The Best in Charlotte: Best in the Nest 2020
The year that nothing happened and everything happened

It’s been one hell of a year, but I don’t have to tell you that. It took some discussion whether we should put out a Best in the Nest issue this year, but in the end we decided it was important, for reasons I discuss here. Once we got moving, it became clear why. In the end, this Best in the Nest shit is not gatekeeping, it’s not a money grab (I wish), it’s not for clout; this is for the folks who kept their head down and didn’t want any recognition for the fact that they were doing the work that needed to be done. That goes for people on the streets handing out supplies, dishwashers holding onto a job while everyone else is out of work, or artists sitting in their room creating work with one person watching their Instagram Live. We want to lift you up. We wish we could do more, but in the meantime, here are our highlights for the year 2020. Let us know who we missed because we’d love to tell their stories.
We’re very thankful to the writers who contributed to this issue: Ryan Pitkin, Justin LaFrancois, Pat Moran, Lea Bekele, Dion Beary, Erin Tracy-Blackwood, Allison Frazier, Aerin Spruill, Kasee Keaton, Landis Wade, Karina Caporino, MB Schaffner, Kia O. Moore, Grant Baldwin and the many, many photographers who gave rights to their photos to help it all look so nice.
Are you winner and have not received your award yet? Reach out to info@qcnerve.com for a printable version of your award to display for all your friends and customers!
The Best Things About Charlotte
City Life: What’s happening in Charlotte and who’s behind it.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Judy Williams (1951-2020)
CRITICS’ PICKS
READERS’ PICKS
Consumer Culture: Because you can’t take your money with you.
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READERS’ PICKS
Food & Drink: We’ve all got to eat, we should do it well.
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READERS’ PICKS
Arts & Entertainment: There is no community without culture.
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Nightlife: The freaks come out at night (but must be gone by 11 p.m.)
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READERS’ PICKS
Hall of Shame: To those who made a bad year worse
Obituaries: Pour one out for those we lost along the way

This work by Queen City Nerve is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.