You probably don't know Kathy Evans. Great gal, a real go-getter, talented to the bone. I first met her when I relocated to New Haven in the early '90s; she was a cornerstone of my East Rock neighborhood, an activist, an artist, a home owner with wild ideas and wild irises growing in her back yard. She was also part of a trio of cool chicks who ran Bohemia, a legendary boutique on State Street.

We were neighbors, and then friends. I was around when her shop, sadly, closed after five years; I was also watching from the sidelines when she, as a leader of the State Street Merchants' Association (which has been recently revived), tried to stimulate business in that then-fading district. There were concerts and block parties, and a contest for a neighborhood slogan. "State Street, that Great Street," was the winner, but my favorite submission was, "Hey! We're Dyin' Over Here!"

New Haven wasn't exactly hot at the time. Downtown was riddled with boarded-up storefronts, the Ninth Square hadn't yet found a foothold, the restaurant/club/shopping scene was weak, Yale was still pretending to be a private island, and everybody had those rubbery red Clubs locked onto their steering wheels.

Kathy, sick of winter and tired of trying to create the city of her dreams, moved to Los Angeles. Before she left, she painted her car with leopard spots. She also took me aside and confessed, with great seriousness and a little angst: "Every time I leave a place, it gets good."

That was eight, maybe ten years ago. And boy oh boy, has New Haven gotten good since then. The place is bursting with energy, art, enterprise. Always the cultural and intellectual capitol of Connecticut, our city is now a powerful center for science and medicine, and is fast becoming the top culinary destination in New England.

In spite of a wobbly economy, our population is up, and crime rates are down. Cranes rise above the cityscape, signaling new construction, places to live, work, traverse. The surrounding towns — our beloved 'burbs — share in the feast, and grow their own shops, eateries, parks, schools, galleries, gyms, taverns, as needed.

The 2009 Annual Manual, the New Haven Advocate's guide to the area, features interviews with those in the know — experts and/or enthusiasts all — who take you, dear readers, by the hand and gift you with knowledge of their best subjects. These virtual tours cover some of Greater New Haven's most important and intriguing attractions, and open up worlds for you to explore.

We can't possibly include all the wonderfulness that our cities and towns have to offer. That would require hundreds of experts and thousands of pages. Because our region is the beating heart of this mighty little state, and right now it's really, really good.

And for that, we thank Kathy Evans.