Since hemp was federally legalized in 2019, those three little letters "CBD" are everywhere. But the title "Best CBD Store" in Dallas rightfully goes to Royal Hemps. Royal Hemps was established in 2014 and became the first CBD dispensary in Dallas when Ras Judah, the owner of Royal Hemps and Dreads CBD dispensary, introduced CBD to his customers three years before the retail sale of industrial hemp was legalized in Texas. "In the early years of CBD, it was a high level of anxiety and paranoia around trying to educate people, being an open advocate and also having to deal with the pressure of law enforcement," Judah says. "When you mention the history of CBD in Dallas, you have to mention the contributions Royal Hemps made [to help push for legalization]."

Good coffee, a solid pastry program and friendly staff are the foundations of an appealing coffee shop. Add in just the right vibe, and it becomes a place we can't get enough of, whether for sitting alone working on a laptop, meeting a friend (pre-pandemic) or spending time with a household member (in today's times). Davis Street has the right combination of all of this with some of the best chocolate chip cookies in town and beans from the ever-reliable Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters.

Spayse Studios holds a photo studio and audio room and offers itself as a space for special events, though some are more special than others. Spayse offers naked yoga classes, one class for women, one for men. Now, before you say to yourself "namaste ... home instead," consider there are benefits to doing naked yoga, or so the instructors say. A few years ago, Riverdale actor Charles Melton had to apologize to the world after old fat-shaming tweets of his resurfaced; one famously said, "Fat chicks need to understand that wearing yoga pants is a privilege, not a right." We say drop yoga trou altogether and go for that downward-facing dong.

Sickness, anxiety, depression and stress are afflicting the population, but let’s not talk about the election. Then there’s that other plague, COVID-19. How can we put out our annual celebration of all the good things in Dallas in 2020, The Year of the Remora? (They suck.) Haven’t we heard that life has forever changed and we can never go back to the good old ways again?

Well, sure, but we’ve heard that before. If we shrug and say ob-la-di, ob-la-da, it’s not because we we wish to trivialize anyone’s loss. It’s just that some of us remember the ’70s (oil crisis, Nixon); ’80s (nuke terror, last of the Cold War); ’90s (mullets); and so on. Life as we know it is always ending, always beginning and often getting a little better if we hang on. How do we do that? Same band, different song: We get by with a little help from our friends.

That’s why 2020, of all years, deserves a Best of Dallas®. It takes grit and energy to bring a shine to base metal, and the determination and effort North Texans made this year to help their neighbors makes 2020 shine like ... well, we won’t push it and say gold, but something pretty precious.

We argued over masks, but countless people fired up sewing machines to make and give them away. We fought over police and racism, but thousands joined to march in defense of their fellow citizens. There’s beauty among the dross, and a tough year brought it out. Let’s celebrate that and all the businesses, artists, restaurateurs and others who have endured and helped us get by.

One note before we get started: We did our best to make sure that this year’s picks are still kicking, but things are fluid and our press deadlines are early. So please, support these businesses and artists — but make sure you phone first.

Prism Movement Theater was founded by Jeff Colangelo, a fight choreographer with an exceptional aptitude for miming, and Katy Tye, an acrobat and dancer. That explains the "movement" portion of the theater company's name. Before a surge of endless drive-in attractions popped up mid-pandemic (we're hoping that was the "mid" part), Prism set up an "immersive performance experience" in DFW parking lots. Everything Will Be Fine, created by Colangelo and Kwame Lilly and written by Zoë Kerr, uses the pandemic setting to the utmost advantage. The show tells the love story of two face-masked characters through a graceful interpretative dance and a clever use of car lights. The plot and choreography are equally moving, and make for an entertaining display of art which proves that if performers can expend boundless energy through complicated dance moves — in the Texas summer — while wearing a mask, you'll survive wearing one for five minutes while in line at CVS.

We all know the stereotype that serious cyclists can sometimes appear a little condescending toward non-riders. We figure anyone who goes out in public dressed in that much spandex and risks life and limb on city streets is bound to be extremely self-confident, as they should be. And some cyclists, we're bound to admit, can be a touch snobby about their gear. We're not looking to ride a century, though, and we love Bike Synergy because there are good, non-judgmental humans willing to help anyone out with their bike. Find a new or used bike to purchase or get help with your current ride. They make that easy with turnaround times listed on their website: easily drop off your bike to get a tune-up over a few days.

This bloody mary isn't the cheapest, but you're at the Ritz, and it's worth every penny of its $14 price tag. The server may warn you of spiciness, but it's not too much. In fact, feel free to request more even if there is a giant jalapeño sticking out of the glass. This drink is balanced and smooth, just as all the other bloody mary cocktails in town want to be. It's versions like this that make drinking in the morning acceptable.

Walton's Garden Center was established in 1986 and has become Dallas' own one-stop plant shop. Nestled in the delightfully unkempt trees of Little Forest Hills and just steps away from The Dallas Arboretum, the center serves as something of an arboretum in itself. In addition to plant paraphernalia in the shop and exotic ivies in the nursery, Walton's offers a "plant library" on its website with advice and expertise on plants of all shapes and sizes. Less whimsical but necessary all the same are their lawn-related services, such as irrigation and landscaping by longtime pros.

Dallas has its share of superb performance artists, but few are as culturally involved and socially conscious as Kristin Colaneri. The skilled makeup artist is best known for taking a Cindy Sherman turn into the art of transformation by frequently incorporating herself, made up into different characters, into her art. An educator with degrees in theater and film, Colaneri inhabits a fascinating fantasy world but steps out of it long enough to make audiences feel the pain of segregation. Her newest work, called B&W, is a poignant bit of performance art in which Colaneri and fellow performance artist Kwame Lily pose in front of City Hall as intertwined "human sculptures," body-painted with messages like "BLM." Their aim is to intersect art and protest through improvisation in a display of quiet resistance. As a relentless advocate for the local arts, Colaneri wants Dallas to focus on its artistic rather than commercial growth. No matter the medium, she has maintained a steady point of view calling for a globalized unity through a celebration of multi-cultural perspectives.