In 1974 we blazed a trail by being the first newspaper to present "Best of" awards. Every year since then, we've given Best of the Bay recognition to the people, places, and things that make the Bay Area great.

Our 2009 Best of the Bay issue hits the stands July 29 and will include our annual Readers Poll. This is your chance to give a shout-out to whatever you love best about the Bay Area. Simply click on the link before to start voting. Here are the categories: Food and Drink, Arts and Nightlife, Shopping, Outdoors and Sports, Sex and Romance, City Living, Classics, and Best of the Best -- in which you can tell us your absolute favorite thing about the Bay.

Voting ends at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30. Thanks for participating!