What's Good 2016: An Intro to Your Intro to Burlington 

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• Cover photo by Stephen Mease

Excuse me, but are you new here?

I know, I know. It totally sounds like I'm hitting on you. It's just that I don't think I've seen you around, and ... well, it's Burlington.

Live here long enough, and eventually you'll hit on, er, recognize everyone in town. So, yeah. You're definitely new here. Welcome!

So, can I buy you a drink? (I kid, I kid.)

Actually, it's a good thing we've just met. As it turns out, I write for Vermont's weekly newspaper, Seven Days. We put out this little publication called What's Good, which is basically the ultimate newcomers' guide to the Queen City. The Queen City is one of BTV's nicknames, BTW. Oh, and so is BTV! See, you're learning stuff already.

I confess I'm biased, but I think it's a pretty helpful little rag for discovering the best the city has to offer. As you peruse these pages, you'll notice that — while there is a ton of info packed in here — this isn't exactly an all-inclusive guide to Burlington and beyond.

Instead of a sprawling list of every restaurant in town, you'll find a smartly curated selection of tried-and-true local eateries, including some great date spots ... wink, wink. (I'll stop now.) Rather than a veritable mall directory of shops, you'll find a sampling of favorite local stores and boutiques. In lieu of explaining every outdoorsy thing you can do in the mountains, we've highlighted some of the most accessible and fun. The same goes for local music, art and culture. We've taken great pains to identify the places, people and things that make Burlington feel like home to us. After all, this is your home now, too.

However, this guide comes with a caveat: If it's in What's Good, you can consider that an endorsement. But if something isn't included here, that doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out. We've omitted a few things by design. We can't spill all of the city's secrets, after all. There is just some knowledge that needs to be earned.

My advice: Use What's Good as a starting point to figuring out what you think is good. (I'd also recommend checking out our parent publication, Seven Days, for the latest on local arts, culture, food and politics.) Get out there and explore your surroundings. And, most of all, have fun.

So, about that drink...