Best of NM 2012 Foodies, hop-heads and social butterflies agree: Grand Traverse County is the place to be -- and nothing is more evident than the growing number of restaurants, breweries and festivals popping up across its 600+ square aces. Here is the Best of the Best of where to go and what to do in Grand Traverse.

Best of NM 2012 Hair Salon: Bayside Salon Window displays: Lima Bean Place to pamper your pet: SunDog Boarding Kennel Art gallery: Michigan Artist Gallery Stylish resale shop: Jaffes Store staff: Lima Bean Independent apparel: Lima Bean;Cotton Seed TIE Men’s store: Bahle’s.

Best of NM 2012 and that smalltown feel greet visitors heading north on highways US-31 and US-131. Cadillac and Manistee serve as the gateways to Northern Michigan, welcoming “flatlanders” to all we have to offer. Express readers voted for the businesses that help make these anchor counties home to both locals and visitors alike.

Best of NM 2012 This region may appear sleepy to the unknowing passerby, but Antrim/ Kalkaska is full of local fun; and with powerhouse businesses like Shorts making waves across the food and beverage industry, this region is anything but hidden. Want to explore more? Check out these top picks:.

Letters

Give Gitmo back

In last week’s issue Mr. Tuttle called for ending our fruitless blockade of Cuba. This is laudable and sensible.

The blockade has been an abject failure. Fidel Castro has outlasted now nine presidents. More importantly, had our blockade been ended decades ago, communism in Cuba would have been long gone and Cuba would now be a major trading partner and American vacation destination.

It was disappointing, however, that an editorial calling for an end to the blockade didn’t have a word about “Gitmo.” You know, the prison nickname for our Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba...