2014 only felt longer than most years.

Don’t believe it? Pull out a calendar and check—365 days, the same as any year without a Feb. 29. But somehow it felt like this one packed a bit more than usual into the time.

Multiple elections, some less exciting than others. A tragic death outside a fire station, a missing 8-year-old. The end of Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry’s symbolic tenure. Multiple changes to the District’s drug laws, some less tolerable to Congress than others. An early playoff exit for the baseball team, a farce of a season for the football team, a stadium for the fútbol team. And of course, cranes, condo fees, and construction everywhere.

Making sense of it all is a little easier with the passage of some time, or at least that’s the premise behind our annual Encyclopedia of D.C. Remembering the news that made the year feel like it dragged, or the events of the last month—that’s the easy part, and that’s in here, too. But flip through also to take solace in the new bookstores opening around town, or the local beer innovations, and to laugh, once again, at the $1 surcharge for artisanal ice. Think back to how fun listening to Ex Hex’s album was, and celebrate the new Fringe Festival venue all over again.

By this time next year, chances are some of this stuff will still feel just as relevant (though maybe 2015 will finally be the year the streetcar finally does open). Which items, exactly? We’ll all have to hang around another 365 days to figure that out. —Mike Madden