South Street Philly Bagel
You'll justify waiting in the steamy, cramped, un-air-conditioned quarters for these just-baked, crunchy-crusted, doughy rounds, which put other area bagel makers to shame. Health nuts can go oat or whole wheat, and there are powder-sugar-dusted French toast and chocolate chip varieties. But true bagelphiles simply order an everything smeared with the superb whipped cream cheese and then a plain to eat on the walk home. 613 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, southstphillybagel.com/.
Le Virtù
It's hard to believe that any single bite can pack as much pleasure as one crisply fried olive at Le Virt. Each fruity green specimen is crammed with a potent mixture of three types of slow-braised meat (beef, pork and chicken), then breaded and fried for the ideal amount of crunch. The tangy-meaty-briny babies are a specialty in Marche, the Italian region that chef Luciana Spurio calls home, and theres no better place to taste them stateside. 1927 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, levirtu.com.
Resting Gift Face

When coronavirus dried up their busy season, publicist Kylie Flett and event designer Donielle Powell pivoted to a new venture: rad gift boxes filled with ways to pass the time during the stay-at-home order. Their first run-through sold out, as did a second batch dedicated to moms, but the just-released ’90s kit (pictured here) is designed to make a Zoom or socially distant happy hour as fun as, well, the real thing. restinggiftface.com/.
InterAct
Of all of the theater groups in Philadelphia, it was Seth Rozin's 27-year-old company that was the most ambitious and thought-provoking last season, which featured only world premieres, including Christopher Chen's Caught and Jen Silverman's The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane. Then there's the exciting news that InterAct is getting a new home inside the Drake on Spruce Street. Interacttheatre.org..
Ali’s Wagon
Fairmounters heaved a collective sigh of disappointment when home and gift shop (and 2017 BOP winner) Division IV shuttered earlier this year. But we needn’t have despaired: Owner Jessie Menken simply moved all of her gift-able goodies down the block to sister shop Ali’s Wagon, so we can still buy those terrifically thoughtful hostess gifts – candles, tote bags, tea towels, olive oils, salt scrubs, simple syrups, mugs – for anyone kind enough to invite us over for dinner. 2017 Fairmount Ave , Philadelphia , PA 19130, aliswagon.com/.
Anthony Riley
After a too-long and stressful day, your walk home suddenly feels romantic. The sun's going down, and someone is crooning "Stand by Me" in Rittenhouse Square. You approach a crowd gathered around a clean-shaven 20-something busker who cycles through the Temptations, Sam Cooke and the Beatles. You notice a gorgeous stranger. Your eyes meet. And suddenly you forget why you were so stressed out to begin with. Riley is that good. (That he once took on Licenses and Inspections for the right to sing in the park doesn't hurt.) phillymag.com/news/2012/09/04/philadelphia-street-performers/.
Cooke and Berlinger
When it's time to say "Happy birthday" or most importantly "I was a big jerk and I'm so, so sorry," sit down with Peter and Mark (respectively) at their relaxed upstairs jewelry salon in Haverford Square. This is no standard retail space; it's like shopping in your friend's living room (with proffered beverages and all). And if you don't see something you like amid their stunning inventory, they'll find it or have it made. (That includes creating a mate for that one lost earring.) There's also a beautifully curated array of gifts for home, men, women and children. 379 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, cookeandberlinger.com/.
Andrew Meredith
This 38-year-old Northeast native's debut work, a memoir called The Removers, is dark and bleak and funny and utterly Philly. The down-on-his-luck narrator joins his sad dad, a disgraced former La Salle prof, in the business of making house calls to pick up corpses for local funeral homes. Between encounters with the dead and those they leave behind, he meanders in and out of love affairs, observes the dissolution of his parents' marriage, and ponders why he can't seem to gain any traction. A tour de force that should be the hands-down choice for the next One Book, One Philadelphia campaign. andrewmeredith.net/.
WatchBox by Govberg Jewelers
Anyone who knows anything about watches already has this on his home screen: Govberg’s year-old app, a global trading platform for pre-owned luxury timepieces and a virtual database for your personal collection. It’s centered in the company’s 20,000-square-foot Bala Cynwyd location, which recently got an $8.5 million reno and now functions as an appointment-only hub for buying and selling pre-owned pieces (like a $595,000 Patek Philippe or a Greubel Forsey for $695,000), complete with a Wall Street-esque trading floor. govbergwatches.com/watchbox/watchbox-by-govberg/.
Haddonfield
It's just so freakin'cute. Seriously like,How could I swing moving here? cute. But besides the ridiculously charming, friendly, bucolic atmosphere along Kings Highway East, the shopping is simply divine. There's everything from kid stuff (Pipsqueak) to women's wear (Maxwell James) to sporting equipment (Haddonfield Running Company) to jewelry (McNelis and Sherry) to art galleries (Accent Studio) to gifts (Serendipity) to home furnishings (The Upholstery Shop) to lingerie (Georgie Girl Boutique) to music (Siren's Song) to spas and salons (Salon M Design) to ... Oh, we're tired. Just go, already. 00000, shophaddonfieldnj.com/.
Steven Rosenberg
If you haven't had success losing weight, kicking the cancer sticks or getting over your fear of flying, it may be time to try psychotherapist Rosenberg, who will hypnotize you on your first visit and send you home with a CD recording of your session that speaks to your subconscious, upping your willpower while you snooze. "I lost 65 pounds in six months," says one Bucks County devotee. "I went in with the mind-set I couldn't be hypnotized, but after three sessions, it really worked." 8080 Old York Road, Suite 206, Elkins Park, PA 19027, .
Carousel Farm Lavendar
Close your eyes, take a deep whiff of your favorite lavender-scented sachet, and multiply that smell by about a million. That's what you get at this organic lavender farm in Bucks County, home to more than 15,000 plants. Visitors can take free self-guided strolls through the garden every Saturday from March through December, or guided tours ($10 per person) from June through September. Either way, the intoxicating scent of thousands of live lavender plants is guaranteed to help you find your Zen. 5966 Mechanicsville Road, Mechanicsville, PA 18902, carouselfarmlavender.com/.
Casablanca Moroccan Cuisine
Big tables, belly dancing, and large platters of family-style Moroccan food that keep coming and coming from the kitchen for the unreasonably low price of $25 per person. And it’s BYOB. 1047 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, casablancamainline.com/.
Eric Riley
If you're losing your matches (and your pride), the handsome Riley and his TeamRiley can get you some topspin. The nine-time world-ranked ATP player who 20-some years ago was the number one player at Penn coaches some of the world's best (Lisa Raymond, Zachary Fleishman), youngsters on their way to collegiate tennis stardom, and local power types like Dennis Alter and lawyer Dan Berger (as well as the editor of this magazine, whose serve remains hopeless nonetheless). Even if your court movement is more Andre the Giant than Andre Agassi, Riley can firm up your fundamentals and play patterns to a plateau that will have you calling everyone for rematches. Call or see website for consultation, 00000, teamrileytennis.com/.
Mahoning Drive-In Movie Theater

Pennsylvania was home to the country’s second drive-in movie theater, and we once had more drive-ins than almost any other state. And then drive-ins kind of evaporated, leaving a couple of generations never having experienced them. But that all changed earlier this year when traditional movie theaters were forced to close and people rediscovered (or, in many cases, discovered) the drive-in. The gold standard is the Mahoning Drive-In Movie Theater, about 90 minutes northwest of the city. It’s worth the trip, since it’s the rare drive-in theater that solely screens classic movies — on film, no less. And the characters who run the place are as entertaining as the movies themselves. Just watch the documentary At the Drive-In, which is all about the Mahoning. Bonus: You can camp overnight. 635 Seneca Road, Lehighton, PA 18235, mahoningdit.com/.