FROM THE EDITOR

Mikalee Byerman’s cover story about online dating punctuates my relief that I met my husband in the early 1980s — before AIDS rocketed profound changes in the dating scene. Back then, e-mail hadn’t even entered my lexicon, and a social-networking site would have meant a restaurant in which to talk business over a two-wine-spritzer lunch. The couples in our cover story — and Mikalee herself — shattered any misconceptions I may have harbored about folks who need a computer in order to connect. These are great people who happily have found love online or with the help of a dating service.

Where and how to meet people — whether new friends or potential life mates — are timeless challenges. I imagine early female settlers in Reno, scoping out prospects among gold and silver — well — prospectors. And I cringe when I remember my 1980s contemporaries, looking for Mr. Right — and possibly Mr. Goodbar — in bars and aerobics classes. As for me, I stumbled across Ken in a small Sausalito grocery store.

This issue also includes RENO Magazine’s annual Best of Reno Top 101 list. We asked a sample of readers where they shop, dine, and play, as well as who they trust, and the results are presented in a special section.

At the time this magazine goes to print, Reno is blanketed in snow, but as you read this, spring — and maybe a little love — will be in the air.