May 2008 Issue Why We Love Sarasota 10 Reasons we're crazier than ever about this place Best of 2008 Dining, Shops and Discoveries In our annual readers' poll

Feature Stories The Best of 2008  How do we love Sarasota? You readers counted the many ways—224 of them! Why We Love Sarasota  Departments Homefront  Tips and trends from our advertisers. Comfort and Joy  Two new and tasty Lakewood Ranch ventures, ole to a great margarita, and more. Designing Mind  Trendspotting with designer Jessica Holmes. Fashion Statement—Michelle McKay  Spotted at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art's 2008 Gallery Gala, which she and her husband co-chaired. Hot Seat  Sarasota Memorial Hospital CEO Gwen MacKenzie on the challenges and choices SMH faces. May Events  Kay Kipling's guide to the month's best cultural and special events. Mr. Chatterbox  This month: Mr. C tackles nudity onstage—and off. Natural Selection—Saucer Magnolia  An illustrator's notebook of Sarasota flora and fauna. Noisemaker  The ambitious new president of the NAACP’s Youth Chapter gets out the vote. One Great Room  Redifining casual elegance at The Lake Club. Palm Island Idyll  A Charlotte Harbor getaway home welcomes several generations. Real Estate Gossip  Everything you want to know about Sarasota luxury property sales. Shopping  Lower Main Street, Queen's Wreath Jewels and stellar soaps. Street Smarts  Essential intelligence about winning an election. The Social Detective  Crime novelist Leslie Glass puts on her opera glasses for the grand re-opening gala. Under the Influence  Teens and young adults are suffering from drug and alcohol addiction in record numbers. What can parents do? Why we love this city—now, more than ever.