Letter from the Editor: Hot 100 2012

Hot damn.

I don’t know whether it’s indicative of global warming or just me turning into my father (a man who, much to my mother’s dismay, would be perfectly happy living in a meat locker), but this summer has felt especially collar-tugging, brow-wiping, restless-sleep-inducing hot. It’s easy to let lethargy take over in temps like these, but don’t forget that there’s a steamy urban jungle out there that’s filled with restaurants (ooh!), bars (ahh!), and boutiques (heavens!) that are all — wait for it! — air-conditioned.

Okay, okay. If you need some other reasons to hit the streets and discover Boston’s best spots to eat, drink, shop, and play, you’re in luck: we have 100 of them. Our annual Hot 100 issue collects the buzzworthy places, people, products, and pop-culture trends of the moment. It’s a labor of love about the world we love, and it represents a year’s worth of work and research distilled into one place. For the STUFF staff, it’s a pretty special issue. I hope it is for you, too.

It will definitely be a special issue for me. (Insert: awkward segue.) This issue marks my last as editorial director. After three amazing, exciting, extremely well-fed years with STUFF, I’m moving on. I’ve realized that the time has come to evolve the direction of my own story, and that means taking on new challenges, exploring new opportunities, and finding new ways to express myself (hey, hey). I’ll still be on the scene, so feel free to cyber-stalk me to see what I’m up to and stay in touch. I’m a writer; we’re all exhibitionists! (Um, not in the pervy Internet way. Unless — well, what do you pay per word? Let’s talk.)

Thanks for joining me on my journey with the magazine; as they say in showbiz, you’ve been a great crowd! (God, I’ve always wanted to say that.) Now, though, I leave you in the talented hands of a STUFF team I’ve been privileged to work with. They’ll take great care of you, I promise.

As for me? I’ve got to run. Deadlines, you know? I’ve got a life story to file.