I imagine some of y'all are feeling a little less than your best right now. Well, buck up. Look at the big picture: You live in Portland. Candidates for election here battle over who's more progressive, not who's more "centrist." Winning city council candidates succeeded with a platform based on providing more affordable housing and helping the poor, not shrinking government and asking people to fend for themselves. We have a domestic-partner registry, an elected Green representative, and nonprofit groups who help artists find housing, help children find solace from their grief, and help, in the newly minted Mensk, just about everybody find a good time. We could have made this collection of bests twice as big, but there's only so much space and so much time. So, what we tried to focus on were the new and the unknown, hoping that you, the reader, would discover a new favorite you didn't know about. Have you hit the new dog park yet? Gulped down Blue Balls? Done yoga in 100-degree heat? Why not? Maybe you were too busy visiting all the places you readers voted in as the best. You'll find them all here, wonderfully compiled by uber-intern Angelique Carson. Thank God she's here - counting ballots sucks! Take a read and keep your spirits up; the best is yet to come.