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.
Foreign Fix Auto Center
Whenever you move to a new neighborhood, you get your bearings: grocery store, parking rules, which bar you can stumble home from. The thing you always forget to find until it’s too late is a car mechanic. That changes today. Jason Capone and the fellas at Foreign Fix will not only get you in and out in the time most shops take to get your car up on the lift; they’ll talk you through the cheapest options first. What are you going to do with all that extra money? Well, there is that bar. 822 Reed Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, facebook.com/Foreign-Fix-Auto-Center-140122042683245.
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.
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.
Scatton's Heating & Cooling
We recently needed a contractor for a big project, a basement-to-attic job: oil-tank and boiler- system removal, a switchover to natural gas, mini-duct split units for air-conditioning. (Like we said, it was a big job.) In addition to having the best price, the folks at Scatton’s were personable, did impeccable work, and did so with top-of-the-line products. And as the post-pandemic crush of home renovations continues, we’ll say one more thing — they actually responded to our calls, which can’t be said of everyone. 920 Allentown Road, Lansdale, PA 19446, scattonshc.com.
Simagas Autodetailing
Abdoul Simaga seems to really hate dirt, grime and all sorts of filth. That’s what you’ll learn if you hire him to clean and detail your car. He goes deep and doesn’t rest until your baby looks sparklingly new. The Ivory Coast native does pop-up mobile detailing in parking lots along City Avenue, but for the best service (and so you don’t have to wait in the very long line), hire him to bring his thoroughly outfitted mobile detailing truck to your home.
Adam Elbaum
Yes, this master prestidigitator does corporate events, birthday parties, and bar and bat mitzvahs. But where you really want to see him is in his Queen Village home, where he invites a handful of guests a few times each month for wine, cheese, and an intimate close-up magic show like you’ve never experienced before. He doesn’t charge admission: He asks that you donate an amount of your choosing to designated charities. Reach out via his website if you want an invite. adamelbaum.com.
Steven Murrow
Meet the owner of South Jersey’s Tesla Tree Service, who puts the skills he’s acquired as an arborist to work rescuing felines who are less accomplished and get themselves stuck in trees. Last year alone, Murrow came to the rescue of 39 hapless cats whose ambitions were greater than their reverse gears. He says he’s always loved animals, and he never charges for his services. His one warning to those who lack his professional equipment, not to mention talents: Don’t try this at home.
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.
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.
Carter's Watermelons
In the 1940s, Georgia civil rights activist Dover Carter and his wife moved with their 10 kids to Philadelphia amid rising racial tensions down South and opened a watermelon stand in West Philly, where he continued to sell the sweetest watermelons around for more than 40 years. Nowadays, his descendants carry on the tradition of excellence seven days of the week, in season, in Southwest Philly, on the side of the road. There’s no stand — just watermelons sitting on a patch of grass along the road. Be sure to let one of the Carters pick out the watermelon you take home; they’re the experts. 84th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19153, .
Palomar Travel
If you haven’t ventured far from Philly since the pandemic started, you may be out of trip-planning practice. Philly-based travel agent Alexis Rich Chami will help you pinpoint the best place to spend a long couples weekend or a winter break with extended family and plot out a personalized itinerary to make the most of each day. It’s how, on your next trip to the Yucatán Peninsula, you’ll find yourself feasting on home-cooked mole chicken and honey liqueur in a welcoming family’s front yard, far from the crowded cenotes. palomartravel.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.