If it seems like the Best of Cincinnati ® issue is a newsprint version of a party, it's no mistake. The issue — always the biggest CityBeat published each year — is a celebration of what makes Cincinnati a great city: the people, the night life, the arts, the media, the sports, the businesses and the weirdness that makes us unique.

Best of Cincinnati is your guide to the urban experiences too many of us fail to appreciate when we whine that there's nothing to do around here. If, after looking through this collection of reader and staff picks and feature stories, you're still not convinced you can have a ball in Cincinnati, you should probably move and leave the fun to the rest of us.

Check out what the 2005 Bets of Cincinnati issue has in store:

• You’ll find the winners of 170 Readers Picks, compiled from more than 1,000 good ballots collected online and through the mail (and after the obviously stuffed and mass-produced entries were tossed out).

• The staff contributed almost 300 picks, commenting on people, places and things the readers might have missed. We also offer seven feature stories on further choices — one in each major category — ranging from best breakfast restaurants and best rent-to-own rims to profiles of WNKU radio and the guys behind the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

• This year’s “mini best” neighborhood feature is on Bond Hill (following previous profiles of Bridgetown, Bellevue and Bevis). Next year: Best of Brighton?

• For the ninth consecutive year, Cincinnati piggies lead you through the sections. We thank long-time CityBeat contributor Ryan Greis for his carnival-themed oinkers and for his disturbing sense of humor.

• Revisit previous Best of Cincinnati ® issues if you’re not convinced at the depth and breadth of life in Cincinnati — the good, the bad, the important events, the minor moments, the people, the businesses, the neighborhoods. Click on the year in the bar to the left.

— JOHN FOX