Best of the Twin Cities: The Winners

THE CITY GRITTY

BEST MONTH TO BE IN THE TWIN CITIES May
Readers' Choice: June

BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE Como Park Conservatory
Readers' Choice: Loring Pasta Bar

BEST LOCAL GIRL MADE GOOD Lindsay Whalen
Readers' Choice: Sarah Harris

BEST LOCAL BOY MADE GOOD Josh Hartnett
Readers' Choice: Josh Hartnett

BEST LOCAL GIRL GONE BAD Winona Ryder

BEST LOCAL BOY GONE BAD Lil Buddy

BEST VILLAIN Bud Selig
Readers' Choice: Gov. Jesse Ventura

BEST VICTIM Carl Pohlad

BEST JUDGE Judge Harry Seymour Crump

BEST POLITICIAN Mee Moua
Readers' Choice: Sen. Paul Wellstone

BEST FLIGHT SCHOOL Pan Am International Flight Academy

BEST LOCALLY GENERATED WEB SITE www.musicscenenetwork.com

BEST CAUSE Women's Prison Book Project

BEST RUMOR Bioterror at the Science Museum!

BEST TILT AT A WINDMILL SaveTheGuthrie.org

BEST USE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS Leave No Child Behind

BEST LOCAL EXAMPLE OF THE DOT-COM BUST Rick Born

BEST MAYOR Pat Awada
Readers' Choice: R.T. Rybak

BEST CITY COUNCIL MEMBER Kathy Lantry

BEST GADFLY Jesse Ventura

BEST JESSE VENTURA QUOTE

BEST "YOU SHOULDA BEEN HERE WHEN..." The budget hot potato

BEST CAREER MOVE Bob Mould writes about wrestling

BEST KNEE-JERK REACTION Clear Channel's song memo

BEST CHUTZPAH The Minnesota Vikings

BEST GOLDEN PARACHUTE Dennis Green

BEST SCANDAL The Brian Herron extortion case

BEST GROUND ZERO Minneapolis City Hall

BEST BOONDOGGLE The Duffy investigation

BEST PUBLIC RESTROOM Chino Latino

BEST PLACE TO PRACTICE PIANO IN PUBLIC The Emil Oberhoffer Room at the Minneapolis Central Library

BEST BROKEN PROMISE The razing of the 'Celebration of Life' mural

BEST FARMERS' MARKET St. Paul Farmers' Market

BEST PLACE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS Paisley Park

BEST PLACE TO PEOPLE-WATCH The Minneapolis Impound Lot during a snow emergency
Readers' Choice: State Fair

BEST VIEW Downtown Minneapolis from St. Anthony Main

BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY Gunflint Lodge

BEST STATE FAIR ATTRACTION The Amateur Talent Contest

BEST STATE FAIR FOOD Sweet Martha's chocolate-chip cookies
Readers' Choice: Cheese Curds

BEST FESTIVAL The Minnesota Fringe Festival

BEST LIBRARY Hosmer Community Library

BEST PARADE Celebrate Northeast

BEST CHEAP THRILL Salvation Army

BEST SUBURBAN DOWNTOWN Hopkins

BEST MEAT RAFFLE Dusty's Bar

BEST PLACE TO MEET SINGLE MEN (GAY) Spirit of the Lakes United Church of Christ

BEST PLACE TO MEET SINGLE MEN (STRAIGHT) Pastor Paul's Acoustic Garage Sale

BEST PLACE TO MEET SINGLE WOMEN (STRAIGHT) Yoga class

BEST PLACE TO MEET SINGLE WOMEN (LESBIAN) Amazon Bookstore Cooperative

BEST PLACE TO DUMP SOMEONE Lagoon Cinema
Readers' Choice: Mall of America

BEST CLASS ACT Kelci Stringer

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEST RADIO STATION KFAI-FM (90.3 Minneapolis, 106.7 St. Paul)
Readers' Choice: Radio K

BEST JAZZ RADIO PROGRAM 'Monday Evening Jazz With Tom Surowicz'

BEST AM RADIO PERSONALITY T.D. Mischke
Readers' Choice: Joe Soucheray

BEST FM RADIO PERSONALITY Cathy Wurzer
Readers' Choice: Tom Barnard

BEST NEW TALK SHOW HOST Ian Punnett

BEST HIP-HOP RADIO PROGRAM 'Smoke 'n' Delite'
Readers' Choice: 'The Beat Box'

BEST TV WEATHERPERSON Paul Douglas
Readers' Choice: Belinda Jensen

BEST SPORTS TALK RADIO SHOW 'P.A. & Dubay'

BEST-DRESSED TV NEWSCASTER Robyne Robinson

BEST TV SPORTS ANCHOR Eric Perkins
Readers' Choice: Randy Shaver

BEST PUBLIC-ACCESS CABLE TV PROGRAM 'The InnerCityFishing Show'

BEST TV STATION WFTC-TV (Channel 29)
Readers' Choice: KARE-TV

BEST TV NEWSCASTER Mary Lahammer
Readers' Choice: Paul Magers

BEST REPORTER Jim Ragsdale

BEST COLUMNIST Nick Coleman
Readers' Choice: Dara Moskowitz

BEST READING OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS Michael Moore at Ruminator Books/Central Presbyterian Church in St. Paul

BEST ZINE 'Cookie and Butch'

BEST STAGE PRODUCTION 'Want'

BEST THEATER FOR NEW WORK 3 Legged Race

BEST BOOK BY A LOCAL AUTHOR 'Lake Street U.S.A.'

BEST THEATER FOR COMEDY Bedlam Theater

BEST ACTOR Casey Greig

BEST ACTRESS Phyllis Wright

BEST DIRECTOR Joel Sass

BEST INDEPENDENT THEATER Fifty Foot Penguin

BEST LOCAL IMPRESARIO Philip Bither, Walker Art Center

BEST ART SERVICE Minnesota Artists Online

BEST VENUE FOR DANCE Southern Theater

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS (LOCAL) 'Catalyst Dances' by Emily Johnson

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS (ROAD SHOW) 'PASTForward' by White Oak Dance Project

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER Shapiro & Smith

BEST DANCER Greg Waletski

BEST ART GALLERY Midway Contemporary Art
Readers' Choice: Walker Art Center

BEST ART CINEMA U Film Society

BEST MOVIE THEATER Oak Street Cinema
Readers' Choice: Lagoon Cinema

BEST FILM "I'm Sorry I Was Right"

BEST SINGLE-ARTIST SHOW "Shana Kaplow: A Sense of Pull" at Franklin Art Works

BEST MUSEUM EXHIBITION Mill City Museum

BEST MUSEUM Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Readers' Choice: Minneapolis Institute of Art

OUT & ABOUT

BEST BOWLING ALLEY Minnehaha Lanes
Readers' Choice: Bryant-Lake Bowl

BEST GOLF COURSE (MINI) Lava Links

BEST GOLF COURSE Theodore Wirth Golf Course
Readers' Choice: The Wilds Golf Club

BEST BATTING CAGE Rice & Arlington Sports Dome

BEST BINGO GAME Saints Bloomington Family Roller Skating Center

BEST PICKUP BASKETBALL GAME Farview Park

BEST BOXING GYM B.T. Bombers

BEST COACH Brenda Oldfield
Readers' Choice: Brenda Oldfield

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE Luke Becker
Readers' Choice: Lindsay Whalen

BEST HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE Edward "Major" Bowen

BEST LOCAL OLYMPIAN Courtney Kennedy

BEST JOCKEY Derek Bell

BEST CHOKE (AMATEUR) Olympic Skier Kristina Koznick

BEST CHOKE (PROFESSIONAL) Viking Quarterback Spergon Wynn

BEST LYNX PLAYER Katie Smith
Readers' Choice: Katie Smith

BEST TIMBERWOLVES PLAYER Three guesses
Readers' Choice: Kevin Garnett