John's Roast Pork
Only a place this good could make it so difficult to enjoy. It's only open Monday through Friday until 3 p.m., and is located a block from Delaware Avenue, so you basically have to take the day off to experience John's warm slices of house-roasted, deeply spiced pork stacked on a kaiser roll whose doughy interior is made soft and gooey by the pork's jus, the tangy spinach, and heady, barely melted provolone. Yeah, time to take a sick day. 14 East Snyder Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, johnsroastpork.com.
JG Domestic
There are bad locations, and then theres JG Domestics location on the first floor of the Cira Centre, directly across the street from the train station cab stand. The place has virtually no visibility from more than 10 feet away. Its hard to find, and difficult to get to. And yet, the facts that 1) people who know good food still go there, and 2) some of us go out of our way to go there a lot, really speak to the amazing things the kitchen at JG Domestic is capable of. 2929 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, jgdomestic.com.
South 13th Street from Walnut to Lombard
"I'll have the carciofi alla giudia from Amis, orange-ginger carnitas from Lolita, a Corpse Reviver #2 from the Corner and a scoop of Lancaster-sourced fior di latte gelato from Capogiro." We wish there were a street in Philadelphia where we could say that. Oh, wait ... 00000,
Zama
Old Philadelphia can have its stodgy caricatures at the Palm. The new status symbol is a namesake sushi roll at Zama, where, if you rank, you'll be in the company of ?uestlove, Marc Vetri, Michael Solomonov and Ryan Madson. A portion of all celebrity-roll proceeds benefits charities. (And the ?uestlove is delish.) 128 South 19th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, zamaphilly.com.
Parenting Center at Ali's Wagon
If you've ever tried to board a SEPTA bus with a stroller or baby-proof a roof deck, you'll be in good company here. City moms meet at the back of this baby-clothing-and-gift boutique to vent, cheer each other on, and attend classes (from $10) on breast-feeding, baby sign language and sleep routines. 2017 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130, aliswagon.com.
Diner en Blanc
Leave it to the French to concoct the idea for this annual pop-up picnic at which 2,300 guests wear their finest whites and compete to see who packs the most impressive baskets. But if youre not already on the list for the August 22nd fte-de-fancy, youll have to get on the waitlist: Its been sold out since May. 00000, philadelphia.dinerenblanc.info.
Townsends Inlet, Sea Isle
Some of the Shore's best surf-fishing is at Townsends Inlet on the southern tip of Sea Isle, where you'll find plenty of good-sized stripers and flounder. Because this is saltwater fishing, you don't need a license and you can actually eat what you catch, though you'll have to draw straws to see who gets to do the cleaning. See website for tackle shops, 00000, hookandbullet.com/fishing-townsends-inlet-avalon-nj.
Brian Maher
Whether in his personal training studio in Center City or in the privacy of your own home, Maher, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, provides a custom exercise program, sensible nutrition advice, and, most importantly, the firm but friendly voice you need to drown out your inner "I'll just skip today" monologue. 1429 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, phillypersonaltraining.com.
Holly Waters
Commitment-phobes have nowhere to hide from this energetic, tough-as-nails fitness pixie. When five-foot-two-inch Waters isn't cheering you on at the gym, expect e-mails, texts and calls rooting you toward your weight-loss goals. She's happy to be your (adorable) motivation as you learn to tap into your own. Philadelphia, PA fitnessalivephilly.com.
Le Virtù
From four-foot-long noodles to smoked gnocchi and silken tagliatelle slicked with rabbit sugo, Joe Cicala rolls and stretches his dough with a rare (yet affordable) touch. 1927 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148, levirtu.com.
Fairmount Park Art Association
Download the Fairmount Park Art Association's new and free audio guide to about 50 of our city's public sculptures (museumwithoutwalls-audio.org) to your iPod and start walking. You determine the pace and how much ground to cover, all the while getting a thorough oral history of each work of art. And nobody will stop you from sipping a $5 black-and-white milkshake from Frog Burger (222 North 20th Street, 215-448-1100) while you take it all in. 1528 Walnut Street, Suite 1000, Philadelphia, PA 19102, associationforpublicart.org.
Palace Roller Skating
From fall through spring, a mere nine bucks will get you a lesson, skate rental and two hours of open skating, so you can pretend its 1979 while burning hundreds of calories. Check out the su-mmer family sessions currently offered on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. And if you dont have children in fact, if you want to avoid them Wednesday nights after 9 and Saturday nights after 10:30 are adults-only skates. 11586 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19116, palacerollerskatingcenter.com.
Emma Fogt
Living in this land of omnipresent cheesesteaks can be tough on the waistline, but Fogt makes nutrition counseling not-so-scary by kindly helping you and your entire family set goals for a balanced life, rather than a deprived one. You say your kids won't eat anything but chicken nuggets? Fogt's hilarious nutrition-inspired puppet shows will entertain them into trying leafy greens. You'll think she swapped your children out for new models. 16 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, emmafogt.com.
Wharton Esherick Museum
Sculptor Esherick's former home is now a please-do-touch-the-art, worth-the-advanced--reservation gem (without the bitter Barnes neighbors), and it displays more than 200 of his works mostly wood furnishings that haven't been moved since the artist's death in 1970. $12 for adults; $6 for children. 1520 Horseshoe Trail, Malvern, PA 19355, whartonesherickmuseum.org.
2 B Groomed
The tight cuts, hot lathers and close (and co-mfortable!) shaves at this classic 10-year-old barbershop will have you looking and feeling like a man of means. If you go for a shave, insist on the mud mask. Its well worth the additional fee. 270 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 2bgroomedsudios.com.