Sampan
Although Double Knot is getting all the love for being the cool new thing on the block, its next-door sister still kills it at happy hour, doing some of the same dishes you'll find at Double Knot (edamame dumplings, satay, kimchi fried rice) but with fewer crowds. 124 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125, sampanphilly.com/#sampan.
Purenergy Studio
You can hop from the TRX bands to the spin studio to an aerial yoga or barre class thanks to Paoli's new one-stop-shop fitness studio. The idea is to keep your mind and muscles busy with lots of workout options, accomplished (and then some) by way of more than 90 stellar classes a week. 21 Plank Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301, purenergystudio.com/.
Trail Creek Outfitters
From hiking to trail running to yoga, the selection at TCO is vast. But what will keep you coming back are the friendly, knowledgeable staff, who are more than happy to chat about their own outdoor adventures and share insider know-how to make yours unforgettable. 487 Glen Eagle Square, Glen Mills, PA 19342, trailcreekoutfitters.com/site/.
Pet-Sit
The pet sitters here are all professionally trained (and some are even pet-CPR-certified yup, that's a thing), and will meet with you before the first official visit to get your pet's routine down before you take off.
Abe Fisher
Anyone who thinks America's best Ashkenazi and Sephardic foods are locked up in some Lower East Side deli simply hasn't tasted the matzo brei and pastrami-style short ribs at this Rittenhouse newbie. And how a restaurant with a checkerboard-tile floor ends up with a cocktail bar this sexy is a Talmudic mystery. 1623 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, abefisherphilly.com/.
Triangle Tavern
Your mama may be Italian, but her meatballs can't hold a candle to Triangle Tavern's veal-beef-and-pork version. That's shocking, we know -- but so is the fact that the best meatballs in South Philly aren't at some storied red-gravy joint, but inside this reborn hipster bar on East Passyunk. 1338 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, triangletavernphilly.com/.
Rice Noodle Bowl at Prohibition Tap Room
We're talking rice noodles, lots of greens, roasted veggies, pickled daikon, zucchini, fresh herbs, lemongrass and pan-seared tofu (or shrimp, or even filet, if you insist) -- and it's at a bar, not some health-food store. You won't even miss your usual fried fill-in-the-blank. 501 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, theprohibitiontaproom.com/.
Pizzeria Stella
Such a simple thing just a handful of little shrimp, scraps of guanciale, ragged bits of tomato, some chilies and a few loops of calamarata pasta. And yet to sit down before this bowl and take a bite is to understand the true meaning of what it is to cook and serve pasta. 2nd and Lombard Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19147, pizzeriastella.net/.
Bonjung
A fine-dining BYO sushi bar and traditional Japanese restaurant (with some Korean dishes thrown in) isn't exactly unheard-of in Philadelphia. But in the 'burbs? You'd have better luck finding a unicorn. And a unicorn wouldn't be nearly as delicious. 50 West 3rd Avenue, Collegeville, PA 19426, bonjungsushi.com/.
Mica
Chef Chip Roman has done more than just open a couple of restaurants Blackfish is extraordinary, and Mica shows great promise. What's more: he and Mica partner Jason Cichonski have brought culinary hope to the many diners living in areas overlooked by Starr, Garces, Vetri and Billy Penn. 8609 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118, micarestaurant.com/.
Han Dynasty
This is where we go when we want the best. This is where we send our friends when they come to town asking about places they shouldn't miss. This is the place that, months later, those same friends are still thanking us for recommending. 260 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, PA 19341, handynasty.net/.
Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival
Readers' Choice: When more than 50,000 people show up one one Saturday a year to eat, shop, drink, and hang around for some live entertaiment, it's going to end up giving every other festival a run for its money. (Even the Italians, who know how to throw a party.) 00000, rittenhouserow.org/.
Juju Salon and Organics
Forget its holistic mission, earth-friendly product lines and semi-crunchy following. The styles coming out of this five-year-old salon are nothing short of sublime, which is why even the what-the-eff-are-Birkenstocks crowd is now booking here. 713 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, jujusalon.com/juju-salon/.
Rundiscover
If you’re in a running rut and in need of views other than the Schuylkill River Trail, this virtual running challenge sneaks your routes through some of the area’s hidden gems — Wissahickon Valley Park, historic Valley Forge, the streets of West Philadelphia, and Brandywine Creek State Park. gorundiscover.com.
Cathy's Half-Price Books
Most of the 60,000 or so gently used items at this 17-year-old stalwart are, indeed, half their original price or less. Then there are new reads and rare works — some with a Philly provenance — all stocked by bibliophilic owners Shannon and Cathy Rutherford. 7 Manoa Shopping Center, 1305 West Chester Pike, Havertown, PA 19083, cathysbooks.com.