The Pump House
Photograph by Julia Lehman-McTigue; furnishings: White Barn Vintage Rental; florals: Matlack Weddings; styling: Flourish Events and Design An underground speakeasy. A massive industrial-chic bar. An even bigger reception space. Plenty of (free) parking. A hotel to put up your guests for the weekend. Flexibility to work with the vendors of your choice. Gorgeous views of the Schuylkill. Oh, and cuisine by famed chef Nicholas Elmi and his team. So, when’s your wedding at the Pump House? 605 Righters Ferry Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, thepumphouse-pa.com.
Skyrobics at Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park
Channel your inner Tigger—bouncy, bouncy, bouncy—and jump your way to a better bod at this massive indoor trampoline park, which houses nearly 20,000 square feet of springy trampoline surface (including a few on the walls!). Its hour-long SkyRobics workout is so fun, you'll almost forget you're doing something good for you. 122 Mill Road, unit B-250, Oaks, PA 19460, skyzone.com/Oaks.
Gen3
By now you’ve probably heard all about energy-efficiency incentives — the credits and rebates the feds, local governments and even utility companies are giving out to people willing to modify their homes. The folks at Gen3 make this a piece of cake, doing a whole-home walk-through to determine just what array of heat pumps, mini-splits and other tech you need to green your house. And on your invoice they’ll lay out just what rebates and credits you’ll be eligible for, making that bill look just a little lighter. Grays Ferry, Glenolden and Melrose Park, PA generation3electric.com.
Pippy Sips
Photograph by Kartsie Photography It sounds simple: a discreet all-in-one breast-milk cooling, storage and monitoring device for new moms on the go. But it only took, you know, gazillions of parents struggling to find a solution before South Philly mom Amberlee Venti dreamed it up. Pippy Sips’ Maia keeps milk at safe temperatures for 16-plus hours thanks to a freezable cooling puck and a digital thermometer. The insulated stainless-steel shell is sleek, and you can either pump directly or pour milk into the bottle. It’s now available at Target — to make your errand running even, well, simpler. pippysips.com.
Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park
You get shoe rentals, one hour of private jump time on the extreme trampolines, pizzas, cake, invitations. Any kids who wants to jump must have a waiver signed by his/her parent or guardian. Print them online. 122 Mill Road, Oaks, PA 19456, skyzone.com/Oaks.
The Lunch Lady Sloppy Joe at Marple Public House
School cafeterias and Manwich gave sloppy joes a bad name. The fact is, a good sloppy joe is pretty close to comfort-food heaven, so we were delighted to find one on the menu at Broomall’s very first bar, which just opened last summer after the township voted to dump its dry status. The house-made pickles and grilled potato bun take this sandwich up a notch. Note: It’s not on the regular menu. You have to ask for it by name. 31 North Sproul Road, Broomall, PA 19008, marple.pub.
Read to a Therapy Dog
Bring the new reader in your house to practice the skill with a furry companion. The pup serves as a non-threatening and comforting audience — no judgment or corrections, plenty of tail wags. Look for these generally monthly events at the Parkway Central library as well as some neighborhood branches. freelibrary.org.
Kári Skin's 24-Karat Golden Hour Facial
Designed by Kári Skin founder Tirzah Blair and introduced this past January, the Golden Hour facial stamps a 24-karat gold serum into your upper dermis (it doesn’t hurt!) for firming and plumping, then maximizes your red-carpet-worthy glow with a gold-leaf hydration mask. Move over, Botox: This is the new royal face-lift. 325 Cherry Street, second floor rear, Philadelphia, PA 19106, kariskin.com.
Lithe Cinch
Hoping to erase or at least shrink that post-baby bump? Head to Lithe's Cinch class, during which haramakis (belly bands) worn around the waist help new moms focus on their core while keeping the entire midsection compressed during an hour of transformative bar and mat work. You'll tighten, tone and slim the entire area between the ribs and hips. Screw you, mom jeans. Lithe Method; see website for locations, 00000, lithemethod.com.
Kobe the Husky
The next time you’re scolding your pup for digging up your yard, think twice. That’s exactly how four-year-old Kobe saved Germantown. Owner Chanell Bell had had a gas leak in her house, so when Kobe went to work in her front yard and refused to desist, she tested the air, then called the gas company, which found leaks there and in two neighboring pipes. The heroic husky was celebrated the world over, with articles everywhere from People to the Washington Post to the Guardian, not to mention TV appearances and a kids book by Bell celebrating his feat. “It’s amazing to know Kobe saved our block,” she says.
The Monster Minders
Whether your pup needs an hour of leaping and bounding or just a 20-minute potty break and lap around the block, the Minders have you covered. Feeding, fresh water, and a note to mom and dad about the days activities included. 916 League Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, themonsterminders.com.
Brickbat Books
In the middle of Fabric Row sits this quaint treasure trove, a sort of anti-Borders where you probably won't find the latest John Grisham but might just find a rare paperback edition of Lolita from 1959. Owner Patrick Richardson Graham's succinct philosophy: "We carry stuff that we're interested in, what we think is good and of value." That means new and rare editions of books that run the gamut from pulp and literary fiction to poetry to photography to artist's monographs to artful little children's books. You'll spend hours looking for stuff you never even knew you wanted. 709 South Fourth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, brickbatbooks.blogspot.com.
Doggie Style Pets
Sign up to walk one of Doggie Style Pets’ resident pups. The dogs are adoptable, but even if you can’t take one home, you can have a canine companion for a half-hour. Just pick your time and store location online, show up, present your ID, and get instant happiness in the form of a fluffy friend (while helping the shelter give the dogs some exercise). Multiple locations, doggiestylepets.com.
Rescue Rittenhouse Spa
Sometimes it takes a glamorous aesthetician who was born in Poland, trained in France, and then toiled in Manhattan to really get it. Five years after she opened Rescue, Danuta Mieloch remains peerless. Her space: spare yet luxurious, central yet secluded. Her products: splurge-y yet essential. (Show us a Philadelphienne who doesn't douse her face and dcolletage in Biologique's P-50 toner and we'll show you a poseur.) Her staff: in addition to her flawless self, prodigiously talented practitioners of beauty as religion Nives Riddles on makeup and brows, Tirzah Fowler and Erika Ianoale on facials and waxing, Anna Maria Hernandez on nails. Her Service and Help: a standard yet preeminent menu that includes the now-classic Bio-Lift and microdermabrasion, for plump and polish, respectively. Her reservations book: full. 255 South 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, rescuerittenhousespa.com.