Old Italian at Uncle Oogie’s
Simple, straightforward, perfected — this is pan pizza that doesn’t come with an agenda. No one wants to think too much about dinner on a weekday night anyway. Multiple locations. uncleoogies.com.
Empanada Mama
They’ve got the great traditional spiced-beef-filled pastries, but come here for more surprising varieties, like cheesesteak, spinach and artichoke dip, or Mexican street corn. 21 Donaldson Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, yoemama.com.
Terakawa Ramen
Loyalists go for the noodle soups, but you should get to know this spot for the dumplings, too particularly the addictive tempura-fried shrimp shumai, which come hot and crispy. 204 North 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, terakawaramenphilly.com.
Philadelphia Sports Network
This mega-network of every-team-sport-under-the-sun is to would-be ballers what karaoke is to American Idol wannabes, making childhood dreams come true one goal at a time. See website for locations, 00000, philadelphiasportsnetwork.com.
Relentless Fitness
Dont get too attached to the gym here. In nice weather, trainer Roger Dickerman takes his sessions outdoors, which means everythingcurbs, benches, the sidewalkis fair game for banging out some reps. 249 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, relentless-fitness.com.
The Corner
There are some dandy deals to be found in this city between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. But dropping a Hamilton on a plate of fried oysters and a glass of Stanford Brut while relishing the rarefied air of the Corner's elevated terrace is our favorite. 102 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, thephillycorner.com.
Pocono Modern
If one-of-a-kind pieces are more your leaning, Pocono Modern's furniture has ski-lodge leanings and clean lines, and is made from some of the prettiest woods we've ever seen. 1550 State Route 903, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, poconomodern.com.
Monnalisa
The KOP outpost of this Italian brand offers bright, playful, high fashion for boys and girls as well as some mommy-and-me outfits — if that’s your thing. Beyoncé, Gisele and Madonna are fans. 160 North Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406, monnalisa.eu/en/monnalisa-philadelphia.
Rothman Roller Rink
Sure, the wintertime ice-skating at Dilworth is great and all, but we simply loved the retro roller rink that debuted this spring. It closed in July, but we’re hoping for an encore this fall. One South 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, .
Nature's Gallery
The prettiest bunches we've seen of late come from chief designer, Gabriella Nemati, who artfully arranges unusual offerings (succulents, lilacs, parrot tulips, even feathers) with a peerless eye for color and form. 2124 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, naturesgalleryflorist.net.
Pinot Boutique
Come here for Riedel decanters for your snooty oenophile uncle, handpainted glasses for Mom and her gal pals, and a posh picnic basket stocked with stemware for you (because outdoor drinking need not be limited to tailgating at the Linc). 227 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, pinotboutique.com.
Go Fox
The perfect solution for anyone too busy, important, lazy, fancy, rich or cool to wait in line anywhere. And honestly, who doesn't fit into one of those categories at some point? Call or see website for consultation, 00000, gofoxonline.com.
Body Cycle Studio
There's no boring workout a good soundtrack can't cure. Add in some costumes (theme rides!), awesome instructors and pretty surroundings, and you've got a recipe for a workout you'll actually look forward to doing. 1923 Chestnut Street, second floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, bodycyclestudio.com.
Jeantrix
Photograph by Sik Harlan Philly design duo Deric “Nyce” Crawley and Muhammad “Homm” Abdul-Basit’s wearable works of art were featured in Beyoncé’s Black Is King visual album. 160 North Gulph Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406, jeantrix.com.
Classic Coachwork Main Line
It’s like the crew here has some sort of magic time machine that can bring a car that’s experienced an unfortunate turn of fate back to looking like it just drove out of the dealership. 228 East Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087, classiccoachwork.com/main-line.