Forward, ho!

By Marke B.

The two doors of the world
stand open:
opened by you in the twinight.
We hear them slam and slam
and carry the thing that's uncertain
and carry the green thing into your Ever.
-Paul Celan

So, like, the future. Now there's a big if! It seems like we'd just marked the centenary of the Great Quake and Fire of 1906, celebrating our wondrous rise from the ashes of the past, when -- boom! -- we were in the midst of World War III (according to several mouthy Republicans). How'd that happen? Where'd it all go wrong? And what about those melting ice caps? The sound of the future used to be zip-whiz-neato!

Now it's just kind of gulp.

But as I always say, when there's a big if dangling in your face, go for it. I haven't lived through a zillion club nights of divas screeching empowerment at me and not absorbed at least some of their message. The future may be in peril, but the Bay's still thrumming with vibrance -- freewheeling artists, quirky shops, stunning cuisines, fantasmic history. People loving people, people making plans, people rising above. At the epicenter of American radicalism, we've never let fear paralyze us -- that's why we're called progressives. We meet the challenges of the future (and the present) head-on, not by throwing up our hands but by working toward viable solutions. And we have a heckuva jolly time doing it.

In that visionary-yet-practical spirit, we chose "the future city" as our theme for this year's Best of the Bay and let our artists, writers, and contributors go wild. Bamboo bicycles? Nano-organics? Tranny wars? Mental iPods? The "Glen" of Glen Park? It's all in here. Some of the neighborhoods we write about are in states of extreme flux; others are symbols of enduring spirit. Our Best of the Bay editors' picks highlight a few of the seemingly infinite things about the Bay that juice us up (Best Little Hothouse of Budding Revolutionaries, Best Bike Route for Stargazers), make us proud (Best Streetcar Named Herb Caen, Best Pink Dojang), and give us a kick (Best Eye Tacos, Best Drag Queen with an Accordion). And our Local Hero profiles pay tribute to some of the distinguished residents of the Bay who really inspire us to keep on keepin' on.

The result, we hope, is a multiplicity of voices, personalities, and destinations, a glowing mass of predictions, proposals, and dreams -- the very definition of optimism. These voices include yours too, by way of the Best of the Bay Readers' Poll, in which you honor the many things you feel capture the essence of your experience here -- everything from Best Vietnamese Sandwich to Best Burlesque Act, Best Local Designer to Best Nature Spot for People with Disabilities. It's a veritable feast of Bay love!
In 1974, Esquire magazine asked us for ideas for its Best of the USA issue, and the Bay Guardian responded by publishing the original Best of the Bay. Made by the people of the Bay Area for the people of the Bay Area, it’s our annual chance to celebrate the people and places that make this city great. We were the first weekly paper to print a regular "best of" issue. Thirty-two years on -- and 40 years after we opened our doors — we're still going strong.

Editing this year's installment was something no one could possibly have done alone. I had the extreme privilege of working with the frabjous Guardian staff and an amazing smorgasbord of local talent to get this year's Best of the Bay out the conceptual door. If there's any sign that the future holds great things for the Bay, it's that so many gifted people continue to live and work here, despite fiduciary precariousness. I shower grateful smooches on them all, particularly on Lynn Rapoport, the Best Balls-Out Managing Editor Ever; Mona Caron, the mind-blowing future-now artist whose illustrations are featured throughout; and the ever-patient Hunky Beau, my own personal Best of the Bay.

But most of all we thank you, dear reader, for pouring your unique pluck and zing into this great community, for keeping the doors of hope open, and for never giving up on the green dream. Peace.

About the Illustrator

Swiss-born artist Mona Caron is an illustrator, graphic designer, muralist, and costume and set designer who has lived and worked in the Bay Area for more than a decade. Among her well-known and much-loved local achievements are the Market Street Railway mural (a rainbow-hued vision of San Francisco from distant past to hoped-for future) and the Duboce Bikeway mural (the "wiggle" one with the big snake behind the Market Street Safeway in San Francisco). For more on Caron, go to www.monacaron.com.

Also In This Week's Guardian

SEEING THE LIGHT
Waking up and baking out to Brightblack Morning Light's drowsy sound

WHAT BOOZE BAN?
After an alcohol crackdown in North Beach, the city commission is back to facilitating the fun

Guardian's Best Of The Bay 2006 Party

About the Illustrator

Credits