BEST FREE FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT
You can buy plenty of souvenirs or eats at SEATTLE CENTER, or hit the arcade, but that’s strictly optional. As in life, the best things about the placethe fountain lawn, the walkwaysare free.
BEST INDEPENDENT MUSIC STORE
Anyone who thinks multinational chains are the only place to find everything, and we mean everything, needs to stop into EASY STREET and rethink their position. Imports, dance stuff, scads of local releases, magazines galore, vinyl, rock, world music, jazz . . . in short, everything, and we mean everything. 20 Mercer St., 206-691-3279.; 4559 California Ave. S.W., 206-938-3279.
BEST PLACE TO BUY VINYL
Capitol Hill’s PLATINUM RECORDS caters to the DJ in you with an impressive wall of hip-hop, house, techno, jungle, and trance vinyl. They also sell equipment so the DJ in you can express him/herself even louder and clearer. 915 E. Pike St., 206-324-8032.
BEST ROCK CLUB
The CROCODILE CAFE swallows the competition for its excellent sight lines, homey ambience, and terrific booking. Decent eats, too. 2200 Second Ave., 206-441-5611.
BEST RADIO STATION
Why was KEXP (90.3 FM) your favorite station again this year? Let’s review: no commercials, almost no bad music, and the best Web site ever.
BEST KARAOKE
Aside from Cafe Mecca, lower Queen Anne is woefully bereft of scumbag sanctuaries. Flaunting a combustible grab bag of salty voyeurs, frat Buffetts, dead-f’n-serious sirens, and assorted alien life forms, OZZIE’S is a welcome mat for your muddiest karaoke dreams. 105 W. Mercer St., 206-284-4618.
BEST VENUE FOR ACOUSTIC MUSIC
A venue for intimate music should feel like home, and the TRACTOR TAVERN scores on that noteonly imagine your house had a modest stage, plenty of room, a full bar, and top talent playing most evenings. In other words, it’s better than home. 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 206-789-3599.
BEST MAINSTAGE THEATER
Even if you get stuck in the nosebleed section, it’s hard to find a bad seat at the PARAMOUNT THEATRE. With upcoming shows by everyone from Michael Moore to David Bowie, that’s a relief. 911 Pine St., 206-682-1414.
BEST FRINGE THEATER
Serious shows bring acclaim, but off-the-wall stunts get you a cult following. THEATER SCHMEATER has it both ways: The Yellow Wallpaper and The Seagull, but also old Twilight Zone scripts zapped back to life in late-night performances Rod Serling might not approve of. 1500 Summit Ave., 206-324-5801.
BEST LOCAL ACTOR
A longtime favorite of Seattle theatergoers, LARRY BALLARD triumphed in the Rep’s 2002 production of Copenhagen. Ballard’s Heisenberg was a riveting foil to Raye Birk’s Bohr, transforming a play about science into compelling human drama. He most recently performed in Intiman’s Homebody/Kabul.
BEST PLACE TO SEE ART
From the spacious front lobby (packed weekly with the Thursday After Hours crowd) to the attractive cafe and slightly mysterious (but not quite bewildering) gallery room layout, the SEATTLE ART MUSEUM stands firmly atop the list of where you like to see art. 100 University St., 206-654-3100.
BEST DANCE NIGHT
“Friday” and “Saturday” weren’t quite the answers we were looking for. Luckily, some of you got specific and chose ’80S NIGHT AT NEIGHBOURS, where the tunes make you feel ridiculous and flirty and the amateur pole dancing keeps you entertained. 1509 Broadway Ave. E., 206-324-5358.
BEST BOWLING ALLEY
The 7-Eleven of bowling, SUNSET BOWL is conveniently located and open 24 hours a day (it even serves hot dogs). 1420 N.W. Market St., 206-782-7310.
BEST COMEDY CLUB
Frat boys and Ave rats agree: GIGGLES is the place to laugh. 5220 Roosevelt Way, 206-526-5653.
BEST MINI GOLF
At the INTERBAY GOLF CENTER, the mini golf course makes those Go Kart/Putt-Putt combos look pathetic. Interbay’s course is dreamlike: Trees line the holes, which stretch generously to accommodate serious putting, and the little pencils are always nicely sharpened. 2501 15th Ave. W., 206-285-2200.
BEST AREA CASINO
What makes a casino the best? Does it mean people win a lot? Perhaps it’s sheer size: The MUCKLESHOOT CASINO has five restaurants, 2,000 machines, and over 65 tables. 2402 Auburn Way S., Auburn, 800-804-4944.
BEST MOVIE THEATER POPCORN
You sat through X2 thinking: “Thank God for this popcorn.” You can order white cherry Icees and Red Vines all you want, but at CINERAMA, the always hot, always fresh, perfectly salted popcorn is all you need. 2100 4th Ave., 206-441-3080.
BEST LOCAL AD CAMPAIGN
You gotta love the SEATTLE MARINERS. Why? Because they said so.
BEST PUBLIC ARTWORK
THE FREMONT TROLL is a benevolent guardian, an outsized gargoyle watching kindly over the neighborhood that calls itself the Center of the Universe. Home to Fremont’s annual “Troll-o-ween” celebration, this beloved sculpture brings smiles to the faces of locals and tourists alike. Under the north end of the Aurora Bridge.
BEST ARTS SUPPORTER/BENEFACTOR
From the man who brought us EMP: six charitable bodies, known collectively as the PAUL G. ALLEN FOUNDATIONS, that support everything from music to forest protection, from technology in the classroom to medical research.
BEST RIDE AT THE FUN FOREST (SEATTLE CENTER)
Throw your head back, and you can see the Needle, EMP, andat nighta smattering of stars. THE ROLLER COASTER may be small, but its rickety charm more than compensates. So lift your arms and scream like you’ll fall forever.
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