The last few months have been unprecedented — and rough. In addition to the immeasurable health effects of the pandemic on the lives of Granite Staters and the losses it has caused, we faced the sudden closing of major parts of our state with most residents stuck at home and hundreds of thousands of people here losing their jobs.
Now, with the stay at home order lifted, many businesses have reopened or are planning to reopen soon. Many people are heading back to work and many of the area’s restaurants, businesses, recreation areas and attractions are finding ways to operate (see 47 examples of this in this week’s cover story).
While life isn’t fully “back to normal” we thought it was time to recognize the people, places and things that make New Hampshire such a special place to live. That’s right, it’s Best of 2020 time. We plan to publish the Hippo Best of 2020 in August. But before we do, we’re going to hold a mini round of Hippo Best of 2020 voting to give some praise to the places that helped make the shutdown a little easier. These categories include: “Retail shop with standout service during the shutdown” and “Eatery whose takeout got you through the shutdown.” Go to hippopress.com to give some love to the restaurant that gave you a much-needed break from your kitchen or the store that helped you pick out something special for somebody who needed a lift to their day.
We held off on publishing the Hippo Best of 2020 in late March because many of the locations that readers chose as their favorites were closed and we didn’t know how long that would last. Hippo’s annual Best of is both an expression of what Hippo readers feel is interesting and worth sharing with everyone and a guide to independent businesses and events. One of the many frustrating things that happens online is that when you seek out local events, parks, attractions, restaurants and other businesses, the results are both not so local and not so accurate. No person has picked up the phone and called to see that those businesses are still operating (like we do at Hippo). And for some reason those algorithms think Waltham or Scituate, Mass., is local. I guess if you’re in Silicon Valley it is. But if you want to grab a burger or go on a walk it isn’t so much.
Now more than ever, it’s important to support the local attractions, businesses and museums that make our region an enjoyable place to live.
We further explore those favorites in our annual magazine, Cool Things About New Hampshire (due out in October 2020).
Thank you for taking the time to vote this year and continuing to support Hippo’s independent journalism.