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Best Of Cincinnati 2008
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They say that all politics are local. Some say the the only food worth consuming is local. I say the Best of Cincinnati© is the best guide you'll find to local life and activities.
Each week CityBeat focuses attention on local issues, people, events and organizations, so it's no surprise that our Best of Cincinnati supports that mission. For our 12th annual "Best" edition, we wanted to carry the support even farther.
More and more people are talking about the concept of locavore, the movement urging consumers to buy locally-grown food that's fresher, more nutritious and doesn't waste energy being shipped across the country. You can be a carnivore or an omnivore and still be a locavore.
In fact, "locavore" was named the 2007 Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
The Cincinnati Locavore blog (cincinnatilocavore.blogspot.com) brings the concept to the Tristate and discovers something unexpected, as the writer says: "Looking for food locally allows me -- even forces me -- to examine very closely all aspects of feeding myself and my family. When I look nearby for food, I find a whole lot more."
That whole lot more, in our opinion, includes sharper awareness of the overall need to support independent locally-owned businesses as well as entrepreneurs, artists, politicians, media members, organizations and ordinary citizens who want to make Cincinnati the best place possible for Cincinnatians.
And so we dedicate this Best of Cincinnati© issue to everyone in Greater Cincinnati who sticks around this old Rust Belt city and finds some small way to make it better every day. Here are more highlights you'll find in these 80 pages:
· Winners of 175 Readers Picks, compiled from more than 1,500 good ballots collected online.
· Winners of 230 Staff Picks that cover people, places and things the readers might have missed. We also offer six feature stories on further choices -- one in each major section -- ranging from the Flying Food bicycle delivery freaks in Northside to high school football stars staying in town to play for the UC Bearcats to various grassroots activist groups.
· One of the best local efforts in Greater Cincinnati gets its own story: local musicians who have created a stellar original music scene here.
· For the 12th consecutive year, Cincinnati piggies lead you through these pages. This year's stencil-themed illustrations are done by Dylan Speeg, a talented dude who by day is CityBeat's promotions guru and by night is the silly guy in Buckra.
· Revisit previous Best of Cincinnati© issues if you're not convinced by the depth and breadth of life in Cincinnati -- the good, the bad, the important events, the small moments, the people, the businesses, the neighborhoods. Check out www.bestofcincinnati.com for past years and have fun strolling down Memory Lane.
Before you do that, check out this year's issue and become a Cincinnati locavore.
Check out the BestOfCincinnati.com
