So, last week we were putting together this year's Best of Dallas® issue, whose theme, "Futuretopia," is a word we made up to describe the city's sunny future. In these pages, you'll read about the smart people digging into the tiny spaces occupied by atoms to come up with the next wave of great inventions. About a local farmer who is looking to the past to find ways to fill our bellies tomorrow. About how monuments to the city's arts and culture are rising on the skyline—sure, one of them is on the Arlington skyline, but still...

Wouldn't you know it, as we were putting this issue to bed, Wall Street faced The Greatest Crisis in the History of the World? Gloom! Doom! The incredible shrinking 401(k)! Maybe we're wrong to predict such a rosy future. Could be. Optimism is not our usual gig.

But you know what? The innovators, the architects, the business people, the chefs and club owners and artists are all still here. Most of them, we hope, will be here tomorrow. The list of cool stuff about Big D you hold in your hands will just grow longer in the years ahead.

Futuretopia is in the cards. We know, because we asked a fortune-teller. Hey, she has to know at least as much as Wall Street about what tomorrow will bring.

Thanks go to photographer Morrey Taylor and hair and makeup artist/stylist Jennifer "Jacknife Ruby" Grayson for helping us produce the images and designs for this special issue, as well as Dolly Python, Electrique Boutique, Leather Masters, & Texas Tarts for providing wardrobe and accessories for our models.