Does anybody remember what "normal" feels like? Read on, and let our 29th annual Best of the Inland Northwest issue help you recapture the warm glow of all that's great about the here and now. Almost exactly two years ago, Washington state shut down. Only four days before that, we published our 27th annual Best of the Inland Northwest issue. The days, weeks and months since then have been, well... a blur. So with our readers poll issue rolling around again, we knew we had to bring back that old "normal" feeling. We had to go big — like, real big. And our readers were here for it.
With a slick new balloting system in place, we added 50 additional questions, including things like Best Boba, Best Pilates and even Best Place for a Bachelorette Party. Then the votes poured in like never before, with more than double the number of voters we've had in past years. Also new this year is the ability to comment on your favorites, and we tallied more than 5,000 of your observations. You'll be able to read a sampling of those here.
You'll also learn about four new inductees to our Best of Hall of Fame, along with a visit to North Idaho's Best Distillery, Post Falls' Up North Distillery. You can read about the Best Chicken Sandwich (and it's not from Chick fil-A) at the Logan Tavern near Gonzaga. And you can share in recently retired Tom Sherry's final Best TV Weathercaster win, capping his insane 28-year streak.
We've been through a lot, so it's time to celebrate that, through it all, the best things about living here have found ways to keep on keeping on. So, enjoy our 29th annual Best of the Inland Northwest issue and, as always, be sure to support all the local places you love!
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Luis Brigman-Harris' illustrations can be found on the cover of this week's Inlander and throughout this guide. Brigman-Harris is a local digital artist, Spokane tribal member and U.S. Air Force veteran. Find more of his work at freddythroneart.com or on Instagram @freddy_throne.
