Formation Sauna + Wellness
Disconnect from your busy life for a bit with a slice of serenity from this Nordic-inspired sauna. With temps climbing to 195 degrees and intermittent ice-cold showers, you’ll feel both rested and energized, ready to rejoin the world — after a post-sauna massage or cup of tea, of course. 305 Brown Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, formationsauna.com.
Totem Brand Co.
Ah, gorp: Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts, a.k.a. trail mix. Gorpcore, though? Think normcore plus camping. And for the rare gorpcorer who likes the practice of camping as much as the aesthetic, Totem has the paisley folding chairs, hops-printed hammocks and portable stainless steel grills that will ensure your gear is as tasteful as the gorp in your Fjallraven fanny pack. 535 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, totembrandco.com.
La Llorona
A corner wedge of West Passyunk got a lot more lively when La Llorona opened last summer with tables that spill out onto the sidewalk, goblets of shrimp ceviche, and a tequila and mezcal menu as long as your arm. 1551 West Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145, lalloronaphilly.com.
Bartram’s Garden
For many of us, the pandemic renders evenings synonymous with Netflix and weekends with the outdoors. Wandering around the neighborhood or visiting a nearby park brings much-needed respite, and there’s no shortage of activities to keep you busy. See the full write up at Our Green Spaces. 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19143, bartramsgarden.org.
Cultured Couture’s Honesty Collection
If you only know Erik Honesty because of the choice vintage finds (hi, 1980s Gucci loafers) at his Cultured Couture shop in Brewerytown, you’re missing half the story. His true talent lies in his creative vision, which includes a line of museum-worthy whimsical-but-throwback capes and coats, all of which are hand-sewn from historic fabrics (some a century old) and feature cornucopias of color. Find the full collection online. 2639 Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, culturedcouturegallery.com.
K9 Resorts
At New Jersey-based K9 Resorts (which has locations in Cherry Hill, Horsham and Malvern), the luxury suites are eight-by-eight-foot sound-resistant rooms equipped with premium Kuranda dog beds, dog-themed artwork, and even televisions (tuned to Animal Planet or DogTV, obviously). k9resorts.com.
Philadelphia Mycology Club
You probably didn’t realize that Philly’s parks, trails and even sidewalks are home to a huge variety of mushrooms, many of them edible. But how do you begin? And how do you not, you know, die from ingesting, oh, say, a death cap? Simple: Find the Philadelphia Mycology Club on Facebook. They host mushroom hunts all over the region, and if you’re lucky, you’ll come home with some tasty hen-of-the-woods or morels for supper. facebook.com/phillymycoclub.
Takeout Pizza
There are times when we resent how obsessed this city can get with pizza. How in 2020 — an era in dining when we ought to be fawning over Sri Lankan curries and Nigerian jollof rice — pizza still consistently gets top billing.
And there are other times — like … now, when the world feels so unsteady — that we’re very happy seeking solace in the basics. Finding comfort in pizza. Letting Philly’s pizzaiolos, you know, take care of us in our time of need. Because if nothing else, pizza is as comforting as comfort foods get.
When we were still in the red phase, some shops, like Pizzeria Stella(420 South 2nd Street) in Society Hill, Barbuzzo (110 South 13th Street) in Midtown Village, and Wood Street Pizza (325 North 12th Street) in Callowhill (which, not for nothing, is one of the city’s best classic pizza shops), provided us with DIY pizza kits that kept us occupied and well-fed during the quarantine. Wood Street’s Dean Kitagawa even commissioned his wife, Sarah D’Ambrosio, to create artwork on some of the pizza boxes. “It was a small thing we did to establish a connection with our guests — a connection we lost when we pivoted to just doing takeout,” he says.
Philly found comfort in pizza even when the style of pizza was completely new to us. Much as it did in almost every other major food city in the U.S., Detroit-style pizza took over Philly. Of course, it got the aged-dough/high-quality-ingredients treatment we’ve become so used to seeing; witness Dan Gutter’s focaccia-like frico-crusted pies from Circles + Squares (2513 Tulip Street) in Kensington, or even his less Detroit-y pan pizzas — à la Pizza Hut — at Pizza Plus (1846 South 12th Street) in East Passyunk, or the fat, deeply caramelized squares at Sidecar Bar & Grille (2201 Christian Street) in Grad Hospital. The ranch-drizzled, banana-peppered monstrosity at Emmy Squared (632 South 5th Street) was a delicious addition to Queen Village.
Neapolitan pizza, a food trend that came as quickly as it left this city, found new life at Gigi Pizza (504 Bainbridge Street), across the street from Emmy Squared. They do a sort of hybrid NYC-meets-Napoli pie baked in a wood-burning oven, with a crust that’s somehow both airy and stiff — essentially, a big middle finger to the chewy, soupy pies favored by the Neapolitan pizza gods.
We saw our fair share of illegal pizza activity, too, which has become something of the norm in this city after @pizza_gutt paved the way back in 2017. Instagram “pizza shops” like @pizza_jawn and @freelancepizza_ began delivering pies (baked who knows where) to their thousands of eager followers.
And in maybe the longest slog of quarantine, Joe and Angela Cicala, the chef-owners of Cicala at the Divine Lorraine and former owners of Brigantessa in East Passyunk, launched an illicit pizza “speakeasy” out of their backyard in South Philly, with proceeds to help pay their laid-off staff. On its first day, the Cicalas sold 200 pizzas in 40 minutes. They sold out again on the second day. And on the third day, seven cops and two city health inspectors shut the operation down. Pizza-obsessed, indeed.
Nick Filet’s Surf and Turf Sandwich
A lobster roll — claws and knuckles only (natch) — with juicy nuggets of filet mignon mixed into it. Eff you, Boston. 111 East Lancaster Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301, nickfilet.com.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
It's a dessert for the masses. Literally. Just one slice a roughly two-by-four-by-eight-inch slab of Famous 4th Street's checkerboard cake (moist chocolate and vanilla squares bound with a creamy mocha mousse) will both feed and please your whole party. Cake ain't your thing? How about the three-to-an-order cheese-and-sour-cherry blintzes, the New York-style cheesecake, a black-and-white cookie, or an old-fashioned egg cream? Yeah, we thought so. 700 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com.
Verde
You'll go, buy something fabulous for your friend, decide to keep it for yourself, and not even feel a little bit guilty when you wear it and she tells you how much she loves it. 108 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, verdephiladelphia.com/verde.
Tony's Baltimore Grill
After you blow your bankroll at the Borgatas blackjack table, the $1.25 drafts, delicious $8 pizza pies ($10 with the works) and $11 ravioli-and-sausage at this vintage (circa-1920s) institution will set you straight even late at night. The bar is open 24 hours (okay, maybe theres one reason to love A.C.), and the kitchen doesnt stop serving until 3 a.m. 2800 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, facebook.com/pages/Tonys-Baltimore-Grill/28334370833.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Upper Darby
In a business where customer service typically leaves plenty to be desired, this Delaware County branch of the national chain is a beacon of hope, with friendly, expeditious employees eager to make sure you're happy behind and beyond the wheel. And should you leave your E-ZPass in one of their cars (as one Philly Magger did), the branch manager just might drive to Collegeville to retrieve it for you (as the branch manager here did). 706 Garrett Road, Upper Darby, PA 19082, enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=1742&bid=004&cnty=US.
Sorella
She might not channel Beyonc in her everyday life, but if she'd like to glam it up for the prom which she can actually do, if she so chooses, in Mama Beyonc's line, House of Deron then take her to the downstairs Prom Lounge of this fashionable boutique on Media's so-cute main drag. She'll find the dress, the shoes, the jewelry, and thanks to the helpful sisters who own the shop, you'll keep your sanity in the process. 23 East State Street, Media, PA 19063, sorellashop.com.
Schuylkill River Trail, Manayunk to Valley Forge
Any stretch of this five-star public-works project is worth the pedal, but if you're looking to rule the towpath, start up in Manayunk, to avoid the myriad runners, crewers and stroller moms down by the Art Museum. Grab a LeBus sandwich from the local outpost and try to make it the 13.5 miles to Valley Forge for a well-deserved picnic. 00000, schuylkillrivertrail.com.