Our 34th annual Best & Worst issue couldn’t have come at a better time.
After last year’s pandemic summer at home, this has been my post-vaccination summer of “yes” — or at least “maybe,” since the delta variant has taken hold. I’m ready to fill up my calendar and get out to experience all the best Richmond has to offer.
Whenever anyone suggests an activity or extends an invitation, I graciously accept, eager to once again eat in restaurants, visit museums, go shopping, attend a party or simply take a walk with a friend.
My phone has been buzzing all day with text messages, and I’m having trouble keeping up with the conversations as I juggle schedules for two tennis leagues, plans for a birthday happy hour, arrangements for a weekend away and plans to reunite with an old friend this fall.
I will never again take for granted the ability to freely do these things, and though I know the pandemic is far from over, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that the “new normal” will look a lot like the old normal, even if it is sometimes wearing a mask — which I am doing again these days when I am out in public, thanks (or no thanks) to the delta variant.
Even with COVID cases again on the rise, it’s a far cry from this time last year, when we were publishing our Best & Worst issue with concern that many of the small businesses chosen as favorites by our readers may not make it due to the prolonged shutdown. Surprisingly, and happily, most of those businesses have survived and are now thriving as many Richmonders are as eager as I am to get out of the house.
Our A&E “Datebook” is once again loaded with live concerts, plays, film screenings and events, though many are now requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. My inbox is filling up with fall schedules from all of Richmond’s cultural organizations, and we’re planning a September arts preview after a hiatus last year.
Schools are also gearing up for a more normal academic year, though Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced a Public Health Emergency Order requiring universal masking in all indoor settings in Virginia’s K-12 schools. In our annual Private Schools Guide, we explore reopening plans for independent schools and also talk to public school administrators.
We also examine the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on women — especially mothers of school-aged children.
For a change of pace — and writing that is profound, powerful and emotional — check out the winners of the 2021 James River Writers/Richmond magazine Shann Palmer Poetry Contest. And you can read about our cover models, the River City Magnolias amateur water ballet club, on Page 84. I love the spirit and enthusiasm of its members, many of whom originally joined to try something new, have fun and socialize. I’m tempted to try it out. YOLO.
