*Photography by Rebecca Norden and Caleb Condit
Making a magazine always involves some prognostication. We’re working months in advance, hoping to capture the zeitgeist of a moment that hasn’t happened yet.
Even in a normal month, guessing at the mood of a world not yet breathed into existence is a complex endeavor.
As I sit down to write this note the day we send this book off to the press, a week before you’re reading it, it’s likely that you or someone you care about is hurting—physically, emotionally, financially.
Our magazine faces a unique predicament in a time like this. Daily newspapers can just tell you how messed up everything is; fluffy lifestyle publications can blithely carry-on as though there’s nothing happening. To serve our mission (printed on page 8) we have to attempt difficult balance.
Our goal is to keep you informed without resorting to the cheap jump-scares you’ll find in some media, noting the seriousness of this moment while also taking special care to highlight good news where we have it and providing a wee bit of escapism as appropriate.
That’s what we’ve tried to do, both in this issue and via our website, where we’ve been posting timely news stories every day, including a lengthy interview with a coronavirus expert at KU.
With the exception of our events calendar (Command-A, Delete), we’ve elected to keep most of this issue’s content intact, though with slightly different framing. We are especially glad this month to offer our guide to the best cheap eats in the city. In that package, we highlight 71 local spots offering meals for fifteen bucks or less.
Right now, these family businesses need your help—and you could probably enjoy the comfort that comes from a carry-out meal that won’t hit your wallet too hard. Our other big feature is about the best coffee shops in town, which is again fortuitous. After being locked up in your house, it might be nice to get some air. And you can bet that local baristas will be happy to see you, even if it’s only for a carryout cup.
To help you get through these trying times and stay in touch with our community in times of social isolation, we’ve replaced our events calendar with a story about the best local-ish TV shows and movies to stream while isolating. Turn to page 98 for coverage of the creative ways that local restaurants, bars and breweries are serving patrons to-go.
These are trying times, and we don’t know what the next month will bring. But know that we’re here, working hard to serve our community. If you’ve got a story idea, a cause to promote or an important question that needs to be asked of people in power, we’ll do our best to help.
Sincerely,
Martin Cizmar
Editor in Chief
Numbers from this month’s issue:
1,000 Prime parking spots that could be removed with a redevelopment of a downtown park.
$459.33 Cost to eat all seventy-one meals featured in our Cheap Eats package
1,000 Wattage of the high-pressure sodium globe light that keeps the cacti alive in Paradise Garden Club
