Worst Tourist Trap: St. Johns Town Center It’s happened to all of us, probably during the holiday season, or really any season that schools are on break. You head out to “the heart of shopping and dining in Jacksonville” (their words, not ours) for some retail therapy only to be stuck in traffic before you even set eyes on the Costco. But if you manage to arrive early enough to avoid the heaviest traffic, you can still count on making seemingly endless laps around the parking lots to find a space. Once you finally make it out of your car …

Best Vintage Clothing Store: Disco Dolly What else would you expect from a vintage clothing store called Disco Dolly than a wardrobe full of outfits you would definitely wear to Studio 54 (or on any night out in the city)? The locally-based online vintage store is owned and operated by Alexis Dillard whose personal Instagram page looks like it came straight out of a Dolly Parton music video. Disco Dolly has all your vintage clothing needs with pieces inspired by the one and only Dolly Parton (of course) and Cher. As one might expect, all of the pieces are funky …

Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary: Müv At this point, we all have at least one friend with a medical marijuana card. Maybe you even have your own. And more likely than not, you or your “friend” (wink, wink) are shopping at Müv for all of your medical marijuana needs. And really, who can blame you since Müv was voted “Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary.”  Müv’s goal is to provide its customers with the best cannabis and cannabis-infused products, and they have the knowledge, research and resources to do just that. With an R&D team made up of scientists, Müv is constantly looking …

Best Local Crusader: Hope McMath A crusader is someone who campaigns vigorously for social, political or religious change. And when Jacksonville was asked to name its “Best Local Crusader,” they resoundingly voted for Hope McMath. A graduate of Jacksonville University, McMath is the founder and director of Yellow House, an art gallery more accurately described as “a place where art + action creates change” and oversees the student gallery at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Prior to opening the doors to Yellow House, she worked at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens for more than 20 years, including …

Best Local Musician: Vince Jones Upon hearing the name Vince Jones, I immediately thought of a rockstar or someone I had to have known. It turns out, I wasn’t too far off: Jones is a part of the local band Blistur (which has won “Best Original Band” and “Best Cover Band” for three years in a row). And as Blistur’s newest band member, it’s Jones’ turn to shine.  Born and raised in upstate New York, Jones has been surrounded by music all his life, specifically his mother (a singer and keyboard player) and sister (a singer and bass player). And …

Best School Board Member: Elizabeth Andersen As they say, the children are the future and what a big responsibility it is to be trusted with educating those who will inherit the Earth. It all starts with education—specifically the Duval County School Board—and the administrators and school board members in whom we trust to prepare our children. Elizabeth Andersen is one of those people. While Anderson isn’t currently on the Duval County School Board (she served from Nov. 2018 to Nov. 2022), the work and impact she had on the school district earned her the title of  “Best School Board Member.” …

Best Morning Show: News4Jax There’s something about watching morning shows that takes us back to when drinking coffee along with a newspaper in hand was the norm. Now, it’s not that different except for the part that everyone in Jacksonville is watching the News4Jax Morning show with their coffee.  Every weekday morning from 7-10 a.m., Jacksonville is greeted with the smiling faces of Bruce Hamilton, Melanie Lawson, Jennifer Waugh, Vic Micolucci, Richard Nunn and Amanda DeVoe who help us start our days with the news we need to know, including weather and traffic reports. “The Morning Show” also features cooking …

It’s the Eye of the … Rabbit? Words By Ambar Ramirez   Sorry to all those who carry the Chinese zodiac sign of the Tiger, but your time is up. But if you were born in 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011, you’re in luck: 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, the Water Rabbit to be more exact. And it looks like we are in for a lucky new year. But before we get into what exactly is in store for us in terms of the Chinese zodiac, also known as “Shengxiao,” let’s do a deep dive …

Rebuild or Evolve? Words By Ambar Ramirez Talk of global warming and climate change is nothing new. Almost every day we see or hear of a catastrophic natural event happening somewhere around the world, leaving people homeless, hungry, lost, or buried.  Living in Florida my whole life, unpredicted weather is normal to me, as I’m sure it is for a lot of people that live in the (supposedly) Sunshine State. Regardless of how sunny the day starts, I know to always pack an umbrella or have a hoodie on hand. And whenever a hurricane comes around, as it does every …

The Gift of a Lifetime Words By Ambar Ramirez   There are only 100 of its kind. And only 12 remain in operation, including one in downtown Jacksonville.    The 15-foot-tall, cast-iron street clock built by Seth Thomas Clock Company originally stood on West Bay Street where it marked the new location of one of the city’s earliest jewelry stores. (The store’s original location, two blocks away, was destroyed in The Great Fire of 1901.) Over the years, it was moved a couple of times around Downtown before finding its forever home in front of Jacobs Jewelers, as it became …