Independence Helicopters
You haven't seen Boathouse Row, the stadiums or the Ben Franklin Bridge until you've seen them from 1,000 feet in the sky. But our favorite part is that you can provide your own soundtrack if you bring an iPod. Cue the Wagner! From $129 per person for 20 minutes. 9800 Ashton Road (near Academy and Grant), Philadelphia, PA 19114, independenceheli.com.
Penn Museum
The joints on the Parkway get more play due to their central location, but for people who like old stuff, this repository, stuffed with its 10 millennia of artifacts, is a must-visit. For years, the museum was left to more or less rot, but it’s in the midst of a dramatic transformation thanks to Christopher Woods, its first director of color. 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, penn.museum.
Sarah Bloom
After a Daily Mail story ran in January, this 46-year-old suburban mom's stunning nude self-portraits set in abandoned buildings went viral -- and we haven't been able to divert our attention since. Invest now: Sales at her recent local shows have been brisk. Sarahrbloom.com.
Oat Haus
Not only is Oat Haus’s granola butter free of nuts, gluten, dairy and soy (and made in Warminster!); it’s impressively versatile. Drizzle this local oat spread over yogurt, go wild with smoothies, or, if you’re like us, eat it right off the spoon. Try the birthday-cake flavor, which is made with sprinkles and vanilla. No baking necessary. oat.haus.
Craft Coven
Photograph by Jeff Fusco These pop-up DIY events all over the city are organized by Philly artist Cassie Jones and feature a wide range of endeavors, such as stitching your own reusable shopping bag out of recycled fabrics, weaving a basket out of reeds, making your own watercolor paints, and drawing nude models — free beer is included for that last one. thecraftcoven.org.
MakePhilly
This inventors/builders club has around 600 members of varying skill levels who gather (dues-free) on the Industrial Design Floor at the University of the Arts to listen to innovation--minded speakers (a kinetic artist, a watchmaker, a robotics professor), then separate into competing groups to build a device from scratch. The group's annual barbecue features water-rocket launches, of course. 00000, makephilly.com.
City Winery
City Winery in the Fashion District. Photograph by Jonathan Pushnik A chain music venue? In the glorified mall that’s the Fashion District, née the Gallery? With a name like City Winery? Yeah, we were skeptical. But the fact is, this place offers an intimate, high-quality experience — with pristine sound and excellent production standards — like no other in the city. Oh, and the wine is great, too. How often can you say that about a music venue? 990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, citywinery.com/philadelphia.
El Chapulin
In case you’re wondering how many times we visit a restaurant before bestowing such an honor, in the instance of this bright and cheery Delco taqueria, we probably went 10 times — not just for due diligence, but also because we love it so much. From the birria to the tamales to the taco platters to the shrimp cocktail to the occasional appearance of menudo, we can’t wait to eat it all again. 8901 West Chester Pike, Upper Darby, PA 19082, .
Devon Lanes
Though the arcade games and bowling tech have been upgraded since this suburban gem opened in 1959, the place still retains the charm of another era. That may be due in part to the pricing: On some nights, you can play as many games as you want for just $10, including shoe rental. Plus it’s BYO, making this one of the cheapest nights out on the Main Line. 300 West Lancaster Avenue, Devon, PA 19333, devonlanes.com.
Fitler Dining Room
Though things got off to a rough start, chef Rob Marzinsky has found his stride in his sophomore year. He's quietly toiling in the open kitchen, making menu changes that showcase gorgeous, inspired seasonal dishes a zucchini soup with curried yogurt, a roast chicken with pine-nut puree. Well worth a return trip if you can score a table. 2201 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, fitlerdiningroom.com.
Black Horse Auto Body Shop
Owner Johnny DiMino is made for reality TV a jovial car nut who treats dinged-up Mercedeses and Corvettes with love, and who charged hundreds of dollars less than another repair shop quoted to fix a dented SUV. We also like the t-shirts he gives to customers, embossed with his logo: "U Reckem. We Fixem. U Payum." 1502 Ridge Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, blackhorseautobody.com.
Le Souk Market
From the owners behind Northeast Philly’s Bishos (the very same Bishos that won Best of Philly in 2023 for their highly refreshing lemonana) comes a new organic market stuffed to the gills with goods from across the Middle East and North Africa — many of them made in-house, such as their roasted nuts, pickles, baklawa and spice blends. Don’t miss their extravagant and utterly popular made-to-order crepes and waffles. 7952 Oxford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, instagram.com/lesoukmarketphilly.
Dolores'
Dolores’ opened with a tight menu of classics: Italian, tuna, turkey, ham, chicken cutlets and a couple others. Then the place went absolutely nuts. The Great White Buffalo has thinly sliced Buffalo chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, Buffalo mayo, and Cool Ranch Dorito-crusted Cooper Sharp American cheese. Pretty surprising from a place that sounds like it’s named after a grandma. 1841 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148, instagram.com/dolores2street.
Ela
Oysters with strawberry vinegar, gnocchi tots with black truffle dipping sauce, homemade Cheetos, bar nuts spiked with curry powder and, on top of everything else, a crazy burger topped with Cabot cheddar and shitake mushrooms on a black sesame bun? Philly has always been an eat-at-the-bar kind of town, and Ela is the best example of just how good we've gotten at it. 627 South 3rd Street, Queen Village 627 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, elaphilly.com.
South Street Philly Bagel
You'll justify waiting in the steamy, cramped, un-air-conditioned quarters for these just-baked, crunchy-crusted, doughy rounds, which put other area bagel makers to shame. Health nuts can go oat or whole wheat, and there are powder-sugar-dusted French toast and chocolate chip varieties. But true bagelphiles simply order an everything smeared with the superb whipped cream cheese and then a plain to eat on the walk home. 613 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, southstphillybagel.com.