Readers' Picks

Best Art Gallery

OK, guys: Seattle Art Museum is not a gallery. Neither, in fact, are the Frye Art Museum and the Henry Art Gallery, despite the latter's name. The actual gallery that received the most votes, FRIESEN GALLERY, specializes in modern art and recently showed the layered, Pollock-esque paintings of Ford Crull. 1210 Second Ave., 206-628-9501, www.friesengallery.com.

Best Local Visual Artist

Creator of the "Garden of Glass" now at England's Royal Botanic Garden, DALE CHIHULY has crafted flowers, sea creatures, dinosaur bones, and chandeliers from his material of choice. www.chihuly.com.

Best Public Artwork

With the strength to crush cars, the FREMONT TROLL has captured your hearts. Since 1990, the Troll has been hiding beneath the Aurora Bridge, generously posing for pictures and letting children climb all over him. While his heart is made of stone, we're sure he loves you all, too.

Best Arts Philanthropist

Perhaps the most beneficial friendship to our region is that of BILL GATES and Paul Allen. The Microsoft chairman narrowly defeated his pal in our poll, maybe because the Gates Foundation recently awarded KidsQuest Children's Museum a $500,000 grant to promote hands-on art activities. The Allen Foundation, for its part, supports artistic venture projects and statewide arts groups. www.gatesfoundation.org.

Best Independent Bookstore

With its cedar shelves, exposed brick walls, and squeaky wood floors, ELLIOTT BAY BOOK CO. offers an experience like no other. Not only does Elliott Bay carry an astonishing 150,000 titles, it offers a peaceful environment where anyone can go to nourish their inner bookworm. 101 S. Main St., 206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com.

Best Movie Theater

Admit it, you can't get enough of those glowing stars on the ceiling. CINERAMA is your favorite place to pass the popcorn, laugh with the crowd, and awkwardly hold hands on first dates. Its three-projector technology makes it one of only two Cineramas left in the world. 2100 Fourth Ave., 206-441-3653, www.cinerama.com.

Best Local Video Store

Surprised that SCARECROW VIDEO won? Nope, neither are we, since it's the largest video store in the Northwest and has an insanely diverse selection of films on VHS and DVD. The film-buff employees are always willing to recommend something, and even the most obscure or creepy film you can think of—e.g., the 1974 made-for-TV horror classic Bad Ronald—is probably somewhere on their shelves. 5030 Roosevelt Way N.E., 206-524-8554, www.scarecrow.com.

Best Place to Get Adult Videos

Great news for fans of the Chasing the Big Ones series: Installment 20 is now in stock at BLUE VIDEO on Aurora. And if you aren't enamored of the Chasing franchise, you'll be happy to know that Blue is amply stocked with all the other erotic videos you could imagine. 4100 Aurora Ave. N., 206-632-9886.

Best Independent Music Store

We might have another voting recount scandal on our hands. Although you chose EASY STREET RECORDS as your preferred music source, last year's winner, Sonic Boom Records, was nipping at its heels, behind by a mere 10 votes. 20 Mercer St., 206-691-3279; 4559 California Ave. S.W., 206-938-3279.

Best Rock Club

It's always a close race, and this year the CROCODILE CAFE beat the Showbox by a hair. What gave it the edge? Could it be the dim bar in back with the vibrant portraits? The tasty food? We're guessing it's the fact that the Croc never tries to be pretentious, and never fails to book eclectic, talented musicians. 2200 Second Ave., 206-441-5611, www.thecrocodile.com.

Best Jazz Club

Where else in town but DIMITRIOU'S JAZZ ALLEY can you catch acclaimed vocalist Oleta Adams and top-notch guitarist Stanley Jordan in the same week while enjoying grilled Alaskan salmon with truffle-butter sauce? Nowhere else, which is probably why you gave it such an enthusiastic nod. 2033 Sixth Ave., 206-441-9729, www.jazzalley.com.

Best Themed Dance Night

Your top choices in this category represent the broad spectrum of Seattle's nightlife, but SALSA NIGHT AT SEE SOUND LOUNGE (every Sunday at 9 p.m.) prevailed, followed closely by '80s night at Neighbours (Thursdays) and Comeback, Chop Suey's celebration of all things glamorous and gay (last Friday of every month). 115 Blanchard St., 206-374-3733, www.seesoundlounge.com.

Best Classical Musician

Rather than an instrumentalist, you chose Seattle Symphony conductor and music director GERARD SCHWARZ, who's been with the orchestra for more than two decades. During his tenure, he's focused his attention on overlooked 20th-century American composers and led the premiere performances of 46 new works. www.seattlesymphony.org.

Best Local Dance Troupe

An epic chapter in the life of PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET came to a close this year when longtime co-directors Francia Russell and Kent Stowell bid the company a yearlong goodbye. But ballet fans are anticipating the next installment—the Peter Boal era—with much excitement. Will the New York City Ballet alum lift the company to new heights? Time will tell. 301 Mercer St., 206-441-2424, www.pnb.org.

Best Mainstage Theater Company

ACT THEATRE and INTIMAN THEATRE received the same number of votes this year. We propose that the nagging nun from ACT's Late Nite Catechism go mano a mano with Tom Skerritt, the Stage Manager from Intiman's Our Town, to settle this once and for all. ACT, 700 Union St., 206-292-7676, www.acttheatre.org. Intiman, 201 Mercer St., 206-269-1900, www.intiman.org.