Cityscape
The past year hasn’t been awful. Meteors didn’t pummel the 17th Street bridge to dust. Locusts didn’t swarm the samosa tray at Your DeKalb Farmers Market. Mounted Mongol invaders didn’t sack Grant Park and eat Mei Lan. Yet.
But a spike in crime, a dip in the housing market, careless missteps by police and city leaders, and, well, Michael Vick have turned our civic mood ring from blue to gray.
What better time, then, to seek solace by reflecting on some of the things old and new, trendy and timeless, that we love about our town — whether it’s the diversity of Buford Highway or the charm of our distinctive intown neighborhoods.
Maddening though it can be sometimes (witness the last session of the General Assembly), Atlanta is a profoundly interesting place to live. In a generation, it’s morphed from a provincial podunk to a behemoth of international business and a cultural mecca.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a hipster in an ironic tee, a scenester clubbing in designer duds, a company foot soldier producing stacks of TPS reports or a refugee fleeing an African war zone. Atlanta has a job for you, a place to live and a bar for you to hang out with your friends.
— Andisheh Nouraee
Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle In the midst of the cesspool of the Georgia Capitol is an island of relative sanity — the office of LT. GOV. CASEY CAGLE. When Gov. Sonny “Florida Land Boy” Perdue and House Speaker Glenn “Love Those Blond Lobbyists” Richardson tried to use $142 million inmore...
In the midst of the cesspool of the Georgia Capitol is an island of relative sanity — the office of LT. GOV. CASEY CAGLE. When Gov. Sonny “Florida Land Boy” Perdue and House Speaker Glenn “Love Those Blond Lobbyists” Richardson tried to use $142 million in surplus tax cash as a political football, it was Cagle who played the role of responsible adult by stopping them. Cagle has also put points on the board in other areas. Although he’s wholeheartedly GOP, he’s more like your granddaddy’s Republicans, a little snooty but willing to treat the other side with respect in a debate — and even to listen. In the reddest of red states, that’s the best we can hope for.
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Best Local Political Website BOA Award Winner
Peach Pundit Political junkies are surprisingly nonpartisan when it comes to getting the latest scuttlebutt. You could have Ted Kennedy’s face tattooed across both ass cheeks and you’d still have to check PEACH PUNDIT several times a day to see what fresh dirt Erick Erickson and his crew of mostlymore...
Political junkies are surprisingly nonpartisan when it comes to getting the latest scuttlebutt. You could have Ted Kennedy’s face tattooed across both ass cheeks and you’d still have to check PEACH PUNDIT several times a day to see what fresh dirt Erick Erickson and his crew of mostly conservative busybodies and gossipmongers have dug up. You only have to open a blog thread to see that readers of all political stripes have entered the fray, resulting not only in lively debate, but a much more fruitful exchange of viewpoints than you get on single-blogger sites. PP’s stable of insiders also occasionally scoops the news wires and dailies, especially during the General Assembly. Simply put, if it involves politics in Georgia, someone’s talking about it — and you can, too — on Peach Pundit.
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Best Local Troublemaker BOA Award Winner
Sgt. Michael Scott Kreher It takes personal courage to challenge authority in the Atlanta Police Department. Former Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli suffered retaliation when he went public with substantiated accusations that former Mayor Bill Campbell and Chief Beverly Harvard had manipulated crime statistics to make the city lookmore...
It takes personal courage to challenge authority in the Atlanta Police Department. Former Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli suffered retaliation when he went public with substantiated accusations that former Mayor Bill Campbell and Chief Beverly Harvard had manipulated crime statistics to make the city look safer before the ’96 Olympics. In the last year SGT. MICHAEL SCOTT KREHER, president of the Atlanta chapter of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers union, and some of his colleagues have exposed the APD’s deepening morale problems, as well as revealed the city’s touted war on crime as a quota-driven exercise in meaningless statistics. Without Kreher, the public wouldn’t know much of what’s gone wrong with the APD. Chief Richard Pennington has responded by transferring Kreher and other union officials to graveyard shifts and lower-status jobs.
less...Best Neighborhood Festival BOA Award Winner
Inman Park Festival To avoid the stifling heat of summer, Atlanta crams a full six months of outdoor civic togetherness into the three spring months. The festival season’s two biggies, Dogwood and Gay Pride at Piedmont Park, are justifiably well-regarded. But for those looking for a real neighborhoody festivalmore...
To avoid the stifling heat of summer, Atlanta crams a full six months of outdoor civic togetherness into the three spring months. The festival season’s two biggies, Dogwood and Gay Pride at Piedmont Park, are justifiably well-regarded. But for those looking for a real neighborhoody festival experience, the INMAN PARK FESTIVAL can’t be beat. Some of the event’s charm is just lucky geography — it’s fun to meander through the ’hood’s winding, shady streets. But the organizers deserve credit — by controlling the quality of the arts, entertainment and even the food, they’ve deftly grown it into a huge festival while avoiding corporate-carnival blandness.
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Best Old Thing About Atlanta Made New Again BOA Award Winner
Atlanta Beltline Inc (Featured) Just when it seemed Atlanta was as likely to issue free personal jet packs to every resident as it was to make progress on THE BELTLINE, the city worked behind the scenes to team with a group of private investors to buy the proposed 22-mile loop’s northeast quadrant from Gwinnett developer Waynemore...
Just when it seemed Atlanta was as likely to issue free personal jet packs to every resident as it was to make progress on THE BELTLINE, the city worked behind the scenes to team with a group of private investors to buy the proposed 22-mile loop’s northeast quadrant from Gwinnett developer Wayne Mason, who tried but failed to get approval for two huge condo towers on the Beltline overlooking Piedmont Park. Few details are known, but it appears Atlanta will get its transit right-of-way and parks, developers will get to put swank homes and retail on some of the city’s most desirable land, and Mason will make an eight-figure profit just for sitting on the land for three years.
less...Best Rock Radio Station BOA Award Winner
WRAS 88.5 The collective knowledge of Pitchfork’s contributors is an invaluable tool for finding new and interesting rock; on the other hand, the mag is marred by bad writers who frequently confuse opacity with profundity. The rock programming at ALBUM 88, WRAS-FM (88.5) is Pitchfork’s encyclopedicmore...
The collective knowledge of Pitchfork’s contributors is an invaluable tool for finding new and interesting rock; on the other hand, the mag is marred by bad writers who frequently confuse opacity with profundity. The rock programming at ALBUM 88, WRAS-FM (88.5) is Pitchfork’s encyclopedic equal. Only, instead of writing about the music, Georgia State’s student-run station plays you the music. And instead of being pompous, the student DJs are smart people who play interesting music because they think you might like it. You won’t like all of it. But if you like discovering new rock, it’s your best bet, short of stealing cool people’s iPods.
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Best Street Character Who's Not Baton Bob BOA Award Winner
Willy Terry, aka Bicycle Shorts Man With his paid gigs and his slick website, “street character” is no longer an apt title for Baton Bob. He’s a full-fledged local celeb now. For God’s sake, the man has a better Wikipedia entry than Creative Loafing does. Of Bob’s street-character colleagues,more...
With his paid gigs and his slick website, “street character” is no longer an apt title for Baton Bob. He’s a full-fledged local celeb now. For God’s sake, the man has a better Wikipedia entry than Creative Loafing does. Of Bob’s street-character colleagues, none is more notorious, long-lived or as apparently well-endowed as WILLY TERRY, AKA BICYCLE SHORTS MAN. For 16 years, he has stood at the intersection of Briarcliff and Ponce, greeting passers-by with a smile, a wave and a glimpse of what appears to be an enormous penis visible through tight bicycle shorts. He’ll probably never be Baton Bob-famous, but last year, Terry appeared in an online documentary short (filmed by an Emory student named Dan Resnick) viewed more than 60,000 times. He’s putting the tube back in YouTube.
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Best Urban Radio Station BOA Award Winner
103.3 (WVEE-FM) Personalities are the lifeblood of commercial stations. And V-103, WVEE-FM (103.3) has a killer lineup: Frank Ski, Wanda Smith and Miss Sophia (mornings), Porsche Foxx (midday), Ryan Cameron (afternoon drive), Greg Street (evenings) and Joyce Littel (late night). It’s not only the music (pop-hop/R&B)more...
Personalities are the lifeblood of commercial stations. And V-103, WVEE-FM (103.3) has a killer lineup: Frank Ski, Wanda Smith and Miss Sophia (mornings), Porsche Foxx (midday), Ryan Cameron (afternoon drive), Greg Street (evenings) and Joyce Littel (late night). It’s not only the music (pop-hop/R&B) their listeners tune in to hear; it’s also the hosts. More than those at any other station, V-103’s on-air personalities have worked to create a familial bond with their listeners that transcends their ’hood fame.
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Best Not-so-bargain Bargain Shoppin' BOA Award Winner
Luxe The coveted spring 2007 Stella McCartney dress - a silk, strapless A-line mini - still, months later, haunts our dreams. And those Sergio Rossi stilettos? Don't even get us started. It's hard being a broke girl with a rich girl's wants. But at LUXE, let the nightmares be gone. The well-appointed boutiquemore...
The coveted spring 2007 Stella McCartney dress - a silk, strapless A-line mini - still, months later, haunts our dreams. And those Sergio Rossi stilettos? Don't even get us started. It's hard being a broke girl with a rich girl's wants. But at LUXE, let the nightmares be gone. The well-appointed boutique recently has reopened its doors, this time on Marietta Street in of-the-moment West Midtown. Owner Jenn Ripley scours the land in search of recent seasons' hot designs and sells them for 50 percent to 70 percent off retail. The above-mentioned dress, at $649, might not be cheap - but compared with its original tag of $2,700, it's a steal. And so be it if we're a season off. We can rest easy knowing the fashion of our dreams really can come true.
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Best OTP Bargain Couture BOA Award Winner
Fantastic Finds Despite its location in a drab strip shopping center off the beaten path in the suburban jumble of Sandy Springs, FANTASTIC FINDS delivers the goods, fashion-wise. The modestly appointed consignment shop is filled with pre-owned jackets, skirts and little black dresses from such hot labels as Marc Jacobs,more...
Despite its location in a drab strip shopping center off the beaten path in the suburban jumble of Sandy Springs, FANTASTIC FINDS delivers the goods, fashion-wise. The modestly appointed consignment shop is filled with pre-owned jackets, skirts and little black dresses from such hot labels as Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Bebe and Chloe, as well as samples and close-outs from top designers and high-end stores. On a good day, you might walk out with a Stella McCartney top or a Chanel bag, or find a gem on the $5 rack. Fantastic, yes?
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Best Record Shop That Feels Like a Time Warp BOA Award Winner
Low Yo Yo Stuff Former Athens music staple LOW YO YO STUFF, well-known for its tight quarters and unwieldy selection, relocated two blocks ITP in April 2006. The shop didn't set up camp in some hip intown neighborhood filled with artsy types and trendy bars. Instead, the Low Yo Yo dudes chose a tiny and deterioratingmore...
Former Athens music staple LOW YO YO STUFF, well-known for its tight quarters and unwieldy selection, relocated two blocks ITP in April 2006. The shop didn't set up camp in some hip intown neighborhood filled with artsy types and trendy bars. Instead, the Low Yo Yo dudes chose a tiny and deteriorating strip mall behind a towering office building off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The cave of a store finally has enough space for both people and LPs. Records galore fill table after table and range in price from $5 to $100 or more, depending on how serious you are. The real fun is sitting on the floor searching through the old vinyl, priced from $1 to $2, and gawking at garish '70s album covers. Be advised: The store is only open Fridays and Saturdays, from noon-6 p.m.
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Best Place for Timeless Threads BOA Award Winner
Stefan's Vintage Clothing (Permanently Closed) You could haunt Goodwill like a ghost and never find vintage items as choice as those at STEFAN'S. From '50s bowling shirts and fur-trimmed swing coats to wool fedoras and over-the-top evening wear, this 30-year-old L5P shop stocks pristine items that look and wear like brand-new. It also carries cuffmore...
You could haunt Goodwill like a ghost and never find vintage items as choice as those at STEFAN'S. From '50s bowling shirts and fur-trimmed swing coats to wool fedoras and over-the-top evening wear, this 30-year-old L5P shop stocks pristine items that look and wear like brand-new. It also carries cuff links, eyeglasses and even space-age curtains in a store that's meticulously organized despite being crammed with merchandise. The attention to detail extends to the elaborate window displays, which are among the most inventive and inviting in town.
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Best Wine Selection at a Grocery Store BOA Award Winner
Ansley Mall Kroger We would never have guessed that our hunt for a bottle of 1921 Chateau Caillou Sauternes would have led us to the ANSLEY MALL KROGER. But there it was, enclosed in glass, tucked into the store's temperature-controlled wine cellar with a price tag of $999. The selection of wine at the Ansley Mall storemore...
We would never have guessed that our hunt for a bottle of 1921 Chateau Caillou Sauternes would have led us to the ANSLEY MALL KROGER. But there it was, enclosed in glass, tucked into the store's temperature-controlled wine cellar with a price tag of $999. The selection of wine at the Ansley Mall store is vast; from rich ports to sweet dessert wines, the handpicked inventory spans the globe. Just as important, though, is the wine staff. On a recent visit, Steve, the French wine aficionado, gave an approving nod to the rose we chose for a light dinner of Mediterranean fare. He also pointed out that a standout was coming in the next week, which spurred a conversation about roses, which got us talking about the best wines for hot summer nights, which led to ... well, let's just say they know their stuff.
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Best Place to Commune with Nature Without Leaving the City BOA Award Winner
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Atlanta may not be the city in a forest anymore, but there are still forests in the city. Scores of wooded acres endure in scattered patches, but the undeveloped fringes of the Hooch are the most dramatic. The CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NATIONAL RECREATION AREA is a collection of preserved tracts along themore...
Atlanta may not be the city in a forest anymore, but there are still forests in the city. Scores of wooded acres endure in scattered patches, but the undeveloped fringes of the Hooch are the most dramatic. The CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NATIONAL RECREATION AREA is a collection of preserved tracts along the banks of Georgia’s aquatic aorta from Buford Dam to Atlanta, with ITP sections near Sandy Springs and Vinings. Year-round hiking, fishing, rafting, canoeing and kayaking are all copacetic during daylight hours, and alcohol without glass is, too. It would be wise to enjoy the river sooner rather than later, as our mushrooming metropolis is chugging it down and polluting it up faster than the Appalachian springs in northeast Georgia can trickle it out.
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Best Place to Find Girls Gone Wild BOA Award Winner
Gwinnett is Great On the water tower that hovers over I-85 is the declaration: GWINNETT IS GREAT. What’s Gwinnett great at? For one thing, producing otherwise unremarkable young women whose lapses in judgment — combined with their wholesome suburban-ness and vaguely attractive whiteness — accidentallymore...
On the water tower that hovers over I-85 is the declaration: GWINNETT IS GREAT. What’s Gwinnett great at? For one thing, producing otherwise unremarkable young women whose lapses in judgment — combined with their wholesome suburban-ness and vaguely attractive whiteness — accidentally propel them into the national news spotlight. In ’05, it was Jennifer “Runaway Bride” Wilbanks. This year, it’s Ashley Miller and Heather Johnston, aka the Barbie Bandits, who briefly captured the country’s imagination by looking a lot prettier on Bank of America security-camera footage than they do in real life. After they were arrested and news producers figured out they weren’t actually hot, they largely vanished. Before her guilty plea, Johnston worked as a telemarketer. Miller is, of all things, working as a babysitter as she awaits trial.
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Best Place to Spot Celebrities BOA Award Winner
Anyplace Except Atlanta Atlanta’s kinda like the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who thinks everything is Greek. Celebs with tenuous or long-ago links to the metro area are still referred to in the local press as Atlantans. Julia Roberts, Ryan Seacrest, Holly Hunter and John Mayer haven’t lived here formore...
Atlanta’s kinda like the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding who thinks everything is Greek. Celebs with tenuous or long-ago links to the metro area are still referred to in the local press as Atlantans. Julia Roberts, Ryan Seacrest, Holly Hunter and John Mayer haven’t lived here for years, but we still call them Atlantans. So what if Sir Elton John spends most of his time in one of his four European homes. He owns a condo in Buckhead, so he’s an Atlantan. Forget about the athletes and hip-hop moguls shopping and supping in Phipps and Justin’s. The best place to find A-list Atlanta celebs is ANYPLACE EXCEPT ATLANTA.
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Best Snitch BOA Award Winner
Alexis White When an Atlanta police narcotics squad killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston last November after bursting into her home with a bogus search warrant, police tried to excuse the killing by telling reporters a confidential informant had recently purchased drugs from Johnston’s home. That’smore...
When an Atlanta police narcotics squad killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston last November after bursting into her home with a bogus search warrant, police tried to excuse the killing by telling reporters a confidential informant had recently purchased drugs from Johnston’s home. That’s when 24-year-old ALEXIS WHITE stepped up to prove himself a different sort of local hero. Police, he later said, were pressuring him to say he was the drug buyer. Fortunately, White stood his ground — and snitched. White called 911 and told authorities he was being asked to lie. His truth-telling thwarted an attempted cover-up and helped send two dirty cops, Greg Junnier and J.R. Smith, to prison for manslaughter.
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Best Thing About Atlanta That We Don't Get Credit for Having BOA Award Winner
There's Culture in Atlanta Yes, Virginia, THERE’S CULTURE IN ATLANTA. Sure, it’s not a New York City or San Francisco or Chicago, where finding “culture” is a matter of walking a couple blocks or catching a quick train. But Atlanta teems with artistic vision of all varieties if you’remore...
Yes, Virginia, THERE’S CULTURE IN ATLANTA. Sure, it’s not a New York City or San Francisco or Chicago, where finding “culture” is a matter of walking a couple blocks or catching a quick train. But Atlanta teems with artistic vision of all varieties if you’re willing to go find it. It has Lenny’s and Eyedrum, the Fay Gold Gallery and the Decatur Social Club. There are thriving arts, music and literary scenes. There’s theater, opera, art cinema, major-league sports, quirky shops and cutting-edge restaurants. Atlanta is not only a city with culture, it is a city with soul. It is a city of tradition that constantly reinvents itself.
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Best Yearly-Orama BOA Award Winner
Corndogorama Whether seen as a defiant indulgence, kitschy novelty or unexpected projectile, it’s hard to deny the mysterious allure of the corn dog. No wonder David Railey has spent so much energy nurturing Atlanta’s CORNDOGORAMA. The indie-fried omnifest rocked through its 11th year in July, despitemore...
Whether seen as a defiant indulgence, kitschy novelty or unexpected projectile, it’s hard to deny the mysterious allure of the corn dog. No wonder David Railey has spent so much energy nurturing Atlanta’s CORNDOGORAMA. The indie-fried omnifest rocked through its 11th year in July, despite a somewhat sour relocation from the Earl to Lenny’s, and seems poised to keep growing in its new home. The 2007 edition was headlined by Atlanta metal rockers Mastodon, and featured local up-and-comers the Coathangers, the Selmanaires and Snowden. As with any festival that really cares about its congregation, there are gimmicks and games aplenty, including motorcycle stunts, a corn-dog-eating contest, the Queen Corndog pageant, a heavy-metal petting zoo and 40-yard flip-flop race.
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Best Bass-Guitar-Playing EcoPatriot BOA Award Winner
Rob Del Bueno If America is addicted to oil (as even President Bush admitted in 2006), then Atlanta is a jittery crack whore for petro. Our sprawl and the state’s dearth of leaders willing to go to bat for regional mass transit or smart growth make the metro area’s prosperity especially vulnerablemore...
If America is addicted to oil (as even President Bush admitted in 2006), then Atlanta is a jittery crack whore for petro. Our sprawl and the state’s dearth of leaders willing to go to bat for regional mass transit or smart growth make the metro area’s prosperity especially vulnerable to spikes in oil prices or dips in supply. Enter ROB DEL BUENO. With help from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and a corps of volunteers, the former Man or Astro-man? bassist makes and sells biodiesel — a clean alternative to petroleum diesel made from used cooking oil. Del Bueno’s fuel powers a small fleet of cars and buses around town. And unlike our country’s oil titans, he doesn’t receive gazillions in government subsidies. 250 Arizona St.
less...Best Hype About Atlanta That Isn't Actually True BOA Award Winner
The City Too Busy to Hate Aside from Coca-Cola bottling tap water and then selling it for a buck a bottle, the biggest con job perpetrated in Atlanta in the last 50 years is our reputation as ”THE CITY TOO BUSY TO HATE.” Almost 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement effectively ended with the assassinationmore...
Aside from Coca-Cola bottling tap water and then selling it for a buck a bottle, the biggest con job perpetrated in Atlanta in the last 50 years is our reputation as ”THE CITY TOO BUSY TO HATE.” Almost 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement effectively ended with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta remains a city divided by race in both politics and culture, echoed most recently when the crisis at Grady Memorial Hospital devolved into racial jockeying for position. While the city has had black mayors and black police chiefs since 1974, the money largely remains in lily-white Buckhead. The racial divide both defines and handicaps Atlanta as we wait for a visionary leader who will teach us to build bridges.
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Best Intown Park BOA Award Winner
Lullwater Preserve (Featured) It's not city or county land, so there's no Little League field or playground. But for those not encumbered with kids, LULLWATER PARK offers an intown oasis. Just beyond the edge of the Emory University campus between Clifton and Clairmont roads, the 185-acre privately owned greenspace has paved joggingmore...
It's not city or county land, so there's no Little League field or playground. But for those not encumbered with kids, LULLWATER PARK offers an intown oasis. Just beyond the edge of the Emory University campus between Clifton and Clairmont roads, the 185-acre privately owned greenspace has paved jogging paths, wooded trails and plenty of shade. There are also opportunities for wildlife watching in the wetlands and meadows and along Peachtree Creek, with its series of charming waterfalls. The park's centerpiece, 12-acre Candler Lake, draws fishermen, picnickers and students looking for a quiet place to read. And steady foot traffic ensures a certain level of safety.
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Best Bizarre Signage BOA Award Winner
1819 Second Ave.
Driving east on Glenwood Avenue away from the city, you take a right on Second Avenue, just shy of the East Lake Golf Club. You notice a warning on your right, painted in 3-foot-tall letters on a cement wall: "Wake Up!"
Best Old-School Bookstore BOA Award Winner
Books Again Traditional used bookstores - the kind with a mix of recent hardcovers, classic fiction and obscure old tomes with gotta-have titles such as I Was a Soviet Worker - are going the way of the 8-track, thanks to the Internet. That's why BOOKS AGAIN is so refreshing. It carries Southern literature, mysteries,more...
Traditional used bookstores - the kind with a mix of recent hardcovers, classic fiction and obscure old tomes with gotta-have titles such as I Was a Soviet Worker - are going the way of the 8-track, thanks to the Internet. That's why BOOKS AGAIN is so refreshing. It carries Southern literature, mysteries, first editions, signed novels, children's books and so forth, ranging in age from last year to the late 19th century. And its downtown Decatur location is appropriate, given that our most progressive suburb has become a literary center with its own annual book festival, an antiquarian book fair and more than its share of independent bookstores. Books Again reminds us of why we like used bookstores in the first place: You never know what you'll find.
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Best Place to Get Your Rear End Buffed BOA Award Winner
Do It Right There are more than 115 car washes in the metro - not including the free-wash-with-fill-up gas stations that do little beyond taking the dust off. When it comes to the best car wash, a sudsy handjob is a given. What's more, no amount of buffing can surpass a thorough inside job. DO IT RIGHT does justmore...
There are more than 115 car washes in the metro - not including the free-wash-with-fill-up gas stations that do little beyond taking the dust off. When it comes to the best car wash, a sudsy handjob is a given. What's more, no amount of buffing can surpass a thorough inside job. DO IT RIGHT does just that. It's a small but hard-working crew that stays busy with regulars out on its checkered lot. There's no fancy waiting room, but the Georgia Aquarium (and the mini one at Luckie Charm Lounge) are nearby. Or Do It Right will pick up your car from anywhere in Fulton. It always rains the day after you wash your car, right? Problem solved. If it rains within 48 hours of your visit, Do It Right will wash your car again for free.
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Best Excuse to Throw a Dinner Party BOA Award Winner
Your Dekalb Farmer'S Market Covering 140,000 square feet of well-air-conditioned space, YOUR DEKALB FARMER'S MARKET isn't a farmer's market in the traditional sense. That is, it doesn't carry goods that come solely from Georgia farmers - though it does have a ridiculously massive selection of local and international produce, meats,more...
Covering 140,000 square feet of well-air-conditioned space, YOUR DEKALB FARMER'S MARKET isn't a farmer's market in the traditional sense. That is, it doesn't carry goods that come solely from Georgia farmers - though it does have a ridiculously massive selection of local and international produce, meats, seafood, cheeses, dry goods, wine and beer, and prepared foods, all at ridiculously low prices (even for the impressive selection of organic options). We recently found sushi-grade tuna for $10.99 per pound, 89-cent heads of escarole and hearty bundles of herbs for about a buck each. That's about half the price of most competitors. Putting these values to the test, we've found that it's possible to throw a four-course, 10-person dinner party for around $100. Why would you ever grocery-shop anywhere else?
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Best Place to Furnish a Jetsons' Pad BOA Award Winner
Context In addition to providing a new drooling venue for contemporary-furniture enthusiasts, CONTEXT has taken the pioneering step of opening its spacious downtown showroom in a historic 1930s building that originally housed a car dealership serving nearby Sweet Auburn. The store specializes in monochromaticmore...
In addition to providing a new drooling venue for contemporary-furniture enthusiasts, CONTEXT has taken the pioneering step of opening its spacious downtown showroom in a historic 1930s building that originally housed a car dealership serving nearby Sweet Auburn. The store specializes in monochromatic modernist pieces - such as a series of overlapping drawers that looks like a bright-red, free-standing spiral staircase - as well as designs that make innovative use of natural fibers and organic materials, as with floor fans fashioned from chrome and woven rattan. Just in is a line of exquisitely restored vintage chairs from such masters as Marcel Breuer and Eero Saarinen, proving everything old is new again.
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Best Place to Fill Your Tank BOA Award Winner
Quiktrip It might only be a penny cheaper by the gallon compared with its closest competitor, but Atlanta's four QUIKTRIP stations offer something more than cheap gas: consistent prices. When we compared gas-by-the-gallon rates at www.atlantagasprices.com, we found that QuikTrip was the only station in the citymore...
It might only be a penny cheaper by the gallon compared with its closest competitor, but Atlanta's four QUIKTRIP stations offer something more than cheap gas: consistent prices. When we compared gas-by-the-gallon rates at www.atlantagasprices.com, we found that QuikTrip was the only station in the city that had the same regular-grade price at all of its locations: $2.79. Prices at five of Atlanta's BP stations, on the other hand, ranged from $2.80 to a whopping $3.19. QuikTrip also has some of the lowest prices in the burbs, where gas prices can be significantly lower than in town. Here's to QuikTrip, for keeping gas prices low no matter where in the city you fill 'er up.
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Best Blogger BOA Award Winner
Griftdrift Since starting Drifting Through the Grift in March 2006, GRIFTDRIFT has attracted a loyal following with his easygoing online persona and his trenchant commentary on important local news stories. His finest achievement: his posts this spring and summer that chipped away at the mountain of political,more...
Since starting Drifting Through the Grift in March 2006, GRIFTDRIFT has attracted a loyal following with his easygoing online persona and his trenchant commentary on important local news stories. His finest achievement: his posts this spring and summer that chipped away at the mountain of political, legal and media hypocrisy surrounding the Genarlow Wilson case. When the U.S. attorney in Atlanta ripped the Douglas County prosecutor for having distributed a video of Wilson and an underaged girl having sex, his statement was uncannily similar to the ones GriftDrift had been making for weeks.www.griftdrift.blogspot.com
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Best Parade BOA Award Winner
Little Five Points Halloween Parade The Inman Park Festival parade is best-known as home turf for the incredibly entertaining Kelly’s Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Band. The quirky Pride Parade in Midtown is Atlanta’s most honest celebration of freedom. We love them both. But Atlanta’s most original, entertainingmore...
The Inman Park Festival parade is best-known as home turf for the incredibly entertaining Kelly’s Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Band. The quirky Pride Parade in Midtown is Atlanta’s most honest celebration of freedom. We love them both. But Atlanta’s most original, entertaining and downright bizarre street march is the LITTLE FIVE POINTS HALLOWEEN PARADE. Where else does a 7-foot-penis swagger by a wholesome family in broad daylight, or a snarling, bare-chested madman gnaw on his bone and lunge at the crowd only to have his collar jerked by his masterful mistress?
less...Best Sign Atlanta Isn't Like the Rest of Georgia BOA Award Winner
Buford Highway BUFORD HIGHWAY is Atlanta’s Chinatown. It’s also our Koreatown, our Vietnamtown, our Mexicotown and many more. To some, Buford Highway is just a shopping and restaurant district — a place to get a bowl of pho on a Friday night, or a place to pick up stalks of fresh lemongrassmore...
BUFORD HIGHWAY is Atlanta’s Chinatown. It’s also our Koreatown, our Vietnamtown, our Mexicotown and many more. To some, Buford Highway is just a shopping and restaurant district — a place to get a bowl of pho on a Friday night, or a place to pick up stalks of fresh lemongrass for a Thai recipe you’re making at home. Buford Highway’s much more than food and shopping, though. It’s the living, breathing fulfillment of Atlanta’s oft-stated desire to be an international city instead of just a provincial capital.
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Best Post-Lakewood Rummaging Spot BOA Award Winner
Scott Antique Markets, Atlanta (Featured) Folks loved Lakewood because, in addition to the costly antiques, there was plenty of good junk and funky tchotchkes to be had at reasonable prices. Long known as Lakewood's upmarket cousin, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKET had higher-end collectibles at higher prices - and it still does. But many former Lakewoodmore...
Folks loved Lakewood because, in addition to the costly antiques, there was plenty of good junk and funky tchotchkes to be had at reasonable prices. Long known as Lakewood's upmarket cousin, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKET had higher-end collectibles at higher prices - and it still does. But many former Lakewood merchants have set up shop at Scott, even spilling out onto the grass beside the convention hall. Sure, it still has Shaker furniture with laugh-out-loud price tags, but you can also find post cards, tea pots, old radios and tacky commemorative plates you didn't even know you needed.
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Best Bakery for the Quaintest Cakes BOA Award Winner
Highland Bakery (6 ATL Locations) The cakes at HIGHLAND BAKERY aren't like the ones you might find at those fancy cake makers, where towering layers impose in their perfection. Instead, there's something comfortably homey, with a fair dose of bohemian chic, in the rows of cakes dressed with orange and yellow daisies and other unpretentiousmore...
The cakes at HIGHLAND BAKERY aren't like the ones you might find at those fancy cake makers, where towering layers impose in their perfection. Instead, there's something comfortably homey, with a fair dose of bohemian chic, in the rows of cakes dressed with orange and yellow daisies and other unpretentious adornments. From carrot and coconut to traditional chocolate or yellow, the cakes' ingredients are organic and as wholesome as can be without compromising taste. Or, as one fan puts it, she'd like to bathe in Highland Bakery's buttercream frosting. The bakery's sweet-potato pancakes are nothing to scoff at, either - and serve as the perfect excuse to pick up a special-occasion cake during breakfast hours.
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Best Reason to Stay Away from Blockbuster BOA Award Winner
Videodrome
Don't let some nationwide chain - or your Netflix queue - dictate which films you check out next. If you really want to broaden your horizons, head to VIDEODROME. Like some kind of bizarro-world version of Blockbuster, here it's the "mainstream"
Best Place to Get Waxed by a Lust Lister BOA Award Winner
Salon Red - Candler Park Actually, SALON RED AND SPA in Candler Park is probably the only place to get waxed by a winner of CL's annual Lust List. In addition to being nominated by readers earlier this year as one of the city's hottest service-industry workers, Kristen Standish has the skills to match. Expertise, efficiency,more...
Actually, SALON RED AND SPA in Candler Park is probably the only place to get waxed by a winner of CL's annual Lust List. In addition to being nominated by readers earlier this year as one of the city's hottest service-industry workers, Kristen Standish has the skills to match. Expertise, efficiency, a calm demeanor and steady handwork are wonders for novice spa-goers, and informed advice about avoiding ingrowns and cooling down that telltale redness is refreshing to the more experienced among us. You won't feel pressured to buy any products, and the salon's overall vibe is laid-back. So relax, sip some cool water, breathe and let Kristen and her colleagues Kaci Chandler and Anissa Jones do their thing - for a reasonable $30. We just hope the guy or gal who nominated Kristen won't be too disappointed that she became officially committed to her lady love in August.
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Best Place to Buy a Glass Tobacco Pipe BOA Award Winner
42 Degrees South There are plenty of enticing and exotic wares in the front of the store to distract you, from handcrafted jewelry to billowing glass sculptures to primitive masks to a sleek waterfall. But the real treasures at 42 DEGREES SOUTH can be found inside the massive, U-shaped cases in the back. Swirling, blown-glassmore...
There are plenty of enticing and exotic wares in the front of the store to distract you, from handcrafted jewelry to billowing glass sculptures to primitive masks to a sleek waterfall. But the real treasures at 42 DEGREES SOUTH can be found inside the massive, U-shaped cases in the back. Swirling, blown-glass pipes of every size, shape and color create a rainbow of options, ranging from $10 for sleek and slender one-hitters to well more than $100 for tall, elegant water pipes. The laid-back and superfriendly staff is happy to guide you through the rather daunting process of wading through hundreds of options to find the pipe that's right for you.
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Best Resource for Cobbling Together a New Kitchen BOA Award Winner
Restore Georgia nonprofit Habitat for Humanity does more than build homes for the needy. It also offers donated home-renovation supplies to the public - at a fraction of their retail cost - through a Grant Park outpost called RESTORE. ReStore, which recently expanded to 4,000 square feet of warehouse space,more...
Georgia nonprofit Habitat for Humanity does more than build homes for the needy. It also offers donated home-renovation supplies to the public - at a fraction of their retail cost - through a Grant Park outpost called RESTORE. ReStore, which recently expanded to 4,000 square feet of warehouse space, offers brand-new stainless-steel appliances, cabinets, sinks, countertops, flooring, windows and light fixtures. There's even high-end dishes and silverware. If you're looking beyond the kitchen, ReStore also offers indoor and outdoor furniture, Jacuzzi tubs, area rugs, and just about anything you might need to spruce up your home. The best part: All proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity, which means someone else gets the home they deserve, too.
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Best Boutique for Trendsetters BOA Award Winner
Bill Hallman It's unusual to stay relevant in fashion as long as BILL HALLMAN has, but somehow, this venerable store seems to have the freshest, cheekiest looks to help you stay ahead of the crowd. And now occupying an expansive 6,000-square-foot space, it has enough room to be twice as good. BH has always been aboutmore...
It's unusual to stay relevant in fashion as long as BILL HALLMAN has, but somehow, this venerable store seems to have the freshest, cheekiest looks to help you stay ahead of the crowd. And now occupying an expansive 6,000-square-foot space, it has enough room to be twice as good. BH has always been about more than trendy denim and hipster T-shirts, but the addition of such men's brands as Paul Smith and John Varvatos has upped the sophistication quotient. The women's side, meanwhile, is off the hook, with more bags, accessories and even a carefully selected vintage selection.
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Best Accessories for Pampered Pets BOA Award Winner
Highland Pet Supply
Whether you're looking for a $170 dog bed, a $325 kitty jungle gym, $60 doggie booties or cat kibble labeled duck or salmon "a la veg,"
Best Sample/Trunk/Clearance Sale BOA Award Winner
Intown Boutique Warehouse Sale The Big Apple has the fabled semiannual Barney's Warehouse Sale; we've got the locally renowned INTOWN BOUTIQUE WAREHOUSE SALE, where bargain hunters can score seriously marked-down duds from Bill Hallman, P. Valentine, Veruca, Laced Up, Mitzi & Romano, Wish and other merchants of edgy attire. Dealsmore...
The Big Apple has the fabled semiannual Barney's Warehouse Sale; we've got the locally renowned INTOWN BOUTIQUE WAREHOUSE SALE, where bargain hunters can score seriously marked-down duds from Bill Hallman, P. Valentine, Veruca, Laced Up, Mitzi & Romano, Wish and other merchants of edgy attire. Deals are especially strong on jeans from such makers as Evisu, Acne and Seven, but there also are T-shirts, sweaters, dresses and shoes out the wazoo. The two-day fashion free-for-all takes place in a windowless, cement-floored stockroom a half-mile from the Carter Center. The only question is, can you wait until February (or July) for the next sale?
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Best Resource for the Carless BOA Award Winner
Flexcar For those who'd like to give up their cars full-time - with the option of having some wheels to borrow for grocery shopping, picking up furniture or making a quick day trip - FLEXCAR can make that dream a reality. For as little as $6 per hour, you can rent one of 64 fully insured vehicles (includingmore...
For those who'd like to give up their cars full-time - with the option of having some wheels to borrow for grocery shopping, picking up furniture or making a quick day trip - FLEXCAR can make that dream a reality. For as little as $6 per hour, you can rent one of 64 fully insured vehicles (including hybrids, SUVs, pickup trucks and even a Mini convertible) from locations across the city and return it when you're done. There's none of the hassle that comes with the lines and paperwork at a traditional car-rental place. What's more, Flexcar's $35 annual membership fee is waived in subsequent years if you use the service just twice in 12 months. And because Flexcar's fleet averages 30 miles per gallon, and because all of its cars are Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, borrowing from Flexcar is good for Atlanta's crummy air, too.
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Best TV News Anchor BOA Award Winner
Monica Pearson TV news anchors aren't reporters. They're readers, tasked by TV stations with the job of lending authority and likability to the copy scrolling up their teleprompters. In Atlanta, no one does it better than MONICA PEARSON. Longtime Atlantans remember when she arrived in 1975 from Louisville, Ky., asmore...
TV news anchors aren't reporters. They're readers, tasked by TV stations with the job of lending authority and likability to the copy scrolling up their teleprompters. In Atlanta, no one does it better than MONICA PEARSON. Longtime Atlantans remember when she arrived in 1975 from Louisville, Ky., as Monica Kaufman to anchor the morning local-news breaks during "The Today Show."
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Best Local TV or Newspaper Reporter BOA Award Winner
Monica PearsonBest All-Purpose Path BOA Award Winner
The Path Trail After work and every weekend, THE PATH TRAIL connecting Freedom Parkway to downtown Decatur fills up. Joggers jog it. Pet owners empty their dogs along it. Parents push their high-performance strollers on it. Cyclists cruise it. The paved trail, maintained by the nonprofit PATH Foundation, goes frommore...
After work and every weekend, THE PATH TRAIL connecting Freedom Parkway to downtown Decatur fills up. Joggers jog it. Pet owners empty their dogs along it. Parents push their high-performance strollers on it. Cyclists cruise it. The paved trail, maintained by the nonprofit PATH Foundation, goes from Freedom Park through Candler Park, Lake Claire, East Lake and into Decatur. The only section of trail where you’ll have to get on the street or the municipal sidewalk is in ped-friendly Candler Park. Readers with especially capacious lungs, take note: The trail continues past Decatur to Stone Mountain.
less...Best Athlete(s) BOA Award Winner
Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk When the Atlanta Thrashers debuted in 1999, General Manager Don Waddell said he had a five-year plan to get the team to the playoffs. So he was off by a couple of years. The Thrashers had their best season yet last season, led by two forwards: MARIAN HOSSA and former No. 1 pick ILYA KOVALCHUK. Both camemore...
When the Atlanta Thrashers debuted in 1999, General Manager Don Waddell said he had a five-year plan to get the team to the playoffs. So he was off by a couple of years. The Thrashers had their best season yet last season, led by two forwards: MARIAN HOSSA and former No. 1 pick ILYA KOVALCHUK. Both came on strong at the end of the season to lead the Thrashers to their first-ever playoff appearance. Hossa, who came to Atlanta in a trade for Dany Heatley, scored a franchise-record 100 points. And Kovalchuk had 42 goals and 34 assists. The Thrashers were 38-10-7 when Hossa notched a point, and 36-12-6 when Kovalchuk hit a goal or had an assist. Next goal for the team: actually win a playoff game.
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Best Beach Retreat BOA Award Winner
Tybee IslandTybee Island, GA Savannah/GA Coast
Snobbish Atlantans turn up their noses at the mention of our metropolis’s closest beach, TYBEE ISLAND. They think it’s cheesy, trashy or dull. They’re missing out. Sure, some of the development on the way to the water leaves something to be desired, but the beach and water at Tybee are quite nice. And the little boardwalk is a gem, a quaint, smaller version of the old famed boardwalks in beach towns between Virginia and New York. Best of all, Tybee is right next to Savannah. If the beach’s nonoceanic accommodations aren’t to your liking, you can do your eating, drinking and passing out closer to River Street.
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Snobbish Atlantans turn up their noses at the mention of our metropolis’s closest beach, TYBEE ISLAND. They think it's cheesy, trashy or dull. They're missing out. Sure, some of the development on the way to the water leaves something to be desired, but the beach and water at Tybee are quitemore...
Snobbish Atlantans turn up their noses at the mention of our metropolis’s closest beach, TYBEE ISLAND. They think it's cheesy, trashy or dull. They're missing out. Sure, some of the development on the way to the water leaves something to be desired, but the beach and water at Tybee are quite nice. And the little boardwalk is a gem, a quaint, smaller version of the old famed boardwalks in beach towns between Virginia and New York. Best of all, Tybee is right next to Savannah. If the beach's nonoceanic accommodations aren't to your liking, you can do your eating, drinking and passing out closer to River Street.
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Best Columnist Not Published in Creative Loafing BOA Award Winner
Jay Bookman Last year, we dubbed AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker “best columnist”; six months later she won the slightly less prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Coincidence? We think not. This year, we’re granting CL’s honor to Tucker’s deputy editorial page editor.more...
Last year, we dubbed AJC Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker “best columnist”; six months later she won the slightly less prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Coincidence? We think not. This year, we’re granting CL’s honor to Tucker’s deputy editorial page editor. JAY BOOKMAN attacks his topics with a strong sense of justice, well-aimed wit and even wisdom, as he did with a July column slyly protesting the hypocrisy of the district attorney who prosecuted teenager Genarlow Wilson for having sex with another teenager. Over the years, Bookman has particularly distinguished himself with fair-minded, powerful columns on the Iraq fiasco and Georgia’s disastrous transportation policies — both of which he saw coming with painful clarity. We can’t say this will lead to a Pulitzer, but there is a precedent.
less...Best Country Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Eagle 106.7 (WYAY-FM) Keeping up with the ever-changing faces and sounds in country music is a task unto itself. But add the need to keep one foot firmly planted in the traditions of the genre and you end up doing a precarious balancing act. EAGLE 106.7, WYAY-FM, manages these tasks quite well, mixing the old and the newmore...
Keeping up with the ever-changing faces and sounds in country music is a task unto itself. But add the need to keep one foot firmly planted in the traditions of the genre and you end up doing a precarious balancing act. EAGLE 106.7, WYAY-FM, manages these tasks quite well, mixing the old and the new in a way that satisfies both camps. It plays a lot of the hot new stuff the young’uns want to hear, but also pays sufficient homage to Willie, Merle and Bocephus. In addition, it features “Country Gold” Saturday and Sunday nights, covering all the classics for the stalwarts. Sunday morning and afternoon are filled with live NASCAR shows and race coverage — now that’s country.
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Best Jazz Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Jazz 91.9 WCLK (Permanently Closed) From the moment the station first signed on in 1974 with Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” — beaming out 57 watts of power, about enough to hear it a block away — WCLK-FM (91.9) has been Atlanta’s best jazz station. Of course, there were times whenmore...
From the moment the station first signed on in 1974 with Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” — beaming out 57 watts of power, about enough to hear it a block away — WCLK-FM (91.9) has been Atlanta’s best jazz station. Of course, there were times when WCLK was Atlanta’s only jazz station. But with competition or not, WCLK clearly stands apart with its smart and eclectic mix of all things jazz, plus programs that celebrate blues and gospel music. Today, the station may still broadcast at a modest 6,000 watts from the campus of Clark Atlanta University, but without WCLK, the jazz scene in Atlanta would be Kenny G. at Chastain Park.
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Best Local Hero BOA Award Winner
The Cop on the Corner This hasn’t been a great year for the Atlanta Police Department. Every badge in the department was tarnished by the narcotics detectives who botched the drug raid that left an innocent elderly woman dead. Morale stinks, officers are fleeing and crime rates are up. Which is why we salute THEmore...
This hasn’t been a great year for the Atlanta Police Department. Every badge in the department was tarnished by the narcotics detectives who botched the drug raid that left an innocent elderly woman dead. Morale stinks, officers are fleeing and crime rates are up. Which is why we salute THE COP ON THE CORNER. They risk their lives, get cursed at and get used as pawns in city politics, all to keep us safe. There’s not much a lowly lawman or lawwoman can do about the department’s leadership except show up for work and do his or her job. So, to all the rank-and-file police officers wading through the department’s current mess: You are, indeed, Atlanta’s finest. Thank you.
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Best Addition to the Skyline BOA Award Winner
1180 PeachtreeBest Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Shirley FranklinBest Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Shirley Franklin
Best Sign That Atlanta Isn't Turning Into Houston BOA Award Winner
TreesBest Underrated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
TreesBest Country Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Kicks 101.5Best Jazz Radio Station BOA Award Winner
107.5 WJZZBest Jogging Path BOA Award Winner
Freedom Park PATHBest Local Athlete BOA Award Winner
Jeff FrancoeurBest Local Hero (TIE) BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Shirley FranklinBest New Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Georgia AquariumBest Person You Love to Hate BOA Award Winner
Neal BoortzBest Playground BOA Award Winner
John Howell ParkBest Overall Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Dave FM 92.9Best Climbing Wall BOA Award Winner
Atlanta Rocks!Best Street Character BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Sign Atlanta Isn't Like the Rest of Georgia BOA Award Winner
TrafficBest Commitment to Bizarro Humor BOA Award Winner
The Movie Version of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"
You can say a lot of things about the MOVIE VERSION OF "AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE,"
Best Street Character BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Local Celebrity BOA Award Winner
Baton Bob
Best Local Sports Radio Show Host BOA Award Winner
Two Live StewsBest Local Fighter for the Environment (TIE) BOA Award Winner
Laura Turner SeydelBest Local Celebrity BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest New Loft/Condo Development BOA Award Winner
Atlantic Station
Best Addition to the Skyline BOA Award Winner
1180 PeachtreeBest Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Shirley FranklinBest Local Hero BOA Award Winner
Baton Bob
Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle In the midst of the cesspool of the Georgia Capitol is an island of relative sanity — the office of LT. GOV. CASEY CAGLE. When Gov. Sonny “Florida Land Boy” Perdue and House Speaker Glenn “Love Those Blond Lobbyists” Richardson tried to use $142 million inmore...
In the midst of the cesspool of the Georgia Capitol is an island of relative sanity — the office of LT. GOV. CASEY CAGLE. When Gov. Sonny “Florida Land Boy” Perdue and House Speaker Glenn “Love Those Blond Lobbyists” Richardson tried to use $142 million in surplus tax cash as a political football, it was Cagle who played the role of responsible adult by stopping them. Cagle has also put points on the board in other areas. Although he’s wholeheartedly GOP, he’s more like your granddaddy’s Republicans, a little snooty but willing to treat the other side with respect in a debate — and even to listen. In the reddest of red states, that’s the best we can hope for.
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Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Shirley FranklinBest Local Political Website BOA Award Winner
Peach Pundit Political junkies are surprisingly nonpartisan when it comes to getting the latest scuttlebutt. You could have Ted Kennedy’s face tattooed across both ass cheeks and you’d still have to check PEACH PUNDIT several times a day to see what fresh dirt Erick Erickson and his crew of mostlymore...
Political junkies are surprisingly nonpartisan when it comes to getting the latest scuttlebutt. You could have Ted Kennedy’s face tattooed across both ass cheeks and you’d still have to check PEACH PUNDIT several times a day to see what fresh dirt Erick Erickson and his crew of mostly conservative busybodies and gossipmongers have dug up. You only have to open a blog thread to see that readers of all political stripes have entered the fray, resulting not only in lively debate, but a much more fruitful exchange of viewpoints than you get on single-blogger sites. PP’s stable of insiders also occasionally scoops the news wires and dailies, especially during the General Assembly. Simply put, if it involves politics in Georgia, someone’s talking about it — and you can, too — on Peach Pundit.
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Best Local Troublemaker BOA Award Winner
Sgt. Michael Scott Kreher It takes personal courage to challenge authority in the Atlanta Police Department. Former Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli suffered retaliation when he went public with substantiated accusations that former Mayor Bill Campbell and Chief Beverly Harvard had manipulated crime statistics to make the city lookmore...
It takes personal courage to challenge authority in the Atlanta Police Department. Former Deputy Chief Lou Arcangeli suffered retaliation when he went public with substantiated accusations that former Mayor Bill Campbell and Chief Beverly Harvard had manipulated crime statistics to make the city look safer before the ’96 Olympics. In the last year SGT. MICHAEL SCOTT KREHER, president of the Atlanta chapter of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers union, and some of his colleagues have exposed the APD’s deepening morale problems, as well as revealed the city’s touted war on crime as a quota-driven exercise in meaningless statistics. Without Kreher, the public wouldn’t know much of what’s gone wrong with the APD. Chief Richard Pennington has responded by transferring Kreher and other union officials to graveyard shifts and lower-status jobs.
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Best Neighborhood Festival BOA Award Winner
Inman Park Festival To avoid the stifling heat of summer, Atlanta crams a full six months of outdoor civic togetherness into the three spring months. The festival season’s two biggies, Dogwood and Gay Pride at Piedmont Park, are justifiably well-regarded. But for those looking for a real neighborhoody festivalmore...
To avoid the stifling heat of summer, Atlanta crams a full six months of outdoor civic togetherness into the three spring months. The festival season’s two biggies, Dogwood and Gay Pride at Piedmont Park, are justifiably well-regarded. But for those looking for a real neighborhoody festival experience, the INMAN PARK FESTIVAL can’t be beat. Some of the event’s charm is just lucky geography — it’s fun to meander through the ’hood’s winding, shady streets. But the organizers deserve credit — by controlling the quality of the arts, entertainment and even the food, they’ve deftly grown it into a huge festival while avoiding corporate-carnival blandness.
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Best Old Thing About Atlanta Made New Again BOA Award Winner
Atlanta Beltline Inc (Featured) Just when it seemed Atlanta was as likely to issue free personal jet packs to every resident as it was to make progress on THE BELTLINE, the city worked behind the scenes to team with a group of private investors to buy the proposed 22-mile loop’s northeast quadrant from Gwinnett developer Waynemore...
Just when it seemed Atlanta was as likely to issue free personal jet packs to every resident as it was to make progress on THE BELTLINE, the city worked behind the scenes to team with a group of private investors to buy the proposed 22-mile loop’s northeast quadrant from Gwinnett developer Wayne Mason, who tried but failed to get approval for two huge condo towers on the Beltline overlooking Piedmont Park. Few details are known, but it appears Atlanta will get its transit right-of-way and parks, developers will get to put swank homes and retail on some of the city’s most desirable land, and Mason will make an eight-figure profit just for sitting on the land for three years.
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Best Rock Radio Station BOA Award Winner
WRAS 88.5 The collective knowledge of Pitchfork’s contributors is an invaluable tool for finding new and interesting rock; on the other hand, the mag is marred by bad writers who frequently confuse opacity with profundity. The rock programming at ALBUM 88, WRAS-FM (88.5) is Pitchfork’s encyclopedicmore...
The collective knowledge of Pitchfork’s contributors is an invaluable tool for finding new and interesting rock; on the other hand, the mag is marred by bad writers who frequently confuse opacity with profundity. The rock programming at ALBUM 88, WRAS-FM (88.5) is Pitchfork’s encyclopedic equal. Only, instead of writing about the music, Georgia State’s student-run station plays you the music. And instead of being pompous, the student DJs are smart people who play interesting music because they think you might like it. You won’t like all of it. But if you like discovering new rock, it’s your best bet, short of stealing cool people’s iPods.
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Best Sign That Atlanta Isn't Turning Into Houston BOA Award Winner
TreesBest Street Character Who's Not Baton Bob BOA Award Winner
Willy Terry, aka Bicycle Shorts Man With his paid gigs and his slick website, “street character” is no longer an apt title for Baton Bob. He’s a full-fledged local celeb now. For God’s sake, the man has a better Wikipedia entry than Creative Loafing does. Of Bob’s street-character colleagues,more...
With his paid gigs and his slick website, “street character” is no longer an apt title for Baton Bob. He’s a full-fledged local celeb now. For God’s sake, the man has a better Wikipedia entry than Creative Loafing does. Of Bob’s street-character colleagues, none is more notorious, long-lived or as apparently well-endowed as WILLY TERRY, AKA BICYCLE SHORTS MAN. For 16 years, he has stood at the intersection of Briarcliff and Ponce, greeting passers-by with a smile, a wave and a glimpse of what appears to be an enormous penis visible through tight bicycle shorts. He’ll probably never be Baton Bob-famous, but last year, Terry appeared in an online documentary short (filmed by an Emory student named Dan Resnick) viewed more than 60,000 times. He’s putting the tube back in YouTube.
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Best Underrated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
TreesBest Urban Radio Station BOA Award Winner
103.3 (WVEE-FM) Personalities are the lifeblood of commercial stations. And V-103, WVEE-FM (103.3) has a killer lineup: Frank Ski, Wanda Smith and Miss Sophia (mornings), Porsche Foxx (midday), Ryan Cameron (afternoon drive), Greg Street (evenings) and Joyce Littel (late night). It’s not only the music (pop-hop/R&B)more...
Personalities are the lifeblood of commercial stations. And V-103, WVEE-FM (103.3) has a killer lineup: Frank Ski, Wanda Smith and Miss Sophia (mornings), Porsche Foxx (midday), Ryan Cameron (afternoon drive), Greg Street (evenings) and Joyce Littel (late night). It’s not only the music (pop-hop/R&B) their listeners tune in to hear; it’s also the hosts. More than those at any other station, V-103’s on-air personalities have worked to create a familial bond with their listeners that transcends their ’hood fame.
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Best Not-so-bargain Bargain Shoppin' BOA Award Winner
Luxe The coveted spring 2007 Stella McCartney dress - a silk, strapless A-line mini - still, months later, haunts our dreams. And those Sergio Rossi stilettos? Don't even get us started. It's hard being a broke girl with a rich girl's wants. But at LUXE, let the nightmares be gone. The well-appointed boutiquemore...
The coveted spring 2007 Stella McCartney dress - a silk, strapless A-line mini - still, months later, haunts our dreams. And those Sergio Rossi stilettos? Don't even get us started. It's hard being a broke girl with a rich girl's wants. But at LUXE, let the nightmares be gone. The well-appointed boutique recently has reopened its doors, this time on Marietta Street in of-the-moment West Midtown. Owner Jenn Ripley scours the land in search of recent seasons' hot designs and sells them for 50 percent to 70 percent off retail. The above-mentioned dress, at $649, might not be cheap - but compared with its original tag of $2,700, it's a steal. And so be it if we're a season off. We can rest easy knowing the fashion of our dreams really can come true.
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Best OTP Bargain Couture BOA Award Winner
Fantastic Finds Despite its location in a drab strip shopping center off the beaten path in the suburban jumble of Sandy Springs, FANTASTIC FINDS delivers the goods, fashion-wise. The modestly appointed consignment shop is filled with pre-owned jackets, skirts and little black dresses from such hot labels as Marc Jacobs,more...
Despite its location in a drab strip shopping center off the beaten path in the suburban jumble of Sandy Springs, FANTASTIC FINDS delivers the goods, fashion-wise. The modestly appointed consignment shop is filled with pre-owned jackets, skirts and little black dresses from such hot labels as Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Bebe and Chloe, as well as samples and close-outs from top designers and high-end stores. On a good day, you might walk out with a Stella McCartney top or a Chanel bag, or find a gem on the $5 rack. Fantastic, yes?
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Best Record Shop That Feels Like a Time Warp BOA Award Winner
Low Yo Yo Stuff Former Athens music staple LOW YO YO STUFF, well-known for its tight quarters and unwieldy selection, relocated two blocks ITP in April 2006. The shop didn't set up camp in some hip intown neighborhood filled with artsy types and trendy bars. Instead, the Low Yo Yo dudes chose a tiny and deterioratingmore...
Former Athens music staple LOW YO YO STUFF, well-known for its tight quarters and unwieldy selection, relocated two blocks ITP in April 2006. The shop didn't set up camp in some hip intown neighborhood filled with artsy types and trendy bars. Instead, the Low Yo Yo dudes chose a tiny and deteriorating strip mall behind a towering office building off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The cave of a store finally has enough space for both people and LPs. Records galore fill table after table and range in price from $5 to $100 or more, depending on how serious you are. The real fun is sitting on the floor searching through the old vinyl, priced from $1 to $2, and gawking at garish '70s album covers. Be advised: The store is only open Fridays and Saturdays, from noon-6 p.m.
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Best Place for Timeless Threads BOA Award Winner
Stefan's Vintage Clothing (Permanently Closed) You could haunt Goodwill like a ghost and never find vintage items as choice as those at STEFAN'S. From '50s bowling shirts and fur-trimmed swing coats to wool fedoras and over-the-top evening wear, this 30-year-old L5P shop stocks pristine items that look and wear like brand-new. It also carries cuffmore...
You could haunt Goodwill like a ghost and never find vintage items as choice as those at STEFAN'S. From '50s bowling shirts and fur-trimmed swing coats to wool fedoras and over-the-top evening wear, this 30-year-old L5P shop stocks pristine items that look and wear like brand-new. It also carries cuff links, eyeglasses and even space-age curtains in a store that's meticulously organized despite being crammed with merchandise. The attention to detail extends to the elaborate window displays, which are among the most inventive and inviting in town.
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Best Wine Selection at a Grocery Store BOA Award Winner
Ansley Mall Kroger We would never have guessed that our hunt for a bottle of 1921 Chateau Caillou Sauternes would have led us to the ANSLEY MALL KROGER. But there it was, enclosed in glass, tucked into the store's temperature-controlled wine cellar with a price tag of $999. The selection of wine at the Ansley Mall storemore...
We would never have guessed that our hunt for a bottle of 1921 Chateau Caillou Sauternes would have led us to the ANSLEY MALL KROGER. But there it was, enclosed in glass, tucked into the store's temperature-controlled wine cellar with a price tag of $999. The selection of wine at the Ansley Mall store is vast; from rich ports to sweet dessert wines, the handpicked inventory spans the globe. Just as important, though, is the wine staff. On a recent visit, Steve, the French wine aficionado, gave an approving nod to the rose we chose for a light dinner of Mediterranean fare. He also pointed out that a standout was coming in the next week, which spurred a conversation about roses, which got us talking about the best wines for hot summer nights, which led to ... well, let's just say they know their stuff.
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Best Country Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Kicks 101.5Best Jazz Radio Station BOA Award Winner
107.5 WJZZBest Jogging Path BOA Award Winner
Freedom Park PATHBest Local Athlete BOA Award Winner
Jeff FrancoeurBest Local Hero (TIE) BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner
Shirley FranklinBest New Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner
Georgia AquariumBest Person You Love to Hate BOA Award Winner
Neal BoortzBest Playground BOA Award Winner
John Howell ParkBest Overall Radio Station BOA Award Winner
Dave FM 92.9Best Climbing Wall BOA Award Winner
Atlanta Rocks!Best Street Character BOA Award Winner
Baton BobBest Sign Atlanta Isn't Like the Rest of Georgia BOA Award Winner
TrafficBest Commitment to Bizarro Humor BOA Award Winner
The Movie Version of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"
You can say a lot of things about the MOVIE VERSION OF "AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE,"
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