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2010 Index of Winners

Best bet for next hot 'hood BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Old Fourth Ward

Best bizarro local news story BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Zebra loose on interstate

Runner-up: Woman crashes into Green's liquor store for second time

Best bizarro news story BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Ban on human microchipping

In saner states, legislative hearings to address the problem of involuntary implantation of microchips would easily score as the year's weirdest news story. But in Georgia, where the General Assembly also passed a bill allowing motorists to keep and eat their roadkill, the proposed BAN ON HUMAN MICROCHIPPING needed a little something extra. As luck would have it, that came in the form of a DeKalb County woman invited to testify to a Senate committee about how "researchers with the federal government" implanted a microchip in her "vaginal-rectum area." The microchip, she said, is activated by phone, like a beeper, with the number displayed "on billboards throughout the city." Naturally, the committee OK'd the bill. less...

Best charity BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Atlanta Community Food Bank

Runner-up: Habitat for Humanity

519 Memorial Drive, 404-223-5180, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.habitat.org.

Best country music radio station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

94.9 FM The Bull

www.bullatlanta.com

Runner-up: 101.5 (WKHX-FM)

www.wkhx.com

Best display of the power of the MSM BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Susan Richardson TV Interview

This year's turnover in state House leadership wasn't brought about by voters, prosecutors or an act of God. Instead, it was due to the SUSAN RICHARDSON TV INTERVIEW with Fox 5 reporter Dale Russell. The six-minute piece, in which the Speaker's ex described his frolicking with lobbyists, is proof thatmore...

Best diverse college BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Georgia State University

Runner-up: Emory University

www.emory.edu

Best dog park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Piedmont Dog Park

Runner-up: ParkGrounds

142 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., 678-528-9901, www.parkgrounds.com

Best evidence of social progress BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Gay elected officials

They still can't marry in Georgia, but it's clear that GAY ELECTED OFFICIALS are finding more public acceptance than ever before. Voters have sent two openly gay candidates to the state House, three to the Atlanta City Council and, this summer, for the first time ever, one to the Fulton County Commission. And we're not even counting politicians who are in the closet! In fact, the Fulton race came down to a runoff between two lesbian candidates who handily out-polled a couple of breeders with nary a mention of sexual preference along the way. less...

Best free thing to do in Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Piedmont Park

Runner-up: Centennial Olympic Park

265 Park Ave. W., 404-222-7275, www.centennialpark.com

Best Georgia beach retreat BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Tybee Island

exploretybee.com

Runner-up: St. Simons Island

www.explorestsimonsisland.com

RRUSSEL 04a RT 12 Large Hogpen Gap, Blue Ridge Mountains GA
GA Tourism - Ralph Daniels - explorega.org

Best Georgia mountain escape BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Blue Ridge Mountains

blueridgeonline.com

Runner-up: Helen

www.helenga.org

Best hiking spot BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Stone Mountain Park

Runner-up: Kennesaw Mountain

900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw, 770-427-4686, www.kennesawmountain.areaparks.com

Best hometown Internet sensation BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Scoutmob

Best hope for Atlanta gridlock BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Regional transportation tax

Best hotel BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

St. Regis Atlanta

Runner-up: The Georgian Terrace Hotel

659 Peachtree St., 404-897-1991, www.thegeorgianterrace.com

Best intown hipster hootenanny BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Cabbagetown Park

Cold draft beer, live bluegrass and all the chili you can eat (until it runs out). What's not to love about Cabbagetown's annual CHOMP AND STOMP festival? Held the first Saturday in November, the day kicks off with a 5K run, but most folks come to get samples from the chili cook-off, have a few beers and rub shoulders with pretty much every cool kid residing south of Ponce de Leon Avenue. There are also a few booths selling crafts, as well as a variety of food from local restaurants and vendors, including an entire slow-roasted hog. But possibly the most welcoming feature of the C&S is its laid-back Cabbagetown vibe; it's like one giant, day-long block party. Cabbagetown Park, Tye Street and Kirkwood Avenue. www.chompandstomp.com. less...

Best intown park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Piedmont Park

Runner-up: Grant Park

840 Cherokee Ave., 404-624-0697, www.gpconservancy.org

Best intro to Atlanta history BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Unseen Underground Walking Tour

Best jazz radio station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Jazz 91.9 WCLK

www.wclk.com

Runner-up: 91.1 (WREK-FM)

www.wrek.org

Best jogging path BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Freedom Park

Runner-up: Silver Comet Trail

Cooper Lake Road at Mayell Road, 404-875-7284, www.pathfoundation.org

Best kids' radio show for non-kids BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

The Kids Are Alright

Airing Saturdays on 1690 (WMLB-AM), THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT touts itself as "kids' music for everyone." But that tag undersells the product. Each DIY-ish broadcast is a joyous riff on a single theme (summer, bugs, ice cream, etc.) lovingly curated from a vast library that ranges from the Pogues to Emmylou Harris to Bo Diddley. You don't need kids to appreciate its wit, indelible melodies and irresistible sing-alongs. www.1690wmlb.com/the-kids-are-alright less...

Best landmark BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Stone Mountain Park

Runner-up: Fox Theatre

660 Peachtree St., 404-881-2100, www.foxtheatre.org

Best local athlete BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Jason Heyward

Runner-up: Matt Ryan

Best local athlete you've never heard of BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Evander Kane

Best local blog/blogger BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

The Quick + Dirty Dirty

www.thequickanddirtydirty.com

Runner-up: Decatur Metro

www.decaturmetro.com

Best local blogger BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Pecanne Log

Nowhere will you find more cleverly written posts on such Atlanta-centric topics as beer-swillin' 1930s circus elephants, the city's first parking deck or downtown's hidden beauty than at PECANNE LOG. At a time when others have retreated to Twitter or Facebook (or given up blogging entirely), its editor,more...

Best local blogger BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Lindsay Roberts and Lauren Kraselsky

www.thequickanddirtydirty.com

Runner-up: Jennifer Zyman

www.blissfulglutton.com

Best local celebrity BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Kevin Gillespie's beard

What's red and bushy, has fancy W Hotel parties thrown in its honor, can be spotted at local joints including Morelli's Ice Cream and the "Ghetto" Kroger and boasts nearly 8,000 Facebook fans? That would be KEVIN GILLESPIE'S BEARD. Kevin Gillespie might be a "Top Chef" finalist and James Beard semifinalist who can create a transcendent meal as easily with pork belly and veal chop as with a bundle of farm-fresh veggies, but it's his Yukon Cornelius-inspired facial hair that's earned him the national fame he deserves. Oh, and if you're angling for a KGB sighting, your best bet is the dining room at Woodfire Grill. The best tables offer an unobstructed view of the open kitchen - and the chef's lustrous beard.

Editor's note: This blurb has been modified to correctly reflect Gillespie's recognition from the James Beard Foundation.

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Best local celebrity BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Ludacris

Runner-up: Usher

Best local hero BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Clark Howard

clarkhoward.com

Runner-up: Jimmy Carter

Best local personality to follow on Twitter BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Neal Boortz

twitter.com/talkmaster

Runner-up: Andisheh Nouaree

www.twitter.com/andishehnouraee

Best local place to commune with nature BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Runner-up: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

www.nps.gov

Best local political figure BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Kasim Reed

www.atlantaga.gov/mayor

Runner-up: Kwanza Hall

www.kwanzahall.com

Best local sports radio show host BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Chuck Oliver, WCNN-AM (680)

www.680thefan.com

Runner-up: Buck Belue, WCNN-AM (680)

www.680thefan.com

Best local sports romance BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Jason Heyward

Best local sports team BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Turner Field

Runner-up: Atlanta Falcons

www.atlantafalcons.com

Best local TV anchor BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Monica Pearson

www.wsbtv.com

Runner-up: Brenda Wood

www.11alive.com

Best local TV, magazine, or newspaper reporter BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Doug Richards

www.11alive.com

Runners-up:

Thomas Wheatley

www.clatl.com

AND

Chad Radford

www.clatl.com

Best local YouTube video BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

"FU BP" on Krog Street Tunnel

Runner-up: Pants on the ground

Best morning drive-time radio show BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

"The Bert Show"

thebertshow.com

Runner-up: NPR "Morning Edition"

www.npr.org

Best neighborhood festival BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Inman Park Festival

www.inmanparkfestival.org

Runner-up: East Atlanta Strut

www.eastatlantastrut.com

Best neighborhood for after-hours BOA Award Winner

Year » 2010
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2010 » Cityscape » Critics Pick

Buford Highway

Atlanta's "last call" doesn't have to mean "good night." Just outside the city limits, late-night carousers and party animals flock to BUFORD HIGHWAY to seek the boompf boompf of Club Miami, the Latin rhythms of La Rumba and the drunken revelry of Karaoke Medley. (Don't forget the slender strippers of Pink Pony.) Top it off with 4:30 a.m. carne asada at any of the late-night authentic taquerias and you can see why Buford Highway beckons. less...