Gen3
By now you’ve probably heard all about energy-efficiency incentives — the credits and rebates the feds, local governments and even utility companies are giving out to people willing to modify their homes. The folks at Gen3 make this a piece of cake, doing a whole-home walk-through to determine just what array of heat pumps, mini-splits and other tech you need to green your house. And on your invoice they’ll lay out just what rebates and credits you’ll be eligible for, making that bill look just a little lighter. Grays Ferry, Glenolden and Melrose Park, PA generation3electric.com.
KMT Consulting
For those of us who break out in the math sweats at the mere thought of calculating a tip, tax time can be particularly challenging, but KMT Consulting will make you dread April a lot less. Led by experienced CPA Kirsten Toler, the whole team knows the minutiae of small-business finance. Emails are answered lickety-split, without even a hint of condescension. They take care to make you feel like a collaborator, like you’re capable of understanding your taxes, and maybe, maybe, even like you’re pretty good at math. kmtconsultingllc.com.
Smith & Diction
If the new look of a local brand has recently caught your eye, chances are it was designed by Smith & Diction. The Bok-based design studio led by husband-and-wife duo Mike and Chara Smith is behind some of the city’s freshest aesthetics, including logos for the Rail Park and block-cleaning service Glitter, packaging for Elixr and Càphê Roasters, and a shiny new suite of graphics for the Philadelphia Visitor Center. They approach each project with a sharp creative eye and a meticulous 10-step process — and deliver a logo design or an entire brand identity. 1901 South 9th Street, number 510, Philadelphia, PA 19148, smith-diction.com.
Mama-Tee Fridge
Since the pandemic, Michelle Nelson has been working to combat the city’s food insecurity problem with this Black women-led initiative that’s already garnered national buzz. The concept is simple yet powerful: Neighbors can donate and/or help themselves to the fresh produce stored at any of the designated fridges across the city. The project has seen rising success, with more than 15 fridges spread across the city, from Nicetown to Kingsessing. Donors have filled the organization’s GoFundMe coffers with nearly $80,000, which goes to stocking the fridges. Mamateefridge.com.
International House
Philly may not have a repertory cinema, but the weekly screenings at this University City complex for students come pretty close. There are fun flicks, such as cheesy sci-fi tales (Star Trek III: The Wrath of Khan, 8/23) and bad 80s movies (The Legend of Billie Jean, 8/30), foreign classics (The Red Balloon, 8/10), and more serious and obscure diversions, like the upcoming Jacques Rivette (9/5-7) and Sergei Parajanov series (9/14-17). I-House, as it is known, is for the film fan who is just not satisfied by Netflix. 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, ihousephilly.org.
Aliesh Pierce
Amp up your self-care routine with a customized facial at Pierce’s namesake Chestnut Hill spa. The aesthetics educator, author, and former makeup artist to the stars now specializes in transformative skincare, combining clinical-grade ingredients and high-tech tools to give you blemish-free skin. Start with “The Assessment,” a 20-minute consultation paired with a gentle 90-minute facial — expect a skin analysis, a double cleanse, an exfoliation, LED light therapy and a mask. Afterward, stock up on products from Pierce’s private-label skincare brand to help maintain your glow. 92 Bethlehem Pike, studio 1-A, Philadelphia, PA 19118, askaliesh.com.
Adam Crognale
This Phillies batboy is a standout in a slew of ways. What game-watchers notice most is how quickly he rushes to retrieve discarded Phils weaponry and gloves. The 25-year-old Cherry Hill native has been on the job in the dugout since 2020, cleaning cleats, admiring bat spikes, and thrilling to the roar of the crowd. He’s also a survivor of childhood lymphoma and has been cancer-free for almost a decade. The guy Tom McCarthy and John Kruk have called “the fastest batboy in the league” is looking toward this season’s Red October and — fingers crossed! — maybe more.
Zakian Rugs
When you spend upwards of $5,000 on an Oriental rug, you don’t want to cut corners on its upkeep, so take it to the guys who have been doing this for more than 100 years. Pets? Red wine? Toddlers who make you question why you have nice things? They’ve seen it all. They’ll pick up your rug, give you a rundown on its condition, provide services from cleaning to restoration (they’ll match the yarn and then weave or hand-knot to mirror the style), and bring it back to you as good as new. 4930 West Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, zakianrugs.com.
Brad Ingelsby and <em>Mare of Easttown</em>
Guy Pearce and Kate Winslet act in Mare of Easttown. Photograph by Sarah Shatz/HBO The appeal of Mare of Easttown (the wild success of which landed Berwyn-native showrunner Inglesby a three-year HBO deal) transcends Kate Winslet and Jean Smart talking in our peculiar patois. While Mare was yet another detective series centered on a dead teenage girl, it was the only one the whole world was glued to this summer. We loved it for more than the accent work, but it’s also hard to overstate how validating it was to hear Winslet’s Mare utter, of the wet cast on her wrist, “Et arready etches like crazy en et smells like shet.” hbo.com/mare-of-easttown.
3rd Ward
The adult night-school world in the Philly region has been turned on its head by the brand-new outpost of the Brooklyn-based education company, which the New York Times has deemed a DIY utopia. Whether you want to learn how to develop a documentary, fabricate metal structures, cast jewelry molds, build an urban garden, create comic strips or design Web pages that look like they're from 2015 instead of 2005, you can do it here, at the wide-open learning space. Say goodbye to basket-weaving forever. 1227 North 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, philly.3rdward.com.
Dawn Staley
News broke back at the start of this year that North Philly’s own Dawn Staley had signed a multiyear contract with the University of South Carolina that made her the highest-paid women’s hoops coach ever. The deal, worth a jaw-dropping $25.25 million, shoots her past UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey. Since she headed south from her role as Temple’s head coach back in 2008, Staley has led USC teams to nine SEC tourney championships and seven Final Fours. Oh, and she has a new memoir out, too, in case you’re in need of inspo.
Phils Pitching Staff
There’s a lot of baseball left to play this season, but we’re ready to award Best Sports Revolution to the Phillies pitching staff, led by coaches Caleb Cotham and Brian Kaplan. The brain trust’s secret sauce has kept stars Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola at peak performance while elevating promising slingers Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, Jeff Hoffman, José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering into the stratosphere. At press time, Phils’ pitchers stand heads and shoulders (and elbows) above the rest of the league. (Take a look at other Phillies winners throughout Best of Philly’s 50 years here.)
Mish Mish
Along with Jeff Goldblum’s filmography and the bathroom jokes in Ulysses, this apricot-adorned spot fits into the highbrow/lowbrow category that makes daily existence more enjoyable. Mish Mish doesn’t take itself too seriously — the wine list has tasting notes like “red silk pajamas” and “gabagoolian” — yet the hospitality is as finely tuned as at any upscale spot. So if you ever need to create the illusion that you’re chill and have great taste, book a table, order some grilled octopus with muhammara, then sit by the Singing Fountain and discuss your hopes and fears and the Jawn Morgan billboards on I-95. 1046 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, mishmishphilly.com.
Deme
Bright white marble surfaces, lollipop-red Saarinen stools and pristine Florence Knoll armchairs make this medi-center feel more like a medi-spa. It's not. At year-old Deme, you can meet with co-owning dental gurus Thomas and Cheryl George, have your face-lift fixed with fresh-from-the-Upper-East-Side surgeon Kevin Cross, get the best clinical facial in town from beloved former HUP aesthetician Betsy Rubenstone, and sign up for some serious massage therapy. If that's not spa-like, we don't know what is. 2200 Arch Street, #102, Philadelphia, PA 19103, demeonline.com.
Cantina Los Caballitos
Not everything on the menu at the Cantina is cheap, but many of the best basics are, like the giant bowl of citrus-tinged guacamole ($7), the massive, overstuffed Tex-Mex-style burritos ($8 to $11), and the real-deal tacos ($8 to $11), all of which come with a healthy dusting of cilantro and a lime wedge for squeezing. After one bite of the menu stars the crunchy-soft fried plantains with melted cheese ($6), and the tamarind barbecued pork ribs paired with pickled jalapeos ($12) you'll forgive this hipster hang in South Philly for its long waits and too-cool-for-school crowds, and just order another $6 frozen blood-orange margarita. 1651 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, cantinaloscaballitos.com/main.html.