Nine months ago, the New Times editorial staff hauled the ol' Best of Miami® machine out of storage the way we always do and cranked it up right outside the publisher's office door the way we always do because we know how much he hates the racket it makes.
And here we are — six months later than we'd planned.
Of course, 2020 has been a year none of us could have planned for, and, for far too many of us, a grueling and painful one.
Still, there have been bright spots, and for us, putting together this issue was an exercise in discovering (or reminding ourselves of) the superlative nature of several hundred of them.
You might note that some of your favorite categories are missing from this year's edition. That's mostly out of respect for the process. (How, for instance, can you choose a best local actor when there was no local theater season?) Some of our favorite places may be missing, too: those that haven't reopened from pandemic-induced closures yet, and those that shut down permanently.
In the case of the former, we're looking forward to seeing you in time for Best of Miami® 2021, which is tentatively planned for June. And in the case of the latter, we're dedicating this issue to you in the hope that the people who made you what you were will return with something just as wonderful, or maybe even more so.
The Best of Miami® is written by:
Juliana Accioly, Grant Albert, Juan Antonio Barquin, Amber Love Bond, Clarissa Buch, Alexi C. Cardona, Joshua Ceballos, Carolina del Busto, Laine Doss, Jose D. Duran, Dan Evans, Zachary Fagenson, Tom Finkel, Suzannah Friscia, Jessica Gibbs, Jen Karetnick, Jessica Lipscomb, Chris Malone, Olivia McAuley, Chelsea Olson, Aaliyah Pasols, David Rolland, Jesse Scott, Catherine Toruño, Elena Vivas, and Ryan Yousefi.
20/20 concept and section openers by Tom Carlson. Design by Tom Carlson and Alexander Flores.
