EVER SINCE OUR FIRST BEST OF SEATTLE™ in 1986 (remember the cute slugs on the cover?), Seattle Weekly readers and staff have worked together to annually identify those parts of our much-vaunted lifestyle that “best” reflect our collective tastes. Some choices are familiarlike a kind of civic comfort food; but others are totally unexpected. In addition to Readers’ Picks, derived from the Best of Seattle ballots you sent in, we’ve included our staff’s Critics’ Picks, focusing on “bests” that are a little too specific or obscure to be put up for a vote. We’ve also polled well-known locals for their Celebrity Picks, ranging from Ichiro’s favorite sushi bar to who J.P. Patches thinks is the funniest Seattleite outside the City Dump. In addition, we’ve dug up some under-the-radar stories, Discoveries that remind us that the “best” isn’t always the obvious. Seattle has so many subcultures and layers that it would take more than our collective lifetimes to penetrate them all (and certainly more than 18 years of Best of Seattle). Which is why this issue is a perennial favorite: It’s a once-a-year starting point for launching your own personal exploration of the city. Enjoy. Knute Berger
CONTRIBUTORS: Rick Anderson, Knute Berger, Andrew Bonazelli, Gavin Borchert, Laura Cassidy, Frank Catalano, Janna Chan, Philip Dawdy, Roger Downey, Andrew Engelson, Mark D. Fefer, Mike Henderson, George Howland Jr., Brandon Ivey, Sandra Kurtz, Michaelangelo Matos, Katie Millbauer, Brian Miller, Neal Schindler, Nina Shapiro, David Stoesz, Chuck Taylor, Steve Wiecking
People and Politics
CELEBRITY PICKS
DISCOVERIES
Arts & Entertainment
CELEBRITY PICKS
DISCOVERIES
Food & Drink
CELEBRITY PICKS
DISCOVERIES
Turf: Urban Living
CELEBRITY PICKS
DISCOVERIES
