Best of the Year

It's the end of the year already. How did that happen? 

I thought it'd be fun (and possibly helpful to you) to list my favorite things of 2022. Most are new but some are recent discoveries of old stuff. I recommend all of them. Here goes:

- Best TV: "The Peripheral" (Prime) (Sci-fi drama adapted from William Gibson novel with themes that resonate today)

- Best Food TV: "Somebody Feed Phil" (Sweet man travels and makes friends while eating dinner)

- Best Foreign TV: "Borgen" (Best political drama of all time, returning after long hiatus with an exceptional story)

- Best Book: "Sacred Nature" by Karen Armstrong (eye-opening look at how ancient civilizations regarded nature, with important lessons for us today)

- Best Artistic Performance Witnessed Live: Opera singer Golda Schultz (performing with NY Philharmonic)

- Best Sports Witnessed Live: New Jersey Devils (Hockey; palpable excitement and a magical season)

- Best New Game Obsession: Wordle (NY Times)

- Best Film Noir: "In A Lonely Place" (Humphrey Bogart, 1950)

- Best Action Film: "Alita: Battle Angel" (Rosa Salazar, 2019)

- Best Lesbian Romance: "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire" (2019)

- Best L.I. Pizza: Taglio (Mineola) (Roman-style fermented dough; orgasmic)

- Best L.I. Seafood: Catch Oyster Bar (Patchogue) (fresh, expertly prepared seafood)

- Best L.I. Fine Dining: Sandbar (Cold Spring Harbor) (perfect blend of exquisite cuisine and friendly atmosphere)

- Best L.I. Spice Store: Sayville N Spice (Sayville)

- Best Hot Sauce: The General's Hot Sauce (Dead Red) (Medium-hot red cayenne sauce)

- Best New Motorcycle: Janus Halcyon 450 (retro-style with modern tech)

- Best Personal Addition: My new garage (room for four motorcycles and my 2021 Miata)

- Best Personal Experience: Opportunity to have private dinner with artistic genius Lino Tagliapietra

- Best History: Reading about the lives of Abstract Expressionist artists