The Clam Tavern
If you show up at 7 p.m. without reservations, you’re most likely SOL. (The crowds have been coming since the 1960s for the cheap cocktails, small-town service and baked clams.) But we’ve got a secret: The Broadway Bar & Grille, across the street, has the same owner and serves the full Clam Tavern menu. 339 East Broadway Avenue, Clifton Heights, PA 19018, clamtavern.net.
Cafe Canela
In the heart of Little Cambodia, Rosa Navarro's homey cafe marches to a different drum than the rest of South Philly's Mexican joints, specializing in thick homemade flour tortillas whose puffy blisters push halfway toward Indian naan. Add in the eight-salsa DIY condiment station (try the chili-whispering pineapple variety), and it's a lock. 2201 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, .
Short Range Missiles at Hop Sing Laundromat
High-end liquor at ridiculously low prices (starting as cheap as $3.50), served alone and unadorned at a spot famous for mixed drinks? This is basically the bar's gift to its regulars (and those comfortable with drinking shots before the sun goes down), so find yourself some nice shoes, leave the cell phone in your pocket (it's the owner's biggest rule), and go take advantage between 5 and 7 p.m. (sometimes 8 p.m.). 1029 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, hopsinglaundromat.com/.
Rumor
Not every bar needs to have a bartender who can make a perfect old-fashioned, a bouncer who's the city's poet laureate, or regulars hoping to be the next Franzen. Sometimes it's about which bar is packed -- and we do mean packed -- every weekend night with the city's most tanned and tight young guys and girls on the prowl. 1500 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, rumorphilly.com/.
Philadelphia Vintage and Consignment Shoppe
It's got limited hours, many garments are encased in plastic, and there isn't much priced under $100. Which makes finding treasures from some of the most iconic names in fashion (Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Dior), plucked from the closets of the most famous people in the world (Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston), all the more special. 111 South 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, facebook.com/philadelphiavintage.
Bundy
As an authorized Apple dealer, Bundy -- in business for nearly a century -- does vigorous in-house testing on the rehabbed iPads it gets from a reliable source, and each purchase comes with a free 90-day warranty. But the "open box" items, which have only been used for demo or floor-model purposes, are the real steal: On a recent trip, we spotted a 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2014 priced $400 below nearly identical newer models. 1809 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, bundycomputer.com/.
The United States Mint
The fascinating (and totally free!) self-guided tour gives you a bird's-eye view of the actual, live coin-making process from 40 feet above the factory floor where some 715 million quarters were produced last year. It's the perfect Independence Mall destination for those of us who aren't tourists. 151 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA 19106, usmint.gov/mint_tours/?action=philadelphia.
VegPhilly
Whether you're looking to get your hands on some veggie sausage or a slice of vegan cheesecake, this website has you covered. It's a handy online map of veg-friendly spots around the city, with candid user restaurant reviews—which rate the atmosphere and food and name a favorite dish—making eating vegan easier than ever. vegphilly.com/.
Talking Headz
The stylists at this edgy Cedar Park salon cut hair while it's dry, which allows them to follow your mane's natural shape, lets you check out the new 'do in real time, and gets you in and out in 30 minutes. These knockout styles also come at a remarkably affordable price: about $25 per cut. 4922 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143, talkingheadzhairsalon.com/main.html.
Perla Lara, Editor-in-Chief of <em>Impacto</em>
Perla Lara, editor in chief of Impacto. Photograph by Colin Lenton Lara is producing the best community journalism around right now, with a keen eye into the Latinx community. While we’ve come to expect diverse media from the likes of WURD, the Tribune and Al Día, this media leader offers a timely and promising alternative. Notably, she’s working with staff from the Caribbean, South America, and the Greater Philadelphia area to cover Latinx issues more holistically. impactomedia.com.
Trace Shop
Come for the cool wares — like cement-and-geode planters or Lord Jones CBD — but stay for the pillar of Marny Baxt’s business: the art. The former talent management exec dreamed up Trace after the passing of both of her parents, when she was faced with sorting through their personal art collection. Baxt wants to connect the community with creatives and make it easy to obtain and custom-frame one-of-a-kind works. 80 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, PA 19003, thetraceshop.com.
Sabbatical Beauty
Sabbatical Beauty founder Adeline Koh. Photograph by Colin Lenton It’s not just that founder Adeline Koh crafts some of the most luxurious skin-care products on the market — from the Vacuum Cleaner cleansing oil to the Dorian Gray anti-aging serum — out of her Bok studio. It’s also that she donated masks and created hand sanitizers, all while using her playful yet powerful TikToks to put racists in their place. 1901 South 9th Street #308, Philadelphia, PA 19148, sabbaticalbeauty.com.
Milk Jawn
Order pints online in flavors like Earl Grey, flecked with handmade honeycomb candy, or lemon curd, swirled with made-from-scratch blueberry basil compote. Classic options include chocolate peanut butter and vanilla, made with a double-strength extract. Either way, you’re getting some of the city’s most exciting (and straight-up delicious) new ice cream. 3525 I Street Unit B06, Philadelphia, PA 19134, milkjawn.com.
Tyrique Glasgow of Young Chances Foundation
This survivor-turned-advocate has been on the ground, building support for fighting gun violence even when the cameras aren’t rolling. Some other activists rattle off lots of stats, but he’s doing the work, creating coalitions with a diverse group of organizations in a valiant effort to get to the systemic causes of a crisis too many write off as intractable. youngchancesfoundation.com/.
Johnny Goodtimes
Whether you find him at Frankford Hall in Fishtown or 118 North on the Main Line, this positively geeky guy (who’s also co-owner of vintage sports clothing company Shibe Vintage Sports as well as host of the Best of Philly-winning podcast The Philly Blunt) simply comes up with the best, most unexpected questions every week. We’re not sure how he does it. But all other local Quizzo hosts pale in comparison. johnnygoodtimes.com/.