Artisan Boulanger Patissier
In the bakery world, Cambodian immigrants Andre Chin and Amanda Eap have been making lovely French baguettes with a little more heft than most for ages, but it's their pastries that bring the neighbors to the door at 8 a.m. (on the dot!) on Sundays. The spinach and mushroom croissant makes us wish they did more savory ones but then, that would leave less room for the raspberry, and the chocolate, and the chocolate mocha, and the chocolate pistachio. 1218 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, .
Down2Earth Interior Design
Yes, of course Amy Cuker uses eco-friendly materials for her redesign projects concrete countertops from a Delaware fabricator, cabinets from Amish woodworkers, low-VOC paints, cork floors. But the LEED-accredited owner of this four-year-old interior design firm has also repurposed old rowhouse washbasins, salvaged pine floorboards for a new staircase, and revived details like antique doorknobs and bathtubs. In essence, Down2Earth can uncover and relocate, refurbish and repaint the potential that was there all along. 7604 Spring Avenue, Elkins Park, PA 19027, down2earthinteriordesign.com.
Fish Finder II
Laugh as your kid's face lights up with excitement and/or panic when she hooks a flounder on this comfy and clean 46-foot catamaran with the nicest staff at the Jersey Shore. The four-hour trip will set a family of four back about $130, a price that includes rods, bait and a digital family photo. And yes, they'll bait the hook for you. (See? Nice.) 3654 Atlantic Brigantine Boulevard, Brigantine, NJ 08203, fishfinder-charters.com/fish_fishII.html.
Greensgrow Farms
Head to this urban, plant-filled oasis for workshops covering everything from medicinal herbs to gluten-free Thanksgiving sides to organic gardening. You’ll walk away with tons of know-how, and a container of Greensgrow’s homemade arugula pesto, if you’re lucky.
2501 East Cumberland Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, greensgrow.org.Halcyon Floats
Imagine being cut off from your phone, email and social media for 90 uninterrupted minutes of pitch-black solitude. That's the game at South Kensington's new float spa, where guests soak in tanks of super-high-density saltwater, floating their way to the ultimate mental detox. Trust us: You'll love every last Twitter-free second. 209 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123, halcyonfloats.com.
With Food + Love
Three words: strawberry basil creamsicles. This drool-worthy concoction is just one of the many recipes you'll want to whip up after scrolling through Sherrie Scaglione Castellano's gluten-free vegetarian food blog. Her easy-to-follow seasonal recipes, which she tests in her Washington Square West kitchen, will solve all your CSA-veggie-overflow problems. And they're darn delicious to boot. withfoodandlove.com.
Govberg Jewelers
The store is downright legendary in the watch world, stocking the biggest names Patek Philippe, Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and employing the most horologically fluent experts to sell them. Locations in Philadelphia and Ardmore, govbergwatches.com.
The Container Store
Once inside the organizational mother ship that is the Container Store, you'll envision what a well-running, smartly styled office can look like: sky-blue filing cabinets, cord-control solutions, chevron corkboards, and bamboo wastebaskets (for dumping all that ugly black plastic crap you currently use). King of Prussia and Cherry Hill malls, containerstore.com.
Schuylkill River Park Dog Run
Has there ever been a better moment to be a dog in this city? Not if you're talking about dog parks and playing at the sparkly Schuylkill River Park Dog Run, with its slick K9 grass, a doggie fountain and an exclusive (adorable!) small-dogs section. Spruce Street and the Schuylkill, phillyfido.org.
Sip-N-Glo
One Love an elixir of cucumber and spinach made sweet and spicy with apple, pineapple and ginger picked up the most votes in our 2014 Taste Test. 932 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, sipnglo.com.
Heritage Nails
Make an appointment with Hani, Philly's Michelangelo of nails, and you'll see that this cool-girl trend can be elegant, too think subdued chevron stripes, triangle patterns in pastel shades, and office-appropriate pops of color. 2000 Hamilton Street, #108, Philadelphia, PA 19130, facebook.com/HeritageNails.
Armen's Tailor Studio
Armen Meliksetyan excels at stitching up men's clothes he'll even custom-make a dress shirt or overcoat but don't let that dissuade you, ladies, from bringing him your favorite jeans and ill-fitting bridesmaid gowns. With 30 years of experience, Meliksetyan is known (and loved) in his 'hood and beyond for precise, quick turnarounds at good prices. 104 Levering Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127, armenstailorstudio.com.
Halcyon Floats
You'll slip into a capsule filled with water so densely salted that you'll bob on the surface, Dead Sea-style. And there you'll stay, in a pitch-black, (mostly) silent room, for 90 minutes. It's totally natural to feel skeptical about something called a "float spa," but this is about as unplugged as you can get: A no-phone policy leaves you no option but to relax as hard as you have in months. 209 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123, halcyonfloats.com.
McGillin's Olde Ale House
Whether we pop by this classic at 11:30 in the morning or 2:30 in the afternoon, there always seem to be convivial, intelligent people getting their drink on, and in a perfectly respectable way. We'll drink to that. 1310 Drury Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, mcgillins.com.
Little Nonna's
A cramped alley tunnel leads to a brick-and-twinkle-light-lined patio that feels like a long-kept secret you'll want to share with your whole family over spaghetti and meatballs and a glass of red, and mussels, and cavatelli, and pork chops, and bruschetta, and cannoli, and 1234 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, littlenonnas.com.