Four years ago, we kicked off our Friday Favorites series as a way to celebrate the amazing discoveries Local Guides share on Connect every week. Since then, we’ve highlighted hundreds of your stories, and 2021 was no different. At the beginning of the new year, we wanted to look back on some of the 170+ incredible posts Google Moderators chose as their Friday Favorites and relive some of the best moments on Connect from 2021.
Photography posts we loved
From street art to hiking trails to helpful tips on how to capture storefront photos, we saw a lot of great posts on the Photography board last year. We fell in love with the breathtaking scenery at Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors in France that @Explorautour showed us in this post. The Local Guide combined amazing photos with a message of respect for nature and biodiversity.
Meanwhile, @dhaniearie made us look up and discover the beauty of the night sky in their post astrophotography in Bali — a must-read if you’re looking for tips on how to take the perfect picture of the Milky Way.
Travel posts we loved
In 2021, you once again allowed us to travel the world without leaving our homes. @Vidadecarioca had us virtually climb 600 steps and look over the clouds at Pico da Caledônia, the coldest place in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in this post.
@YasumiKikuchi took us cycling in Japan and showed us yet another way to enrich Google Maps. He shared some of his reviews, photos, and lists as examples of how to map information about bike paths and facilities.
It’s thrilling to visit one of the destinations on your bucket list. @PabloAnastasio reminisced about his 2019 trip to Rome, and we loved reading about the magnificent places he visited and the local cuisine he tried.
Food & Drink posts we loved
Local Guides love their food, and we learned about so many mouthwatering, sweet and savory dishes. @LaloPadilla shared a simple recipe for a traditional Mexican sauce that’s perfect for anyone who likes some extra spice. He also added links to more recipes by his fellow members from #TeamTacos.
If you have a sweet tooth like us, you probably enjoyed @Smita_Patil 's post about Ukdiche Modak like we did, too. These sweet buns are filled with a delicious mix of grated coconut cooked in cane sugar and have a special place on the festival table in India.
Local Stories posts we loved
2021 was unpredictable, but you, our Local Guides, were there to support local businesses and keep important information on Google Maps up-to-date. @MukulR was one of those who shared the stories of small business owners who found a way to adapt to the new normal, like this one about a family of tailors in Bangladesh.
@Yannick_S made it his mission to contribute new photos and videos to Google Maps during an adventurous trip to rural Kavumu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On a similar excursion to several regional towns in Australia, @PaulPavlinovich took the opportunity to edit business details, update attributes, add new businesses, report spam locations, and more. Both of them gave us great examples of the many ways Local Guides can make a difference.
We loved your series and challenges, too!
You organized some incredible challenges and series, and we were always excited to read the next post. Many of those ended up in our Friday Favorites, too, because they were that good.
The #StateChallenge gave us the opportunity to learn about all 50 U.S. states and explore locations in other countries. The #monthlytopic inspired a myriad of posts on Connect about interesting local spots and dishes, while the #ExploreTheMapsChallenge tested our knowledge of landmarks around the world. You organized a month-long celebration for Connect’s 5th birthday and explored different aspects of accessibility every week for the Accessibility Uncovered series.
So thank you! For another year of bringing value to Connect and Google Maps and sharing your world with us. While this is our last Friday Favorites round-up, stay tuned for our other exciting series in 2022. If you want to check out all previous Friday Favorites posts, click here.
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