In this issue

COMPILING OUR MASSIVE Best of the Bay issue has always proved to be a good time at Bay Guardian headquarters. And this year, our 28th annual effort, was no exception.

Sure, it's a lot work, involving our entire staff – from the finance and sales teams to the masters of the circulation department.

And, no question, counting Readers' Poll ballots is no easy chore for our online crew and John Harper, our ace accountant. We thank our readers, by the way, for providing us with one of the largest responses ever.

But I've never heard anyone in the newsroom complain about this research assignment. For months on end, we let our staff reporters and contributing writers scour the streets of San Francisco to discover the best the city has to offer in dining and shopping, to name just two categories. Each year we feature funky neighborhoods (page 44) – those you know well and those that have reinvented themselves. And, as we have in past Best Of issues, we highlight local heroes (page 58), the characters that contributed in the past year to our quirky community.

As you flip through the pages, you'll notice we've pulled together an exhaustive collection of items. In all, we include 430 different places, people, and things that distinguish San Francisco and the Bay Area from the rest of the country.

Each year we come up with new ways either to reintroduce you to a city you've loved for many years or to help you get to know one of the best places in the United States. This time out, when we sat down to plan the issue, we decided we wanted to offer readers something a bit different. Two new sections, Classics and Politics, have been added to bring attention to what's endured in San Francisco: City Hall politics, after all, is one of the longest running shows in town.

Of course, many thanks need to go around for making this Best Of the best one yet. The first round of applause goes to culture editor Annalee Newitz, whose tireless attention to detail came in handy in managing one of the largest projects of the year. Then there's art director Victor Krummenacher and his design team, who crafted a beautiful package. And, not least, our gang of copy editors, who spent many a long night making sure it all made sense.