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  • 14 events to look forward to in Philly this year that aren’t the World Cup or the 250th

    14 events to look forward to in Philly this year that aren’t the World Cup or the 250th

    You can’t turn around these days in Philly without someone telling you this is going to be a big year for the city, including me. You get it, things are happening, people are coming, but I bet you mostly just want to know how you can either join in on the parties or figure out how much they’re going to annoy you.

    I usually try to temper my expectations — one, because I’ve learned a few things in 18 years here and two, because I like to be pleasantly surprised. But I’ve recently found myself imagining what the big moments will be like: the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament in March; the PGA Championship in May; the FIFA World Cup and MLB-All Star games this summer; and the yearlong celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

    Antoine Watts, back left, and Michael Clement, front center, participate in the Red, White, and Blue To-Do Pomp & Parade at Independence Hall in 2024.

    I have big hopes and some worries for Philadelphia, just like I do for everything I love.

    And while the stuff above is a lot, it’s not everything going on here this year, not even close. So if you’re seeking alternatives to the big to-dos, looking to keep your calendar full all year long, or just hoping to run into Mark Ruffalo, here are 14 more Philly happenings to look forward to this year.

    (Dates are subject to change. Check related websites for updates.)

    Jan. 30: Philly is Unrivaled

    The first big event features incredible athletes you won’t see in any of the major sporting events I mentioned above: women.

    Unrivaled, a three-on-three format women’s basketball league, is holding a doubleheader at Xfinity Mobile Arena to kick off its first tour later this month.

    Rose BC guard Chelsea Gray (12) drives past Lunar Owls wing Rebecca Allen (9) in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game Jan. 5 in Medley, Fla.

    The games will undoubtedly hype up fans for when Philly gets its own WNBA expansion team in 2030 and prove to any doubters that Philly is a women’s sports town (we even have a shirt that says it).

    Some tickets remain. The games will also be televised on TNT and truTV.

    Feb. 6 — 22: The Winter Olympics

    The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in northern Italy will feature a host of local athletes and at least one famous Philly podcaster. Watching it also doesn’t require you to leave your house, so win-win.

    Four Philadelphia Flyers will be playing Olympic hockey: Travis Sanheim for Canada, Rasmus Ristolainen for Finland, Dan Vladar will represent Czechia, and Rodrigo Abols will take the ice for Latvia.

    People take photos in front of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics rings, in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy.

    Other local athletes will undoubtedly qualify, but I don’t have a full list yet so don’t email me asking why I didn’t mention your cousin-in-law on the U.S. Curling Team.

    Kylie Kelce will also serve as a digital content creator for NBCUniversal’s Creator Collective and she’ll have on-the-ground access to the games to produce social media content.

    Go Birds. Go Team U.S.A.

    Feb. 14: ‘Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition’

    How much fun can learning about theme parks be without the roller coaster rides, immersive lands, or concession stands? Philly will find out next month when the Franklin Institute premieres: “Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition.”

    An artists’ conceptual rendering of the Franklin Institute’s “Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition,” which is slated to open Feb. 14.

    The new exhibit spans eight galleries and tracks the history and world-building of Universal’s theme parks. It was created by the team at the Franklin, who hope it will introduce young visitors to science and tech careers in the theme park industry.

    I’m hoping there’s a section about whatever alien incantation protects the E.T. Adventure ride, which opened in 1990 and is the last remaining original ride at Universal Studios Florida. The high-tech stuff is awesome, but there’s nothing that beats the nostalgia of that flying bicycle ride and the flashlight-fingered alien.

    March 14: Ministry of Awe opens

    The more I hear about the Ministry of Awe the less I understand it, and the more intrigued I become.

    The permanent, six-story immersive art experience helmed by Philly muralist Meg Saligman inside of Manufacturers National Bank in Old City “transforms an abandoned 19th-century bank into a fantastical, seemingly impossible institution that trades in the many enigmatic facets of humanity,” according to its website.

    Guests will be encouraged to question what they value and to wander the multimedia art space, which will lean into a banking theme and includes a room for counterfeiting. Actors will be on hand to enliven their experiences.

    Muralist Meg Saligman inside of the still-under-construction Ministry of Awe in November. Opening date is March 14.

    “There’s a teller that smells you. You will walk through and be delighted and surprised along the way,” Saligman told The Inquirer.

    The Ministry of Awe says we all already have accounts open there and one thing is for certain, my interest rate is sky-high.

    April 14 — May 31: ‘1776 The Musical’

    There are not many musicals set in Philadelphia and the one thing you can say about 1776 is that it’s one of them.

    The production about the events that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence never became a juggernaut like Hamilton and didn’t produce any smash songs. But after rewatching the film version last Independence Day, I can safely say it’s still a pretty good musical. Especially if you hate John Adams, or love watching people hate on him.

    While it would have been epic if this production could have been staged at Independence Hall this year, seeing it at the Walnut Street Theatre — the country’s oldest theater, which opened just 32 years after 1776 — is a close second.

    April 16: Cruise ships begin sailing out of Philly

    For the first time in nearly two decades, cruise ships will return to the region this spring, offering locals a chance to seas the day with an aquatic trip abroad.

    Construction of the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) Cruise Terminal began last month in Tinicum Township, Delaware County, at a site adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport that was formerly known as the Hog Island Dock Terminal Facility.

    (How’s that for a local word salad — a Philly port in Delco at a dock named after the place that may have inspired the word hoagie.)

    A conceptual rendering of the future PhilaPort Cruise Terminal, a 16-acre site adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport.

    Norwegian Cruise Lines has exclusive rights to sail out of the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal through March 2033. According to its website, the first voyage will be a seven-day round-trip to Bermuda.

    Fear not the Bermuda Triangle, my fair Philadelphians, for we’ve weathered far stranger things here following Super Bowl wins, and on an average Tuesday.

    April 18: Monster Jam at the Linc

    If you think the Birds are beasts on their home turf, buckle up, because 12,000-pound trucks are coming to Lincoln Financial Field this spring as part of Monster Jam’s Stadium Championship Series.

    Foam teeth line the front of the Megalodon monster truck at Monster Jam at Lincoln Financial Field in 2023.

    When I hear Monster Jam my first thought is “It’s probably boysenberry,” or “I wonder if it’s as fun as a mash?” but if you have little ones who love things that go vroom — or you do — this auto be wheelie good time.

    May: The Greyhound station reopens

    Slated to come back from the dead this spring like it was Kenny or Jon Snow will be Philly’s intercity bus terminal, formerly known as the Greyhound station.

    The Philadelphia Parking Authority will operate the terminal on behalf of the city, which has gone more than two years without a facility since Greyhound left the terminal at 10th and Filbert Streets in 2023 after 35 years.

    Corner of the former Greyhound station at North 10th and Filbert Streets in 2018.

    In the aftermath, buses used public street curbs to pick up travelers, who were forced to wait outdoors in the elements and had very little access to basic amenities, like bathrooms. The whole situation was bus-ted and I’ll be glad to see it fixed.

    June 12: ‘Disclosure Day’ premieres

    Filmed in parts of South Jersey last year and featuring Philly’s own Colman Domingo, Disclosure Day is an alien thriller from director Steven Spielberg that I can’t wait to get my tentacles on.

    I love good sci-fi and this one has a screenplay by David Koepp, who also wrote the screenplay for Jurassic Park, one of my favorite movies of all time. The trailer for Disclosure Day is intriguing, unsettling, and reveals little about the plot, but I already find the movie authentic: If aliens were to land anywhere, South Jersey seems like a fitting place.

    At the end of the trailer, a nun says “Why would He make a vast universe yet save it only for us?” which hearkens to a famous Carl Sagan quote: “The universe is a pretty big place. If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.”

    Aug. 30: Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns

    If there’s one thing Philadelphians love doing, it’s partying while watching other people exercise and this year they’ll get to do it again at the Manayunk Wall when the Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns after a 10-year hiatus.

    Held for 30 years before it was canceled in 2016 due to lack of sponsorship, the race follows a 14.4-mile course from Center City to Manayunk, where cyclists must climb the “Manayunk Wall,” a stretch of Levering Street with a 17% gradient.

    Women cyclists pedal up Levering Street, aka the “Manayunk Wall,” during the Liberty Classic TD Bank International Championship race in 2011. The race is returning this year as the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic.

    Back in the day, people partied like it was Two Street on New Year’s along the route in Manayunk, particularly at the Wall. As bikers cycled through the course, spectators cycled through kegs and cowbells, with some folks on Levering Street charging admission to their house parties and others hanging beer banner ads on their porches for a fee.

    Also slated in 2026, but dates remain unknown:

    A conceptual rendering of FloatLab, set to be installed at Bartram’s Garden on the Schuylkill in 2026.
    • Opening of Mural Arts’ FloatLab: Located in the Schuylkill at Bartram’s Garden, FloatLab is a 75-foot installation and environmental center that will be “a convergence of art, architecture, and nature,” according to its creator, J. Meejin Yoon. The sloped, ADA-compliant circular platform, which allows visitors to look eye-level at the river while standing in it, will serve as both an educational and artistic space.
    • Gimme my Philly money: To mark the nation’s 250th, the U.S. Mint is releasing quarters with Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on them this year and I’m going to need some of those for my piggy bank. Just to be clear, this does not change the fact that I’m still salty at the Mint for stopping penny production. What will people put in their loafers? How will Penny from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse see? It’s just cents-less.
    This new design for the quarter commemorates the U.S. Constitution and depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed. The other side of this quarter has a depiction of President James Madison.

    Rumored in 2026, but in no way confirmed:

    From left: Thuso Mbedu (Aleah Clinton), Fabien Frankel (Anthony Grasso), Alison Oliver (Lizzie Stover), and Mark Ruffalo (Tom Brandis) in “Task.”
    • Task season 2: The Delco-set HBO thriller starring Mark Ruffalo was renewed for a second season and I’m hoping they start filming around Philly’s weirdest suburb this year (though creator Brad Ingelsby may have to write the script first). While it’s unclear if Ruffalo will reprise his role as FBI agent Tom Brandis, one of my resolutions this year is to frequent more local hoagie shops in the hopes of running into him, but also because I love hoagies.
    • Stranger Things spinoff?: Philly was named-dropped in the finale of the beloved sci-fi show, which got fans hypothesizing that the home of one of the greatest urban legends of all time — the Philadelphia Experiment — might be the setting for one of the confirmed spinoffs. Or it could just be subliminal advertising for Netflix House Philadelphia (which is actually in King of Prussia). An Instagram post from the show and Netflix on Wednesday only fueled rumors, with its caption: “meet me in philly.”
  • How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to novelist Adam Cesare

    How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to novelist Adam Cesare

    Adam Cesare knew by the third date that if he and his future wife were going to end up together, he was going to have to start calling sub sandwiches hoagies. “She’s a Philly lifer,” the New York-born, USA Today best-selling author said. Sure enough, after graduating from college in Boston, the couple relocated to Philadelphia, where Cesare threw himself into the city’s film and literary scenes. “I took to Philly like a fish to water,” Cesare said. That was 15 years ago.

    Fast forward to today, and the former high school English teacher is an acclaimed local author with more than a dozen horror novels under his belt, including the popular Clown in a Cornfield series, the first of which was adapted for the big screen and released in theaters this past summer. Now, Cesare is gearing up to release Clown in a Cornfield 4: Lights! Camera! Frendo!

    When he’s not busy editing his manuscript, Cesare still loves to explore Philly’s extensive film and lit scenes, roaming through used bookstores or catching a flick at PhilaMOCA.

    Here’s how Adam Cesare would spend a perfect day in Philadelphia.

    9 a.m.

    First, I would make sure it’s not a Sunday because I want to go to Beiler’s Doughnuts in Reading Terminal, and it’s closed on Sundays.

    11 a.m.

    After Beiler’s, I’d pop over to Old City to go to The Book Trader. I could name-drop all the current new bookstores, but there’s something about used bookstores that I really like. I’d swing by the comics shop, Brave New Worlds, because it’s right next door, then I’d head to Mostly Books on Bainbridge. I love that place. It’s great because they have a pretty decent VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray selection too, so I’ll get a few movies.

    I might also pop into the Philly AIDS Thrift. It’s fun to walk around. They have a good book section. It’s mostly general fiction. I like their physical media section too. You can get the DVD or VHS of every television series that’s been kicked off Netflix.

    1 p.m.

    For lunch, I’m definitely going to Monster Vegan. It is what it sounds like. It is a really good vegan restaurant themed on monsters. They play clips from Count Yorga and stuff on the walls. They do events, too. I once saw Lloyd Kaufman present Class of Nuke ‘Em High.

    3 p.m.

    After lunch, I might drive over to Manayunk to check out Thrillerdelphia. It’s a new bookstore that exclusively sells horror and thrillers. They just opened two months ago, and I did one of their first events. They’re really nice people, and they have a great selection.

    5 p.m.

    It’s time to beam back down to South Street for dinner and a movie. On a perfect day, I’m going to Royal Izakaya, a Japanese restaurant I like to go to on my birthday. Since money is no object on my perfect day, I’ll order the omakase. Let the chef decide.

    7 p.m.

    There are so many good places to see a movie in Philly. There’s the Philadelphia Film Society. There’s also PhilaMOCA. It’s probably my favorite place to go. They work closely with Exhumed Films, which is a group of film fans who screen 35mm and 16mm films from their private collection in local theaters. They do a lot of work with The Colonial in Phoenixville as well.

    The last time I went to PhilaMOCA, I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and John Cameron Mitchell was there doing a live commentary, which was sick. They do really cool stuff like that all the time.

    9 p.m.

    That was a full day. I’m good for bed now.

  • Crust Vegan Bakery opens in East Falls

    Crust Vegan Bakery opens in East Falls

    Frosted vegan pop-tarts, swirls of dairy-free soft serve, and meatless bacon-egg-and-cheese croissants have officially arrived in East Falls.

    Crust Vegan Bakery opened Thursday at the intersection of Ridge and Midvale Avenues, just off Kelly Drive. The move from its two-space operation in Manayunk to a larger location enabled the confectionery to consolidate its retail storefront and commercial kitchen, said owner Meagan Benz.

    Benz spent more than nine months transforming a 3,000-square-foot office along the Schuylkill River into what she called a “cakelike retail space” with baby-pink walls piped with white paint and ceiling tiles modeled after Lambeth-style cake trims. Light from oversized front-facing windows dapple a trio of pastry cases filled with batches of all-vegan sweets, from cheesecake slices and cinnamon buns to black-and-white cookies and crumb-coated coffee cakes. Baristas-slash-bakers pull espresso shots and whisk matcha for lattes sweetened with house-made syrups.

    “I wanted to create a place where people think, ‘Oh, I can get everything I need there,’” Benz said.

    Crust Vegan Bakery owner Meagan Benz with a display case of treats on opening day Jan. 8 at the bakery’s new location at 4200 Ridge Ave. in East Falls. Crust moved there from Manayunk.

    Benz, who went vegan in 2009 while a freshman at University of North Carolina Greensboro, launched Crust in 2015 as a wholesale vegan bakery out of a commissary kitchen at 220 Krams Ave. in Manayunk. When custom cake and wholesale orders dried up almost overnight in 2020, she and then-co-owner Shannon Roche opened their storefront at 4409 Main St. as a way to keep on staff they would’ve otherwise had to lay off during the pandemic, a move Benz said ended up making Crust profitable enough to bring on more employees.

    “Retail is where we make more money,” said Benz, 35.

    Now, the business has outgrown the satellite storefront that saved it.

    Jordan Fuchs prepares pop-tarts at Crust Vegan Bakery’s former commercial kitchen space on Krams Avenue.

    Splitting time and staff between the retail space and commercial kitchen proved logistically challenging. Benz said Crust’s storefront manager wound up spending most of her time ferrying pastries between locations, a half-mile journey that led to lots of wasted product.

    “It was a really short distance, but people drive crazy — someone slams on the brakes in front of us and we’re done for,” Benz said. “We had many times where things would tip over and we’d have to determine if it was still usable.”

    ‘Little treat culture’ is fueling a Philly bakery boom. Here are a baker’s dozen new spots to get that bread.

    At Crust’s new location, a sparse yet cozy cafe area with two tables and a large, lived-in green couch bleeds into the kitchen, where staff pivot from packaging cakes and swirling soft-serve cones to frosting pop-tarts. The streamlined setup has allowed Benz to dream big. Already on her wish list for the future: a separate convection oven for made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, a back room for cake-decorating classes, and more room for colorful displays.

    A brown sugar pecan pie pop-tart, soft frosted cookie, and vanilla strawberry cake from Crust Vegan Bakery are plated next to a hot latte. Beverages are new to the bakery.

    Benz spent two years looking for the right location, unwilling to compromise on a short list of non-negotiables. Most of the bakery’s 15-member team live in Northwest Philly, she said, so the new space needed to remain in the area while being more transit-accessible.

    Crust’s new location sits at the convergence of five bus lines. It also will leave Manayunk without a pastry specialist when Crust’s former commercial-kitchen neighbor Flakely decamps for Bryn Mawr in February.

    Taleema Ruffin takes an order from Chase Sanders and Ryan Martinez-Peña, of East Falls, at the counter of Crust Vegan Bakery’s new location at 4200 Ridge Ave. on opening day, Jan. 8, 2026.
    Gluten-free bakery Flakely levels up with a new and bigger storefront in Bryn Mawr

    New coffee, same vegan treats

    Crust’s move also marks the launch of its first-ever coffee program, headed by cake decorator-turned-beverage coordinator Jordan Fuchs.

    The bakery will serve a short but sweet menu of coffee and tea drinks, with beans and matcha sourced from Rise Up Coffee, a fair-trade roaster based in Maryland. Crust makes its own vanilla and mocha coffee syrups, and Fuchs has plans for a rotating menu of seasonal additions. The signature drink will be a black sesame latte, Fuchs said, and she’s currently perfecting a chocolate-covered strawberry latte in time for Valentine’s Day.

    Jordan Fuchs pours a rosetta on top of a hot soy latte inside Crust Vegan Bakery. Its new retail space in East Falls has enabled the bakery to start a beverage program.

    Crust will also continue selling two things Benz said many of her vegan customers desperately miss from their dairy-consuming days: soft-serve ice cream and hulking breakfast sandwiches.

    Benz’s breakfast sandwiches are served on flaky vegan croissants or thick biscuits, both made in-house, with Just Egg patties and seitan bacon that crisps up like the real thing.

    From 2024: A Philly bakery delivers on an April Fools’ joke with Pickle Pop Tarts

    The bakery started offering nondairy soft serve year-round in 2023, Benz said, as a way to satiate her own craving. Crust uses a vanilla base made with pea protein and then adds mix-ins for flavors that rotate every two weeks. The ice cream is silky, and curls out of the machine with the flourish of a Dairy Queen swirl. It’s sweet, but doesn’t quite capture the essence of its full-dairy counterpart; Benz said that’s the point.

    “If our ice cream doesn’t exactly taste like dairy ice cream, that’s OK,” she said. “I just want it to taste really good.”

    Crust Vegan Bakery’s dairy-free soft serve menu, which is offered year round and includes toppings.

    Pastries are still the main event at Crust’s new location. The bakery’s staff make roughly 22 dozen pop-tarts a week, with some bakers spending a full eight-hour shift solely on rolling out dough, preparing fillings, and sealing the edges for baking. To make the process smoother, Benz made a custom crimping tool that creates cartoonishly perfect hash marks. Her favorite flavor is the wild berry, a dead ringer for the purple-frosted Kellogg’s version.

    Also on offer: slices of sweet potato, Oreo, blueberry lavender, and funfetti cheesecakes (gluten-free and vegan) that take up a pastry case’s entire top shelf. The secret to Benz’s recipe is Tofutti cream cheese, which is versatile enough to be customizable and easily whipped into a dairy-accurate texture.

    “I make a lot of things because I want them, I miss them,” Benz said. “Then I hope other people do, too.”

    A display case of vegan cheesecake, cake slices, and cinnamon buns inside Crust Vegan Bakery’s new location at 4200 Ridge Ave. in East Falls.

    Crust Vegan Bakery, 4200 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, 215-298-9969. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

  • Sing Us Home fest will be back in Manayunk, featuring a late-night talk show host behind the drums

    Sing Us Home fest will be back in Manayunk, featuring a late-night talk show host behind the drums

    This year’s Sing Us Home festival will feature founders Dave and Tim Hause, Scranton pop-punk band the Menzingers, prolific indie rockers the Mountain Goats, punk veteran Ted Leo, and a certain late night TV comedian and political commentator playing drums.

    In its fourth year, Sing Us Home will be staged on Venice Island in Manayunk from May 1-3. It will again take its place as the opening event of Philadelphia’s outdoor music festival season.

    Produced by Ardmore-based music promoters Rising Sun Presents, the fest will kick of on a Friday night with its traditional opening set billed as the Hause Family Campfire. That includes Roxborough-raised Dave Hause joined by Leo, Will Hoge, and Jenny Owen Youngs, with all four songwriters on stage at once, sharing songs and stories.

    Along with the aforementioned headliners and Dave Hause & the Mermaid, the three-day fest also includes Tim Hause & the Pre-Existing Conditions, fronted by Hause’s younger brother and festival cofounder.

    The lineup for the 2026 Sing Us Home Festival.

    The lineup also features blues guitarist Emily Wolfe, Canadian punks the Flatliners, New York indie rockers Augustines, New Jersey band Church and State™, Philly singer Moustapha Noumbissi, Lancaster folk-punk band Apes of the State, singer-songwriters Katacombs and Laney Lebo, and horn happy outfit Big Boy Brass, who will parade the grounds.

    The political pundit funnyman playing the drums will be Jon Stewart, who sits on the throne behind his kit with Church and State™, the new band with whom he has played only a handful of gigs.

    The most prominent of those for Stewart, whose punk rock roots go back to his days tending bar at legendary venue City Garden in Trenton, was at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in November.

    Last month, he told the audience on the Daily Show that he picked up the stick after failing to master the guitar or piano, and that playing in his first band at age 63 was extremely fun.

    Sing Us Home tickets are available at singushomefestival.com.

    @thedailyshow

    When he’s not behind the desk, you can catch Jon Stewart drumming with his band #AfterTheCut #DailyShow #Drumming

    ♬ original sound – The Daily Show

  • Gluten-free bakery Flakely levels up with a new and bigger storefront in Bryn Mawr

    Gluten-free bakery Flakely levels up with a new and bigger storefront in Bryn Mawr

    A popular gluten-free bakery is coming to the Main Line.

    Flakely is moving from behind the bright pink door at 220 Krams Ave. in Manayunk to a Bryn Mawr storefront in early February, said owner Lila Colello. The new takeout-only bakery will replace a hookah lounge at 1007 W. Lancaster Ave.

    “We’ve really outgrown our space,” Colello told The Inquirer. Manayunk “wasn’t ever meant to be for retail.”

    A trained pastry chef who worked for the Ritz Carlton and Wolfgang Puck Catering, Colello was afraid she’d have to give up the best things in life — bread and her career — when she was diagnosed in 2010 with celiac disease, an inflammatory autoimmune and intestinal disorder triggered by eating gluten.

    Instead, Colello spent the next seven years finding ways to get around gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley (and thus most breads, bagels, and pastries). She perfected kettle-boiled bagels and pastry lamination before starting Flakely in 2017 as a wholesaler.

    Colello moved into the commercial kitchen at Krams Avenue in 2021, where customers have spent the last four years picking up buttery chocolate croissants, brown sugar morning buns, and crusty-yet-chewy bagels from a takeout window in an industrial parking lot. Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan has called Colello’s bagels “the best he’s tasted outside of New York,” and in 2024, Flakely was voted one of the best gluten-free bakeries in the United States by USA Today.

    Lila Colello, owner and head baker at Flakely, helped patent a way to laminate gluten free dough for croissants.

    Flakely’s industrial Manayunk location has required some concessions, Colello said: The majority of their goodies are par-baked and frozen by Colello and three full-time employees for customers to take and bake at home. Otherwise, Colello explained, the lack of steady foot traffic would lead to lots of wasted product.

    Where to find stellar gluten-free breads, pastries, and desserts around Philly

    In Bryn Mawr, Flakely will be a fully functional takeout bakery with a pastry case full of fresh-baked goods, from full-sized baguettes and browned butter chocolate chip cookies to danishes and Colello’s signature sweet-and-savory croissants. A freezer will also include packs of Flakely’s take-and-bake doughs, bagels, and eventually, custom cake orders.

    Once she’s settled in, Colello said, she hopes to run gluten-free baking classes and pop-up dinners out of the storefront — offerings (besides the ingredients) that she hopes will differentiate her from other bakeries in the area.

    While the Main Line only has one dedicated gluten-free bakery (The Happy Mixer in Wayne), Lancaster Avenue is already lined with sweet shops: Malvern Buttery opened up a coffee and pastry combo down the street from Flakely in June, and Colello’s storefront is on the same strip as The Bakery House and an outpost of popular Korean-French chain Tous Les Jours.

    “My vision is for this to be a magical space where people can come in and leave with a fresh croissant, which people can’t really do” when they’re gluten-free, said Colello, who lives in Havertown. “We offer our customers things they miss. That’s kind of our thing.”

    Flakely owner Lila Colello poses in front of one of Flakely’s pink gluten free pastry ATMs, which vend take-and-bake goods at four locations in the Philly area.

    What about the pastry ATMs?

    The permanent storefront does not mean Flakely’s signature pink pastry ATMs will disappear, said Colello. But they will move.

    Colello installed Flakely’s first pastry vending machine inside South Philly’s now-shuttered Salt & Vinegar. With the tap or swipe of a credit card, the smart freezer would open to let customers choose their own take-and-bake pack of croissants, pop-tarts, muffins, or danishes. Using it felt like a sweet glimpse into the future.

    Flakely currently operates pastry ATMs inside Collingswood grocer Haddon Culinary, the Weaver’s Way Co-op in Ambler, Ardmore smoke shop Free Will Collective, and Irv’s Ice Cream in South Philly, where enterprising customers top their pastries with scoops fresh out the freezer.

    Irv’s ATM will make the move to Reap Wellness in Fishtown on Jan. 5 when the ice cream shop closes for the season, Colello said. And come February, the smoke shop’s ATM will transition to Lucky’s Trading Co., a food hall at 5154 Ridge Ave. in Roxborough. The hope, Colello said, is to space the locations out enough so she’s not competing with herself.

    “We’re finally in the middle of where everything is,” Colello said. “And that’s kind of the goal.”

    Flakely, 1007 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, 484-450-6576. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

  • SEPTA opens new $50M Wissahickon Transit Center in Manayunk

    SEPTA opens new $50M Wissahickon Transit Center in Manayunk

    SEPTA officially unveiled its long-awaited Wissahickon Transportation Center in Manayunk, which is about six times the size of the previous small bus depot.

    The new center on Ridge Avenue, near Main Street, is expected to serve 5,000 bus riders a day, officials said Monday at the ribbon cutting.

    Construction of the $50 million project began in 2023 at what was already one of SEPTA’s busiest transportation hubs. It is located within walking distance of the Wissahickon Regional Rail Station.

    Officials say the center improves connections, provides a better waiting experience for riders, and serves as a key transportation link to busy Main Street. They also say it makes navigating the immediate area easier for buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

    “We are making bus service safer and more reliable at one of our busiest transportation facilities,” SEPTA board chair Kenneth Lawrence said in a statement. “This new hub provides better access to work, school, and other opportunities, including reverse commute connections for Philadelphia residents to Montgomery and Delaware Counties.”

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    Among the improvements:

    • Weather-protected waiting areas, benches, and bicycle racks
    • Better lighting, signs, and security cameras
    • A supervisor’s booth
    • A new left turn lane dedicated to buses on a wider road
    • Improved crosswalks for pedestrians crossing Ridge Avenue
    • Bicycle racks
    • Improved crosswalks
    • Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant boarding areas

    The previous center that fronted Ridge Avenue was basically a large bus shelter where commuters who live in neighborhoods in the city’s northwest and pass through on their way to jobs in King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting change buses.

    SEPTA’s new Wissahickon bus station promises better connections. But it could harm a beloved Philly landscape. | Inga Saffron

    Nearly three-quarters of the passengers who board at Wissahickon are transferring to or from other SEPTA services.

    “This is our largest customer-centric bus project to date,” said SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer.

    Officials say the center lays the groundwork for SEPTA’s new bus network. For about five years, the transit agency had been taking steps toward launching its first comprehensive overhaul of the bus system since SEPTA opened in 1964, but last year SEPTA put the project on indefinite pause due to funding issues.

    The new center, which is immediately behind the old facility, is part of the city’s larger Wissahickon Gateway Plan to grow and improve the area where the Schuylkill and Wissahickon Creek meet at Ridge Avenue and Main Street.

    The gateway plan’s goal is to address stifling traffic, dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and provide easier access to the river.

    As part of the gateway, a new trail segment is also planned that would include a paved path allowing walkers, runners, and cyclists to circumvent the busy nexus of roads, giving easier access to the Schuylkill River Trail.

  • Philly expands outdoor dining and cracks down on ‘reservation scalpers’ ahead of expected 2026 tourism

    Philly expands outdoor dining and cracks down on ‘reservation scalpers’ ahead of expected 2026 tourism

    Philadelphia lawmakers on Thursday approved two changes to city law that are aimed at boosting business for restaurants and the hospitality sector ahead of an expected influx of tourists visiting the city next year.

    During its final meeting of the year, City Council voted to approve legislation to expand outdoor dining in the city by easing the permitting process in a handful of commercial corridors.

    Legislators also voted to ban so-called reservation scalpers, which are third-party businesses that allow people to secure tables and then resell them without authorization from the restaurant.

    Both measures passed Council unanimously and were championed by advocates for the restaurant industry, who lobbied lawmakers to ease burdens on the tourism and hospitality industry ahead of several large-scale events in the city next year, including celebrations for America’s Semiquincentennial, when Philadelphia is expected to host a flurry of visitors.

    They both now head to the desk of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who has never issued a veto.

    It can take two years for a restaurant to get approved for outdoor dining. One Philly Council member is trying to make it easier

    The outdoor dining legislation, authored by Councilmember Rue Landau, a Democrat who represents the city at-large, expands the number of so-called by-right zones, where businesses can have sidewalk cafes without having to obtain a special zoning ordinance.

    Currently, by-right areas are only in Center City and a few commercial corridors in other neighborhoods. Restaurants outside those areas must undertake a sometimes lengthy process to get permission to place tables and chairs outside.

    The expanded zones, which were chosen by individual Council members who represent the city’s 10 geographic districts, include corridors in Manayunk and on parts of Washington Avenue, Passyunk Avenue, and Point Breeze Avenue in South Philadelphia.

    The legislation also includes all of the West Philadelphia-based Third District, which is represented by Jamie Gauthier, the only Council member who chose to include her entire district in the expansion.

    The cafe area on the sidewalk outside of Gleaner’s Cafe in the 9th Street Market on Thursday, July 27, 2023.

    Nicholas Ducos, who owns Mural City Cellars in Fishtown, said he has been working for more than a year to get permission to place four picnic tables outside his winery. He said he has had to jump through hoops including working with multiple agencies, spending $1,500 to hire an architect, and even having to provide paperwork to the city on a CD-ROM.

    “There are a lot of difficult things about running a business in Philadelphia,” Ducos said. “This should not be one.”

    At left is Philadelphia Council President Kenyatta Johnson greeting Rue Landau and other returning members of council on their first day of fall session, City Hall, Thursday, September 11, 2025.

    Council members also approved the reservation scalping legislation authored by Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, a Democrat who represents the city at-large. He has said the bill is modeled after a similar law in New York and is not aimed at popular apps and websites like OpenTable, Resy, and Tock that partner directly with restaurants.

    Philly looks to crack down on restaurant ‘reservation scalpers’ ahead of Michelin ratings

    Instead, it is a crackdown on websites that don’t work with restaurants, such as AppointmentTrader.com, which provides a platform for people to sell reservations and tickets to events.

    Jonas Frey, the founder of AppointmentTrader.com, previously said the legislation needlessly targets his platform. He said his company put safeguards in place to prevent scalping, including shutting down accounts if more than half of their reservations go unsold.

    But Thomas has cast the website and similar platforms as “predatory” because restaurants can end up saddled with empty tables if the reservations do not resell.

    Zak Pyzik, senior director of public affairs at the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the legislation is an important safeguard for restaurants.

    “This bill provides clear, sensible protections that will keep restaurants in the driver’s seat,” he said, “and in control of their business and their technology services.”

  • Philly music featuring Jingle Ball, mgk, the Happy Fits, the Starting Line, and Algernon Cadwallader

    Philly music featuring Jingle Ball, mgk, the Happy Fits, the Starting Line, and Algernon Cadwallader

    This week in Philly music features hometown shows by two reunited Philadelphia pop-punk bands in the Starting Line and Algernon Cadwallader, plus South Philly arena dates with the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly and the all-star Jingle Ball tour. Also on tap: Club shows with the Dream Syndicate, Rhett Miller, and Greg Mendez.

    Pittstown, N.J.-born and Philly-based pop-rock quartet the Happy Fits headline the Fillmore on Thursday. The band, fronted by singer and electric cellist Calvin Longman, is on tour for Lovesick, their snappy fourth album, and first since founding member Ross Monteith left the band and new members Nico Rose and Raina Mullen (who sings lead on the title track) joined up.

    The ‘60s and early ‘70s live in the music of the Heavy Heavy, the Brighton, England, duo of Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, whose songs stand on their own while being unashamed for their affections for counterculture-era rock sounds.

    Will Turner and Georgie Fuller of England’s the Heavy Heavy play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday.

    The band that previously recorded a psychedelic version of Father John Misty’s “Real Love Baby” plays Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia on Thursday.

    JD McPherson’s most recent album of rockabilly and old school R&B-influenced originals was last year’s Nite Owls. Hopefully, the Oklahoma singer-guitarist will dip into his entire discography, but his show Thursday night at Arden Gild Hall in Wilmington is a “A Rock ’N’ Roll Christmas Tour” stop centered on the songs on his 2017 album Socks.

    Algernon Cadwallader play Union Transfer on Dec. 13.

    King Mala is Los Angeles alt-pop artist Areli Lopez, the El Paso native who’s touring behind her Billie Eiish-ish moody full-length debut And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing. She’s at Nikki Lopez on South Street with Dezi opening.

    If Steve Wynn isn’t touring doing solo shows, or playing with indie supergroups Gutterball and the Baseball Project (the latter with whom he was in Philly in September), he’s on the road with the Dream Syndicate, the band that emerged from the 1980s Los Angeles psychedelic rock scene known as the Paisley Underground.

    The band’s 1984 album Medicine Show mixed neo-noir mystery and Southern literary flair on epic guitar tracks like “John Coltrane Stereo Blues.” They’ll open with a set that surveys their career before playing Medicine Show in its entirety at Johnny Brenda’s on Friday.

    Rhett Miller divides his time between the Old ‘97s and his solo career. His ninth Rhett Miller album is the new A lifetime of riding by night, which is a stripped-down affair that was recorded before (successful) vocal surgery and captures him in a reflective, philosophical mood. He plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday, then heads down the road to play 118 North in Wayne that night.

    Rhett Miller plays Free at Noon at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday and 118 North in Wayne later that night. The Old ’97s singer’s new solo album is “A lifetime of riding by night.”

    Philly “apocolectric” folk-rock quartet Bums in the Attic celebrate the release of their The Denouement EP at Dawson Street Pub on Friday, with Ms. J & the Cresson Street Band and Anthony Baldini.

    Philly pop-punkers the Starting Line — originally from Churchville in Bucks County — have released only three albums in an initial burst of activity that began with 2002’s release, Say It Like You Mean It.

    Philly pop-punk band the Starting Line’s new album “Eternal Youth” is their first in 18 years. They play two nights at the Fillmore Philly on Friday and Saturday.

    The band went on hiatus in 2008, but has regrouped for several tours throughout the years and got a boost in the pop cultural consciousness in 2024 when Taylor Swift name-checked them in “The Black Dog” from The Tortured Poets Department. Now they’re back in earnest with Eternal Youth, their first album in 18 years, and shows at the Fillmore on Friday and Saturday.

    Jon Langford & Sally Timms of the Mekons return to the charming confines of Harmonie Hall in Manayunk on Saturday. Expect a survey from the 40-plus year career of the Leeds, England-born country-punk pioneers featuring the divine-voiced Timms and offhand brilliance of the prolific Langford, who will be coming back to Philly together with the full-sized Mekons at the Latvian Society in June.

    Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on Saturday. His new album is “Starburst.”

    Inspired and eccentric Detroit rapper Danny Brown plays the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street on Saturday. He’s touring behind his new album Stardust, which vividly chronicles his journey to sobriety.

    Algernon Cadwallader hail from Yardley in Bucks County. But in a world of inscrutable micro-genres, they’re often labeled a “Midwest emo” band. After going their separate ways after their 2011 album Parrot Flies, the band that includes singer Peter Helmis and guitarist and Headroom Studio owner Joe Reinhart (also a member of Hop Along) got back together in 2022. Trying Not to Have a Thought, their first album in 14 years, came out in September, and they’re playing a hometown show at Union Transfer on Saturday, with Gladie and Snoozer opening.

    Machine Gun Kelly gets slimed after performing “Cliche” during the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The artist, now known as mgk, plays Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

    Mgk isn’t just shorthand for Philly classic rock radio station WMGK-FM (102.9). It’s now the stage name of the artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly, who ditched his previous moniker in 2024 to disassociate himself from gun violence.

    The rapper and singer is touring behind his new album, Lost Americana, which was released in June accompanied by a trailer narrated by none other than Bob Dylan, who is apparently his biggest fan. “From the glow of neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles,” Dylan said. “This is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined, and the future is forged on your own terms.” The “Lost Americana” tour comes to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.

    Philly indie songwriter Greg Mendez is playing one more show in the super-intimate side chapel of the First Unitarian Church on Monday. This Mendez and Friends show features guest Amelia Cry Till I Die, Mary St. Mary and Shannen Moser singing traditional folk ballads. Most likely they will be making beautiful music together.

    BigXthaPlug performs during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., on June 13, 2024. The Texas country rapper plays the Jingle Ball at Xfinity Mobil;e Arenea on Monday. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

    On Monday, it’s the Jingle Ball. This year’s iHeart Radio package tour of hitmakers at Xfinity Mobile Arena runs alphabetically from AJR to Zara Larsson. The show presented by Q102 — Philly station WIOQ-FM (102.1) — serves up a crash course in contemporary pop with Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Laufey, Monsta X, Miles Smith and Raven Lenae, plus a KPop Demon Hunters sing-along.

  • After Manayunk’s Bridget the Dino statue was decapitated, neighbors will decide the name for a new dinosaur

    After Manayunk’s Bridget the Dino statue was decapitated, neighbors will decide the name for a new dinosaur

    The decapitation of a beloved stone garden dinosaur in Manayunk left the community reeling earlier this week.

    Bridget the Dino was a symbol for the neighborhood’s green spaces and neighborly affection, who oversaw the Manayunk Bridge Trail gardens.

    When all hope was lost, the original owners of Bridget, and other neighborhood dinosaurs that have become a staple to Roxborough and Manayunk, saved the day.

    Holod’s, the Lafayette Hill home and garden store, donated a brand new stone dinosaur to the Manayunk gardens at Dupont and High Streets, taking over Bridget’s yearslong watch as the garden guardian.

    “After the heartbreak of seeing Bridget damaged, this unexpected act of kindness means more than words can say. The neighborhood love is real, and this Dino is already feeling it,” park organizers announced on Tuesday.

    Now that the difficult task of placing a new 300-pound stone garden dinosaur is complete, the fun part comes: choosing a name for the new dino. When park organizers learned they would be getting a brand new dino, they decided they couldn’t just name the new statue Bridget, as she is “irreplaceable,” said park volunteer and Roxborough resident Juliane Holz.

    “The community is so much a part of this that they can help us name this new one,” Holz said. “I like Manny. But we also have to decide whether she is a girl or a boy dino. I do like ‘Holly’ for Holod’s.”

    Park organizers have already posted a list of suggested names for the new statue. This reporter is partial to “Yunker.”

    Potential dinosaur names:

    • Manny (for Manayunk)
    • Archie (for the arch of the bridge)
    • Roxie (for the Roxborough side)
    • Schuylie (for the Schuylkill)
    • Ivy (garden vibes)
    • Rocky (Philly and Roxborough)
    • Ledger (bridge and connection vibes)
    • Petra (means “rock”)
    • Yunker (play on Manayunk)

    Residents from Manayunk, Roxborough, and beyond can drop a comment below the park’s latest Instagram post to vote on one of the above names or suggest a new one.

    Last Sunday, a neighbor found Bridget’s head lying at the feet of her stone body after it was smashed between late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. The vandalism came as a shock to the community that welcomed Bridget with open arms, as she grew into a beacon for the ever-growing green spaces that the families of Manayunk and Roxborough have come to revitalize.

    Bridget the Dino, a beloved stone garden statue at the Manayunk Bridge Garden, had its head smashed off between late Saturday night, Nov. 22, and early Sunday morning, Nov. 23, 2025. The 300-pound stone statue would be hard to move, neighbors say, leading some to believe an adult purposefully broke the statue.

    “It seems like something silly to be upset about, but someone put a lot of effort and money — these statues and improvements are not cheap — into making that bridge garden a really nice place,” Manayunk resident Annie Schuster said. “I hate the fact that somebody did that.”

    Neighbors believe the cowardly act to have been perpetrated by an adult who intended to destroy the iconic statue. Holz believed the statue proved too heavy for someone to mistakenly bump into it. Police reached out to Holz and park organizers to let them know they will investigate the crime, Holz said.

    Bridget the Dino, a beloved stone garden statue at the Manayunk Bridge Garden, pictured in an Easter Bunny costume for Easter. The community often dresses up Bridget during different holidays and themed events. In November 2026, her head was smashed off her body.

    Meanwhile, they’ll repurpose Bridget elsewhere among the garden beds and usher a new dinosaur dynasty with Holod’s latest statue. Holz said perhaps Bridget’s new iteration will be as a bird bath installation or an addition in a new sensory garden.

    The Manayunk Bridge Garden is one of the many public spaces being transformed into neighborhood gardens and pedestrian thoroughfares. Since COVID-19 lockdowns, residents have donated their time, alongside the Roxborough Manayunk Conservancy, to making this place special for local families. Bridget and her new friend encapsulate all of that passion.

    Bridget the Dino, a beloved stone garden statue at the Manayunk Bridge Garden, pictured in a construction worker’s uniform. The community often dresses up Bridget during different holidays and themed events. In November 2026, her head was smashed off her body.

    “We are focused on improving the park’s ecology and creating opportunities for the community to enjoy and use the space. The gardens are stunning in autumn with their masses of purple asters and yellow goldenrod,” said Avigail Milder of the Roxborough Manayunk Conservancy.

    Along with the welcoming stone dinosaur, volunteers have been planting native shrubs and herbaceous plants that bloom through spring and summer. A new sugar maple tree was planted for much-needed shade. And most recently, Opus Piano donated a mini grand piano to be enjoyed and played by all parkgoers.

  • A ‘1980-esque’ Bryn Mawr home got a big renovation

    A ‘1980-esque’ Bryn Mawr home got a big renovation

    When Steven Peikin and Amy Spicer moved back to the Philadelphia area in late 2023 after spending 2½ years in Florida, there weren’t many houses on the market. So when Peikin discovered a 4,100-square-foot, two-story home in Bryn Mawr on a solo trip, he convinced Spicer that he’d found the perfect home.

    “She saw the pictures online,” recalled Peikin, a gastroenterologist at Cooper University Health Care. “I saw it on a Thursday and was told there could be no contingency or inspection, there were four other bidders, and I had to have our best offer in by Sunday.”

    He took the plunge and bought the house, but when Amy saw it, she wasn’t completely sold. She felt the house was dated and she couldn’t get past the yellow exterior.

    “When I saw the inside of the house, it was very 1980-esque and needed considerable remodeling,” said Amy, a pharmaceutical sales rep for Madrigal and a yoga instructor. “Steve found it very charming, but I saw it as my 97-year-old grandma’s house.”

    Steve Peikin and Amy Spicer’s living room was one of the spaces they updated in renovations.
    The kitchen and dining area, which looks out on the backyard.
    The renovated kitchen features Thermador appliances and a stone island with a built-in stove.
    Decor in the den.

    The compromise was to make changes that would satisfy them both. The couple stayed in Airbnbs during a four-month renovation, and moved into the home in the spring of 2025.

    With the help of Christina Henck from Manayunk-based Henck Design, they created a cozy, updated English Country style home in warm browns and neutrals.

    “The house was very formal but we created a more natural, laid-back feel,” said Peikin.

    They painted the exterior brownish gray, updated the bathrooms, created a dedicated laundry room, and added architectural elements to the living room and family room.

    The outside of the home, which was once yellow, was painted after Spicer and Peikin moved in.

    Those included custom bookshelves, a new metal mantle for the wood-burning stove, and extended ceiling beams. They also replaced all of the original lighting with a combination of recessed lighting and fixtures, swapped out the window treatments, updated the HVAC system, and added pavers to the backyard.

    “Steve has a living room and I have a den,” said Spicer. “Mine is very calm and peaceful and his feels refined and sophisticated.”

    Parts of the house had been renovated a couple of years earlier after a tree fell on the house, resulting in a new kitchen, primary suite, and roof.

    Spicer’s son, Austin, 23, is currently living with the couple. He and his mom enjoy cooking together in their spacious kitchen featuring Thermador appliances and a stone island with a built-in stove. A second stove sits under the microwave. When weather permits, Peikin grills outside and they eat on the patio.

    A reprint of the painting “Lady With an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci is pictured on a shelf in the den.
    Metal wall decor hanging on the wall of the den.
    Steve Peikin’s home office. When they bought the home, the couple wanted space for two home offices.
    The mudroom and arched entryway.

    The mudroom off the garage leads to the kitchen through an arched passageway which may have been an addition to the original house built in 1950, Peikin said. The mudroom floor features black and gold tile and a huge inlaid wooden chest that they call the Narnia cabinet — akin to the one in the fantasy novel The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — sits against one wall.

    The primary bedroom suite includes a large window overlooking the tree-lined property.

    “You can watch the deer and other animals in the backyard,” said Spicer. “While our home in Florida was lovely because we stared at water, it was loud. Here it’s quiet and just beautiful.”

    Peikin and Spicer each have dedicated offices. He refers to his first-floor office as his studiolo, which during the Italian Renaissance was a place of study and contemplation. He meets with telemedicine clients there, but it’s also where he watches ballgames and hangs out.

    The backyard, where the couple enjoy swimming, barbecuing, and relaxing.

    Spicer’s office includes an altar featuring a Buddha, a space where she meditates and which she uses as a backdrop for the online yoga classes she teaches.

    The backyard is where the family spends as much time as possible, swimming, hanging in the hot tub, lounging by the pool, warming up at the fire pit, or barbecuing. With help from All Seasons Maintenance & Design, Melady Landscaping, and Bloom Design, they created a cozy, inviting outdoor retreat.

    “The best part of living here is that we are surrounded by a bamboo forest and tall trees, with beautiful crepe myrtle, dogwoods, and magnolias, and we have deer and lots of birds,” said Peikin. “We love the outdoors.”

    Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.

    The outdoor kitchen, where Spicer and Peikin prefer to cook dinner when the weather allows.
    Steve Peikin and Amy Spicer pose for a portrait in their backyard.