theyre served in), the roast duck (which, conveniently, also comes in a soup with the aforementioned dumplings), and the congee. 138 North 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, phillychinatown.com/tingwong.htm.
Spring Garden Wash and Lube
This place is the reason there are more Mercedes, Jaguars and Lexuses (Lexi?) in one block of Spring Garden at any given moment than there are on the rest of Spring Garden, like, ever. They do a top-of-the-line job-and that's true for Subarus and Hondas, too. 1111 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, washnlube.com.
Verde
Whether you bring her a dainty bouquet, house-made artisanal chocolates or a light-as-air scarf, if you're buying it from Valerie Safran and Marcie Turney's latest 13th Street shop, one thing is for sure: You'll be invited back. 108 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, verdephiladelphia.com/verde.
Pure Design
They may have provided the greenery for the set of Will Smiths latest movie, but no request is too small for Pure Designs care and attention. Regular patrons are cult-like thanks to reliable service and Pures custom, stunning bouquets, which put any national chain to shame. 500 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, puredesignflorist.com.
Lamia
Your average drag queen goes for the glam and loves to perform to Madonna and Diana Ross. Not Lamia. The self-described “cursed queen” goes for the dark, Goth-y look and does her spooky thing to the sounds of Judas Priest and Slayer. Performance art you won’t soon forget. instagram.com/thelamiaqueen.
Star Contracting and Design
Kait Midgett's 20 years of experience and fine-arts background mean creative ideas for incorporating that incredible 100-year-old sink, tried-and-true subcontractors, and legit skills to make it happen. 1010 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, .
Antonio’s Deli
The best hoagie in Philly? It’s the one without any meat (yeah, we said it): Antonio’s veggie hoagie tastes like a plate of your nonna’s holiday antipasti jumbled together and stuffed into a roll. 1014 Federal Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, antoniosdeliphilly.com.