It takes a special kind of braggadocio to proclaim that we not only live in one of the best places on Earth but also to enumerate why that is, then categorize the results with taxonomical precision on printed pages. Welcome to my world—the annual Best of North Bay edition of the North Bay Bohemian.
This edition is a keeper. It’s an almanac that should be kept within easy reach of wherever you conduct your reading habits. This isn’t mere wood pulp—it’s the high-fiber cornerstone of your media diet. It will tell you where to go and what to do and perhaps even remind you why you’re doing it in the first place.
Our “Best Of” edition is a map, a talisman, a sacred amulet that will help guide you as you journey forth, hero/ine that you are, into the next chapters of the greatest story ever written—yours. Okay, perhaps that’s overselling it. But when you’re looking for the best burrito, hair stylist or “Best Place to Manufacture One’s Own Meet-cute Since Cupid Obviously Doesn’t Care,” we got you.
I should note that the editorial staff aren’t the only ones thumping our chests like a band of silver backs. It’s at your feet, Darling Readers, where most credit should be laid. It was your votes, after all, that decided the Best of the Best and comprise the bulk of these pages. The writing team merely spackled the looming drywall edifice of your endeavor with its rapier (qua putty knife) wit.
Each of the contributions made by my garrison of contributors—among them Isabella Cook, Michael Giotis, Cincinnatus Hibbard, Desmond Howell, Kary Hess, Ada Ionesco and Simone Wilson—is a precious vein of wabi-sabi gold glittering between the cracks. I am grateful for them, for our production and advertising teams, and especially for you—Dear Readers—because you are what makes our community vibrant, diverse and uniquely compelling. — Daedalus Howell, editor
Dang ya’ll. What’s up with all the AI art? Ya’ll can’t afford to hire any REAL artists? What a slap in the face to those of us graphic artists struggling to make a living in this area. Ya’ll should be ASHAMED.