The arts are flourishing, the housing market is on the rebound, the Seahawks are in ascent, and big Bertha is boring a gateway to the land of milk and honey beneath your feet, whether you like it or not. You can get high, marry whomever you like, and then go eat a pancake on a stick. No doubt Seattle is changing—and, we like to think, things are getting better. It is, dare we say, a renaissance, and we are using this year’s guide to the Best of Seattle to toast the inventiveness of our city and celebrate the vanguard of the new (while also recognizing the fixtures that are here through thick and thin). But we can’t do it without your help, which is why we are asking you, dear readers, to tell us what you love about this city in our annual Reader’s Poll.

To be honest, we would prefer you vote online at seattleweekly.com/somethingTK. But if you are fond of parchment (and trust me, we feel ya), you can mail in this physical ballot. Just write in your favorite for at least five of the categories on this page, detach it from the rest of the issue, and mail it to:

Best of Seattle 2013

c/o

Seattle Weekly

307 Third Ave. S., second floor

Seattle, WA 98104

We’ll need your name, e-mail address (which will be purged upon tallying), and ZIP code to ensure authenticity. Ballots must be postmarked or submitted online by Tuesday, July 30. The winners will be announced in our August 7 issue. We’d like to start this new beginning off on the right foot, so let’s all play fair: Only vote once.

—MARK BAUMGARTEN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF