Southwark
Go to Southwark and order a Manhattan or a Sazerac. Then go anywhere else in the country and order the same cocktail. Then come home to Southwark, because the quaint Queen Village bar and restaurant does classic better than anyone. 701 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, southwarkrestaurant.com.
Virtual Classes
If being at home with your kids 24/7 has changed your attitude toward screen time, it’s okay. We know you love those little rascals, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need some “me” time now and then. Allay your guilt (if you still have any) by registering for one of the many local kids’ classes that have popped up on YouTube and across social media. Settlement Music School is offering Settlement Kids Live (settlementmusic.org), with free music and dance classes for children streamed live on Facebook every Tuesday and Thursday. If your offspring have energy to burn, InMovement Gymnastics Education (phillyinmovement.com) has online tumbling, karate and dance classes. Pick the one that’s right for your little one, and you may actually get the chance to use the bathroom without being interrupted. And the Philly Zoo at 2 (philadelphiazoo.org) introduces kids to all kinds of creatures every weekday at 2 p.m. via Facebook Live — and keeps an archive of past videos for hours of educational streaming.
Cotoletta
Cotoletta offers classic pastas, solid seafood, and a starter of provolone-and-sausage-stuffed hot peppers (the last a must-get), but really, you come here for the namesake cutlets – five varieties, made with chicken, veal or eggplant, each pounded thin and fried to perfection, all slices of pure home-style comfort. 201 Jefferson Street, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, cotoletta.net.
MBR Nanny Network
Finding someone to come into your home and take care of your kid is as personal as it gets, which is exactly why Marissa Rosen's nanny biz has taken off: She meets with each family in person, vets each nanny and sitter herself, and is always available by email, text or phone. mbrnannynetwork.com.
Obsidian Eats
Cassava chip nachos topped with fiery jerk seitan, dairy-free queso, smoky chickpea tempeh “ribs” and barbecue jackfruit … there’s some real plant-based wizardry coming out of this pint-size roving cart that you can find all around West and South Philly.
Baked Sunless Tanning
Consider a perfectly bronze, all-natural spray tan your reward for all those sunny days down the Shore spent slathering on SPF 100. Feeling lazy? They'll come to you. In-store spray tans start at $35, at-home treatments at $55. 815 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, bakedtanning.com.
Restoration Hardware Outlet
Savvy shoppers (and interior designers) hit this outlet–and hit it often–to score up to 40 percent off on gorgeous chairs, chaises, sofas, soft goods, tables and lighting. Tips for the semi-savvy: Come prepared with room measurements, be ready to comb through a lot of inventory, and ask the staff about any unmarked sales. 2100 Route 38, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002, restorationhardware.com.
Nardone Pasta Co.
Some of the best pasta dishes in Philly right now — hand-rolled trofie pasta salad with gochujang and smoked celery; fusilli tossed with broccolini and preserved lemon — aren’t coming from any one kitchen, but from whatever restaurant or bar gives the Nardone crew the keys for a night. Multiple locations. nardonepastaco.com.
Philadelphia Pet Hotel and Villas
You can rest easy leaving your precious Precious at this kennel/spa/playhouse when you're off to the Shore, but here's fair warning: She may never want to come back home. Do you throw her birthday parties? 7401 Holstein Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153, phillypethotel.com.
Chickie’s & Pete’s
Bars with food trucks inside. Bars with strict dress codes. Bars with 18-ingredient cocktails that take 15 minutes to make. Blah, blah, blah. When it comes time to watch the big game–or any game, for that matter–the only place I want to be is at any of the dozen or so area locations of Chickie’s & Pete’s. You and your too-cool friends can roll your eyes at my vulgar plebeianism, but while you’re at your tin-ceilinged, Edison-bulbed speakeasy, I’ll be sitting happily amidst an ungodly number of huge TVs with sound, drinking cheap beers and scarfing down crack-like Crabfries. If you come to your senses and decide to meet me for the next game, don’t ask the waitress if she has that $14 single-cask goat-tears-infused craft beer, or you might get stomped. – Victor Fiorillo chickiesandpetes.com.
The Velvet Lily
If Condom Kingdom is Walmart, The Velvet Lily is Bergdorf's. (Note: All purchases come packaged in discreet black bags, so you can buy-for, you know, your "friend"-without letting your freak flag fly on the way home.) 1040 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, thevelvetlily.com.
Porcos
Porcos' takeaway window. Photograph by Michael Persico When you’re in the middle of a deadly global pandemic, the ideal restaurant experience is one that involves the least amount of actual human contact. Which is why Porcos — a literal hole in a wall out of which come some of the city’s best porchetta sandwiches — is the perfect vision of our restaurant scene’s current moment. This takeaway window on Washington Avenue (which shares space and a menu with Small Oven Pastry Shop) was up and running before the virus hit, but present circumstances have made it invaluable. 2204 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19146, smallovenpastryshop.com.
Triple Tree Flowers
The King family doesn't go in for fancy arrangements or bells and whistles. (No surprise there: They're Amish.) These growers, who come from Lancaster every Saturday to sell their flowers at the Rittenhouse and Clark Park farmers' markets, put together simple but stunning bouquets so vivid that the kiosk literally stops passersby in their tracks. And you can take one home for as little as $5. Rittenhouse and Clark Park farmers markets, .
Waterless Works
This Malvern-based start-up run by a trio of local college-kids-turned-entrepreneurs comes to your home or office to do the job, eschews soap and water for a plant-based cleaning solution, and donates money from each wash (they start at $40) to provide water for communities in need. Service areas include Philly and its 'burbs and select spots in Delaware and South Jersey. waterless-works.com.
Premier Art Installation
You're probably capable of hanging family photos on the wall, but when it comes to fine art, you should turn to a pro. Kevin Reissmann of Premier Art Installation is a professional installer for the Philadelphia Museum of Art who also hangs priceless pieces for collectors in the area and beyond. (Clients have included Coretta Scott King and Usher.) He'll even move your masterpieces, should you need to relocate your Renoir from the Devon estate to your home in Miami. premierartinstallation.com.