I moved to San Francisco in the blistering hot summer of 2000 for life, for love, for adventure and for excitement. And I found all that and more. I found a city that didn’t just embrace dreams and those who wanted to make them reality, but an entire Bay Area of people who were doing just that. It seems like every single person I meet is trying to bring wonderful into the world. Sometimes wild, always uniquely styled.

It’s artists building some crazy installations to make people say “ooo” at Burning Man, or the folks up the street transforming urban wastelands into urban farms for the people, or the guy on the bus asking if you want to check out his new iPhone app, or the volunteer who teaches kids how to use sign language, or the b-movie archivist whose house secretly doubles as a classic movie theater to keep the experience alive, or my friend who turned endless hours of animal rescue into a full-time lifestyle, or the next door neighbor who is devoted to the glorious aggrandizement of herself for the grand enjoyment for others, or my hundreds of customers working to realize their own dreams of making comics of their own… I know people who are doing all of that and so much more. Because SF is a city that quite literally expects you to create something magical.

My dream that I worked my fingers to the bone to bring to life is the Isotope. I wanted to create a little slice of comic book heaven in honor of that which I love most, a comic store that would celebrate comics in the best way I knew how. And most of all, to simply make other people happy.

And the city is filled with people just like me, and you. Who just want to make something wonderful to share with others. Help me celebrate them by voting for your favorites in the Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay poll. Let’s spread a little good karmic cheer and shower those people and places we love with some affection and let them know how much it means to us to have them around. Let’s raise a toast to those things that make SF the wild and so-o uniquely styled city it is. Because behind each of those places is a person who will no doubt appreciate being told.

Here’s some of my personal favorites:

Food & Drink
“Best New Restaurant” Otoro Sushi
“Best Small Plates” Limon
“Best Pizza” Patxis
“Best Sandwich” Ike’s Place
“Best Brunch” Knob Hill Grille
“Best Late-Night Restaurant” Sauce
“Best Splurge Restaurant” Absinthe
“Best Coffeehouse” Blue Bottle Coffee
“Best Tea Shop” Samovar Tea Lounge
“Best Cocktails” Smuggler’s Cove
“Best Dive Bar” 500 Club
“Best Swanky Bar” Bourbon & Branch
“Best Butcher Shop” The Fatted Calf
“Best Chocolatier” Christopher Elbow

Arts & Nightlife
“Best Movie Theatre” Balboa Theatre
“Best Rep Film House” Vortex Room
“Best Museum” Exploratorium or Cartoon Art Museum
“Best Art Collective” Writers Old Fashioned
“Best Local Author” Amelia Beamer
“Best Local Zine” Peak Oil Tract
“Best Local Publishing House” Nightshade Books
“Best Local Record Label” Prank Records or Pirate’s Press
“Best DJ” DJ Bearzbub
“Best Dance Club” Shine
“Best Happy Hour” Smuggler’s Cove
“Best Rock Club” Bottom of the Hill
“Best Punk Club” Thee Parkside
“Best Dive Bar” 500 Club
“Best Jukebox” Lucky 13
“Best Singer-Songwriter” Triple Cobra
“Best DJ” DJ Bearzbub
“Best Burlesque Act” Hubba Hubba Review
“Best Drag Act” Anna Conda’s Charlie Horse

Shopping
“Best Independent Bookstore” Borderlands Books
“Best Used Bookstore” Green Apple Books
“Best Comic Book Store” Isotope
“Best Place to Buy Vinyl” Grooves Inspiralled Vinyl
“Best Clothing Store (Men’s)” Harry O. Menswear
“Best Shoe Store” Gimme Shoes
“Best Furniture Store” Inside Modern
“Best Independent Toy Store” Super 7
“Best Quirky Specialty Store” Swankety Swank
“Best Place to Buy Fetish Gear” Dark Garden

City Living
“Best Local Blog” SFist
“Best Street Fair” How Weird
“Best Tourist Attraction” Tonga Room
“Best Tattoo Artist” Tex
“Best Tattoo Shop” Body Manipulations
“Best Street Fair” How Weird Street Faire
“Best Non-Professional Sport Team” Bay Area Derby Girls: Oakland Outlaws
“Best Local Animal Rescue” All Creatures Healing Network
“Best Pet Groomer” All Creatures Healing Network
“Best Massage Therapist” Justin Hall
“Best Salon” Hair of the Gods
“Best Skate Spot” Embarcadero

My write in for the most amazing person in San Francisco went to Martin Cate, owner of the amazing Smuggler’s Cove. Thanks for every single minute, Martin!

http://www.sfbg.com/bestofthebay2010
Voting ends at 5 p.m. on June 23