15th Annual Best of the Springs is here!

Don't buy into the doom and gloom. Times are tough, sure. But remember where you live. The majestic Pikes Peak region spreads before you with so many amazing opportunities for exploration, recreation, meditation, indulgence, whimsy and just plain fun.

The 15th Annual Best of the Springs magazine will help you make the most of those opportunities. It spotlights the finest of the fine, from the juiciest burger to the most intense Pilates class. It showcases the best theater, best athletes, best bathrooms, best parks, best outdoor art and much more.

This issue marks our most inclusive ever. Nearly 2,500 readers voted and commented on more than 200 categories. Those choices are complemented with picks by experts from The Gazette dining team, sports department and Out There staff as well as outside experts: A graveyard shift security guard gives his pick for best after-hours dining; advocates for the disabled give their choices for the most wheelchair-accessible spots; and a local cabbie gives the skinny on the best rush-hour routes.

We hope you enjoy reading it, but more, we hope you use it, that you keep it as a reference for those moments when settling for second best just won't do.

ONLINE, IT EXPLODES

In re-imagining our Best of the Springs Web site, gazette.com/bestof, we started with the most basic questions: What might you look for online that's not in our printed magazine? How might you want to use the site?

We know you want searchability. Check. Type "sandwich" or "dentist" in the search field, and you'll find them in seconds.

You want to weigh in. You want to quibble. You want to highlight your personal favorites. There's an app for that. Just click on the Comment fields. We have one for overall comments on the entire issue at the top and a Comments field with each pick.

You want more transparency. You want to know the hows and whys behind the winners. Here's where the online version of the Best of the Springs really rocks. In the comments section of each category, you can chat with the author of that particular choice.

We also have audio conversations with our staff experts who give insights into the give and take, the arguments and the thinking that goes into various choices.

In addition, we also have an unprecedented array of video and other multimedia presentations that give you more intimate views of the winners.

Click around. Leave some comments. You'll want to spend some time here. Just don't let your boss find out.


CHALK IT UP

The visual theme of this issue deals with chalk, and it's the product of an outstanding artist, some brilliant up-and-coming art students and a visionary arts organization.

The Gazette and the Imagination Celebration teamed with a group of high school students, coordinated by local painter Douglas Rouse, to create a series of pieces on the sidewalks outside the Pioneers Museum.

The 3-D look to the pieces are a trick of perspective. The images are actually spread out and distorted when you look at them from the side. But from a certain spot in front of them, they appear to be jutting out of the sidewalk.

During this two-day art festival, families from the community joined in, and some of the kids' drawings also appear in this magazine.