User Lists in Philadelphia, PA Metro

We've scoured the Philadelphia area and now we're ready to name our Top Bars/Clubs for 2009. Some are new and some are classic spots. Click through and see if you agree, but note that our Top 10 is randomly listed and not necessarily in our order of preference. (Photo courtesy of Vango Lounge and Skybar)

We've scoured the Philadelphia area and now we're ready to name our Top 10 Restaurants for 2009. Some are new and some are classic spots. Click through and see if you agree, but note that our Top 10 is randomly listed and not necessarily in our order of preference. (Photo courtesy of Valanni)

Getting ready for the holidays? Here are some annual favorites (including the Holiday Garden Railway, left), along with more than a few new or different activities that might bring you some indie holiday cred. (Photo courtesy of Morton Arboretum)

The time has come for your cheap or unemployed friends to stop begging off on going out. With nightly $1 drink specials at the following bars, you can now reply to friends who try to give you the old "I'm too broke to go anywhere", with the fresh "not anymore, buddy--find four quarters and we're out the door".

Just because this economy has forced you to impose some uncomfortably restrictive spending limits on yourself, you might still be looking for ways to treat yourself to a few fashionable wardrobe additions to keep yourself from looking so entirely 2007. Sure, many retailers have slashed, slashed, slashed their prices but for some of us, those reductions still don't jive with our idea of a bargain. Here are some places where you should be able to find a couple of cute pieces and manage to keep a few bucks left over for lunch.

Just as with real estate, the foundation to an exquisite private party is location, location, location. The site where you choose to host your fabulous affair forms the basis for most of the party's components: ambiance, dress, drink selection, quality of the catering, ease of arrival, etc? Of course, as one of the nation's pre-eminent cities, Philadelphia has no shortage of spaces (including The Academy of Music, left) for group functions. Here are some diverse options to help you get this party started right. The guest list is up to you.

With all of this nouvelle to-do about stately classic cocktails, what's a girl (or guy) to do if she (or he) still hasn't gotten over the taste for the froufy martini-lite drinks first made oh-so-popular by the classic characters Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, who will likely show up in the upcoming movie sequel raving about Sidecars and Gimlets? Fret not, little dahlings, despite the current appetite for retro drinks, you can still scout many places in Philadelphia to sip vodka combined with any number of other ingredients and served in a dainty martini glass (does it seem that the only remaining qualifier that defines a martini is the stemmed, triangular glass?). So what if the "classic" version limits you to gin and vermouth? You're a modern girl (or guy) and you refuse to let your spirits be suppressed.

Short on cash flow? That shouldn't stop you from partaking in fun cultural events throughout the city. Every day of the week, some of the city's most venerable institutions offer free tours, entertainment and educational activities, meaning that you can no longer beg off a trip to a museum by crying poor. (Verizon Hall photo courtesy of Kimmel Center)

Woe is the child who had the terrible misfortune to cry "on top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed". The child must not have lived in Philadelphia because any kid who grows up here knows that there is never just one meatball on top of spaghetti. What kind of Italian heritage could we claim if we were ever tempted to be so stingy with our meatballs? I mean, Mama mia! So please, if you're eating meatballs in a distant city, heed the kid's advice by holding on to your meatball and not ever sneezing. If you're here, sneeze away. There are plenty more where those came from.

Although we suspect that people who actually get their holiday shopping done early are really just a myth invented to make the rest of us feel bad, we imagine there may be one or two of you out there who are so sick of your jobs that you'll use any excuse to browse online stores during your work day, even if the holidays are still several long months away. It is for these early birds that we present the following list of local stores that are already stocking up for the holidays.