The end of this hellacious — maddening, depressing, completely draining — year is almost here. Though it doesn’t mean the difficulties of the past twelve months will miraculously evaporate into thin air, 2021 does give us a fresh start and a chance to course-correct. And (fingers crossed) a successful vaccine rollout will allow us to deliver a Mariah Carey-inspired “[we] don’t know her” to Covid-19.
But this year, in all its taxing detritus, has shown us just how resilient denizens of the Bay Area are in the face of sheer pandemonium.
We erected parklets in lieu of indoor dining. Sex toys and novels were sold — curbside. Neighborhood organizations and leaders rallied to call for racial equality in the wake of a growing number of police killings; we will never (and should never) stop saying those victims’ names.
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Through all of this, local small businesses and community leaders, as well as service and frontline workers, have emerged as a balm — helping us all get through this “dumpster fire of a year.”
That’s exactly why we decided to launch The Bold Italic’s 2020 awards earlier this month: to acknowledge these local businesses and people who made this year bearable. And you all came through in helping us do just that, sending in hundreds of nominations for everything from your favorite parklet and bookstore to dispensary and virtual event.
Now — drum roll, please — we’ve assembled the most suggested nominees for you to vote for over the next week. From today December 8, until Monday, December 14 at 5 p.m., you can cast your (one!) vote for each of our 30-plus categories.
Please fill out the Google Form below to cast your vote. You will be entered to win a $100 gift card to the winner of our Best New Restaurant category.
Sure, there will ultimately be one winner for each category, but it’s worth mentioning that each of these nominees bettered our years — individually and collectively. It’s hard to imagine the state of the Bay Area we’d be in without them, so we want to thank them, regardless, for all that they’ve done.
