The quiet of the Friday after New Year’s Day is a useful moment to reflect on the place we live. Many Americans are searching for a unique place, not another anonymous strip-malled and franchised place. We’ve got that unique place.

With that in mind, here are 23 reasons this place is special:

1. The warmth, dependable cuisine and appealing aesthetic of Astoria’s Urban Cafe.

2. The cozy confines, stone fireplace and solid cooking of the Warren House Pub in Tolovana Park.

3. The bright commodious interior of Columbia River Coffee Roaster’s home at the Finnish Meat Market.

4. On a rainy night, the glow of The Depot in Seaview and the stellar cooking of Michael Lalewicz and the effusive hospitality of Nancy Gorshe.

5. The airy lobby and stunning views of the Cannery Pier Hotel.

6. Chester Trabucco’s courage in restoring the Hotel Elliott.

7. The restoration entrepreneurship of Brian Faherty and Paul Caruana. With their multiple downtown Astoria projects, they are like the prodigious writer Somerset Maugham who once had three plays running simultaneously in London’s West End.

8. The warmth and erudition that are personified by the new Seaside Public Library. And Seaside’s public spirit that creates such sensible projects. [Astoria City Council: Take notice.]

9. The concentration of writing talent represented by gatherings at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.

10. Could one small town have two more interesting book merchants than Cannon Beach, which houses Valerie Ryan’s Cannon Beach Book Co. and Watt Childress’ Jupiter’s Books?

11. The relentless labor and creativity of David Campiche and Laurie Anderson in recreating the restaurant inside the Shelburne Inn.

12. The sophisticated cuisine and urbane aesthetic of the Yummy Wine Bar & Bistro in Seaside.

13. The Coaster Theatre and its resident impresario, Craig Shepherd.

14. Clatsop County’s fecundity in the theater arts whose denizens include Judy Niland, Nancy Montgomery, Pia Shepherd, Ben Shaffer, David Sweeney, Sean Davies, Lamar Blackner, Markus Brown, Dave Gager, Rhonda Alderman, Mick Alderman, Susi Brown and many more.

15. The magnificent pianist David Carlson of Gearhart, whose playing was the heart of She Loves Me at the Coaster, and who played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to inaugurate the Liberty Theater’s Steinway Model D concert grand piano.

16. The magnificent, soaring space of the Bridgewater Bistro. The ingenuity and tenacity of Shawn Helligso and Ryan Davis who renovated that building. And the unflappable Tony Kischner, who runs that wonderful restaurant.

17. The unappreciated professionalism of Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis.

18. The consistent high quality and depth of Cumtux, the Clatsop County Historical Society’s quarterly. Editor Liisa Penner produces a history publication whose quality is way above average.

19. The wit and accomplishment of Robert Michael Pyle of Grays River – a great writer in our midst.

20. The vibrant Astoria visual arts scene, epitomized by the monthly arts walks.

21. The energy and insight of Pat Burness, executive director of Women’s Resource Center.

22. The community leadership of Cheri Folk, Bank of Astoria’s president who retires in June. Her wide-ranging civic involvement has affected a wide spectrum of cultural, social and artistic causes in this county.

– S.A.F.