If there’s one thing 2021 has taught us, it’s that pandemics don’t consult calendars or schedules. So here we are in September, rolling out a Best of Miami® issue that for decades has been published in June but last year hit the stands in mid-December.
We’re just happy to be here — still reporting and writing about this crazy cauldron of a city in this insane state bobbing on the surface of this topsy-turvy world. One month we’re tippy-toeing back into the office for a “Normal” schedule and blowing the dust off the laser printer; the next we’re masking the heck back up and hunkering down again from home.
Again, it’s just good to be here, to continue doing what we can to make sense of all the weirdness and sharing it with you.
And so, amid the chaos, we’ve stitched together another compendium of hundreds of things we love about Miami, why we love them, and where you can go to love them too.
We like to think of this issue as the one where we don’t complain about anything.
It’s a subjective process, of course: If you ask ten locals to name their favorite burger, you’ll likely get eight or nine different answers, depending on how many shrug and say Burger King. But we have to settle on one and only one answer, and you’ll find it in this issue.
Odds are you’dve picked a different one, which is what makes life interesting.
In that spirit, here are a few hundred of the many things about Miami and the Greater South Florida menagerie that we love the most, from cannabis dispensaries to campgrounds, bagels to barbershops, mojitos to mani/pedis, et cetera.
If you disagree with any of our picks (and we’re sure you will!), don’t hesitate to let us know about it. (And we’re sure you will!) Maybe take the opportunity, though, to give our choice a try, and bear in mind that we’ll try to pick a different winner next year.
Till then, please stay engaged in your community and safe from harm.
The Best of Miami® 2021 is written by Ashley-Anna Aboreden, Juliana Accioly, Francisco Alvarado, Alexi C, Cardona, Joshua Ceballos, Tony M. Centeno, Nicole Danna, Jeremy David, Carolina del Busto, Alex DeLuca, Laine Doss, Jose D. Duran, Dan Evans, Tom Finkel, Natalia Galicza, Alan Halaly, Shanae Hardy, Jen Karetnick, Michael Majchrowicz, Olivia McAuley, Aaliyah Pasols, David Rolland, Jess Swanson, Catherine Toruño, Elena Vivas, and Ryan Yousefi.
Design, “21” concept, section openers, and photo-illustrations by Alexander Flores. Layout assistance from Jaimee Cobb.
