Where to go for a first date or a special holiday meal elicits a decision-making process capable of stealing from us a few hours or adding stress to our already busy lives.

After scouring the web, calling friends and carefully reviewing menus, a drink to take the edge of may be in order. But where to go for that? Sure, we can find a Bud Light just about anywhere but what if we need something with a little more character?

Of course all best laid plans face interruption when a tire blows or the car stalls in an intersection. Where to take your car for service then experiences that transition from afterthought to emergency. And the options are many.

So that’s part of why we’re here and why we’re resurrecting our Best of Lawrence competition. It’ll be five years since you’ve told us your favorite food, drink, fun and games. We’re bringing it back to re-open the discussion within our community of what places get it right. We’re bringing it back so we can turn to a guide in a pinch.

And we’re bringing it back because it’s a damned good time. Some of our best conversations have been about food and over drink. Further, contests like these incite a competitive fire amongst Lawrencians long loyal to their favorite bar or coffee house.

One change from past contests is that this will purely be ran through Lawrence.com, Twitter and Facebook. We’ll be trying a few things in the coming weeks and want you to be a part of it. Voting will begin in January but we want you to weigh in on what you think of our categories. What’s missing? Are any categories out of place? This is your contest.

We’ll also roll out a few holiday contests for you to vote on next week and around the winter holidays. Be ready to vote on your favorite place to feast when you’ve long given up on not burning your turkey.

Check out the list below and weigh in via the comments section or on Twitter and Facebook. Let us know what you think.

Best hotel to send visiting family and friends

Best spot for a date

Best wi-fi hotspot

Best beer selection

Best live music venue

Best bookstore

Best coffee

Best place to dance

Best burger

Best Latin American food

Best Italian food

Best Middle Eastern food

Best Asian food

Best pizza

Best dessert

Best place to go for breakfast

Best meal in a hurry

Best place to get your car fixed

Best late night eats

Best place to get a hair cut

Best new restaurant in the last year

Best place to watch a game

Best restaurant overall

Best store cat