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2012 Index of Winners

Best Convention BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Dragon*Con

Best Country Music Station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
94.9 FM The Bull

Best New Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Catlanta

Best Dog Park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Piedmont Dog Park

Best Contribution to Atlanta’s Urban Design BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Year of Boulevard
For decades, the four-lane stretch of Boulevard between Ponce de Leon Avenue and Freedom Parkway has been synonymous with poverty and crime. Home to the highest concentration of Section 8 housing in the Southeast, the single-name street and its residents have missed out on the prosperity that’s poppedmore...
For decades, the four-lane stretch of Boulevard between Ponce de Leon Avenue and Freedom Parkway has been synonymous with poverty and crime. Home to the highest concentration of Section 8 housing in the Southeast, the single-name street and its residents have missed out on the prosperity that’s popped up in neighboring communities. Rather than holding a ho-hum trash pick-up and letting the problems fester, this past January, Councilman Kwanza Hall and community members proclaimed 2012 the “Year of Boulevard.” With the help of the city, neighbors, and local businesses, Boulevard welcomed a new police precinct and community events featuring health and social services, plus internships for young residents. TedX Atlanta, a forum for “ideas worth spreading,” donated $50,000 to send area kids to summer camps. Think of it, as CL columnist Scott Henry did, as “urban renewal without the bulldozers” - with the community as a catalyst. The year’s not over and fingers remain crossed that the owners of Bedford-Pines, one of the Section 8 complexes, might consider redeveloping the property. less...

Best elementary school BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Mary Lin Elementary School

Best Free Annual Event BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick

Best Free Thing to Do in Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Piedmont Park

Best Day Trip BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Driving up the roadway lined with flags and corporate overlord Delta Air Lines, you oddly feel like you’re not in Atlanta, but in a parallel dimension. You notice the sleek building - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s new $1.4 billion international terminal - on your left. Consideredmore...
Driving up the roadway lined with flags and corporate overlord Delta Air Lines, you oddly feel like you’re not in Atlanta, but in a parallel dimension. You notice the sleek building - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s new $1.4 billion international terminal - on your left. Considered Atlanta’s new front door to the world, the 1.2-million-square-foot concourse - which is decked out with airy atriums and chock-full of public art - is a vast improvement over the former terminal. What will most delight frequent international travelers: arrivals no longer have to recheck their bags, and go back through security, to exit the damn airport, as they did for years at the main concourse. Yes, there were news reports about alleged favoritism over concessions programs. There was debate over whether it was really needed. There’s no direct connection to MARTA rail, a major fault. And some tourists have complained about sore feet from all the walking. But the new terminal remains a wonderful addition to the bizarrely beautiful, romantic, and impressive busiest airport in the world. less...

Best Georgia Beach Retreat BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Tybee Island

Best Georgia Mountain Retreat BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Blue Ridge

Best High School BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Midtown High School

Best Hiking Trail BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Best Hotel BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
The Georgian Terrace

Best Intown Park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Piedmont Park

Best job turning around a sports team BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
“Barves.”
Earlier this year, Ormewood Park resident Everett Steele noticed people on Twitter misspelling one of the country’s most well-known baseball teams. Instead of the Atlanta Braves, people were writing “Barves.” So the social media marketer, along with his wife and business partner Allison, startedmore...
Earlier this year, Ormewood Park resident Everett Steele noticed people on Twitter misspelling one of the country’s most well-known baseball teams. Instead of the Atlanta Braves, people were writing “Barves.” So the social media marketer, along with his wife and business partner Allison, started making jokes on Twitter using the typo, which soon caught on with other users. The duo then decided to print “Barves” T-shirts using the team’s familiar, cursive logo, which they’d sell online. Proceeds would be donated to the Braves’ foundation that supports metro Atlanta nonprofits. Lawyers for Major League Baseball, which retains teams’ trademarks, weren’t pleased and quickly dashed off a cease-and-desist letter informing the Steeles to discontinue. Not wanting the costly legal fight, Steele buried the Barves. “Instead of... capitalizing on the opportunity to sort of catalyze their fan base, they’ve instead attacked the people who are passionate and love their brand,” he told WXIA’s Doug Richards in May. Might we mention they looked petty? less...

Best Jogging Path BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Freedom Park

Best Landmark BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Fox Theatre

Best Hiking Trail BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Olmsted Linear Park
If you’re looking to escape cell phone reception, there are plenty of options. But consider a soothing walk along a street you normally experience at 55 mph. Near Briarcliff Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue, a path begins in the Olmsted Linear Park and winds its way nearly two miles through gently rollingmore...
If you’re looking to escape cell phone reception, there are plenty of options. But consider a soothing walk along a street you normally experience at 55 mph. Near Briarcliff Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue, a path begins in the Olmsted Linear Park and winds its way nearly two miles through gently rolling meadows and under trees toward Decatur. It’s nothing fancy - just a basic concrete trailway that’s been around for years - but it helps better connect people to one of Atlanta’s often-overlooked greenspace gems. Snaking through the middle of the award-winning park planned by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind Central Park, the path provides safe refuge for walkers wanting to enjoy the knolls and avoid the hectic traffic along the busy street that leads into DeKalb County (clearly visible by the difference in grass lengths on both sides of the border). The stroll ends with a descent into Deepdene Park, the recently restored deep forest that has already earned a spot among the best parks in the metro region. Bonus: It includes what a nearby sign labels as the tallest tree in metro Atlanta. less...

Best Local Blog/Zine BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Wrestling with Pop Culture

Best Local Blogger BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Cameron Adams
atlantastreetfashion.blogspot.com

Best Local Celebrity BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Usher

Best Local Hero BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Boyd Coons

Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Thomas Wheatley

Best Spot to Commune with Nature/Best Park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
TIE: Atlanta Botanical Garden and Piedmont Park

Best Local Political Figure BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Mayor Kasim Reed

Best local sports radio show BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
680 the Fan (WCNN-AM)

Best Local Sports Team BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Atlanta Braves
atlanta.braves.mlb.com

Best Local TV News BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Monica Pearson

Best Local Twitter Feed BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
@SarahMincher

Best middle school BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Samuel M. Inman Middle School

Best Morning Drive-Time Radio Show BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Bert Show

Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Dale Russell of Fox 5 and Richard Belcher of WSB-TV
We like to give TV news reporters a hard time. But in the barrage of apartment fires, murders, and “tough questions” (ugh) are two seasoned pros who, week after week, still help set the agenda in metro Atlanta: Dale Russell of Fox 5 and Richard Belcher of WSB-TV. The two journos, who can often bemore...
We like to give TV news reporters a hard time. But in the barrage of apartment fires, murders, and “tough questions” (ugh) are two seasoned pros who, week after week, still help set the agenda in metro Atlanta: Dale Russell of Fox 5 and Richard Belcher of WSB-TV. The two journos, who can often be seen chasing down the same story, have sent ripples through local and state government - need we revisit Russell’s sit-down with former House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s ex-wife, which spurred the once-powerful Republican’s resignation. This year both were on top of concessions contracts at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one of the year’s most complex and politically touchy stories. Belcher and Russell connected the dots and dug deep into campaign disclosures and corporate forms to shed light on the billion-dollar fortunes there were to be made selling neck pillows and fried chicken at the world’s busiest airport. They didn’t let up, went toe-to-toe with Mayor Kasim Reed, and helped convince us to turn on the idiot box. less...

Best Neighborhood to Buy a House Cheap BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Residents of southwest Atlanta
Housing experts say now, when the belly of the housing market is dragging across the floor, is the best to buy homes in up-and-coming neighborhoods. But they never tell you how taxing and difficult it is dealing with historic guidelines, the occasional break-in, and code enforcement officials. And that’smore...
Housing experts say now, when the belly of the housing market is dragging across the floor, is the best to buy homes in up-and-coming neighborhoods. But they never tell you how taxing and difficult it is dealing with historic guidelines, the occasional break-in, and code enforcement officials. And that’s if you can even convince a bank to finance your foray into uncharted territory. The residents of southwest Atlanta, however, particularly in the neighborhoods including Adair Park and Westview, deserve props. Young families and singles are moving into foreclosed and once-vacant homes alongside longtime residents and rebuilding historic, intown communities. less...

Best Neighborhood Festival BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Inman Park Festival

Best New Addition to the Cityscape BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Piedmont Park
Atlanta Beltline officials will tell you the coolest shortcut between Piedmont Park and Inman Park isn’t officially open yet, but even they know the Eastside Trail already has plenty of users (gaze on the winding path from Freedom Parkway and you’ll see the occasional jogger or hipster bicyclistmore...
Atlanta Beltline officials will tell you the coolest shortcut between Piedmont Park and Inman Park isn’t officially open yet, but even they know the Eastside Trail already has plenty of users (gaze on the winding path from Freedom Parkway and you’ll see the occasional jogger or hipster bicyclist pedaling toward DeKalb Avenue). The $12 million project - which has been delayed from opening by more than a year thanks to construction issues - isn’t just a pretty bike trail. The path, which abuts Ponce City Market and Historic Fourth Ward Park, has helped attract more than six new dense developments with several thousand new housing units and create a buzz around the area between Ponce de Leon Avenue and Freedom Parkway - a vibrant pocket which could become the example of what the Beltline could look and feel like in the decades to come. Not to mention help further boost an already progressive, vibrant neighborhood. (Mark our words: Good luck finding room on the trail when the path opens.) The park’s cool and Ponce City Market has promise. But the trail stitches everything, including the neighborhoods along the route, together. less...

Best New Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Atlanta Beltline Inc

Best Non-Commercial Radio Station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
WREK Atlanta 91.1 FM, Georgia Tech Student Radio

Best Non-Commercial Radio Station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
WRAS 88.5

Best Local Rabble-Rouser/Activist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
The Sierra Club’s Georgia Director Colleen Kiernan and Debbie Dooley of the Atlanta Tea Party
No one was surprised when Tea Partiers opposed the regional transportation tax. More than a few people were taken aback when the Sierra Club’s Georgia chapter did the same, arguing the T-SPLOST would fuel sprawl and not build enough transit. But very few people expected the two disparate groups tomore...
No one was surprised when Tea Partiers opposed the regional transportation tax. More than a few people were taken aback when the Sierra Club’s Georgia chapter did the same, arguing the T-SPLOST would fuel sprawl and not build enough transit. But very few people expected the two disparate groups to join forces and work together to block the measure. The Sierra Club’s Georgia Director Colleen Kiernan and Debbie Dooley of the Atlanta Tea Party shared strategy, stood side by side at press conferences, and, with very little money compared to the business community’s multimillion-dollar campaign, outlined one of the more well-reasoned criticisms of the tax - one which even supporters had to acknowledge was, despite a few flaws, pretty solid. An upside, regardless of how you felt about the T-SPLOST: the two have promised to work together on the transportation funding issue when the General Assembly convenes in January - not to mention eliminating MARTA’s funding restrictions, something the Tea Party has signaled it would support. less...

Best Tourist Trap BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
LP Grant Mansion

Best OTP Park BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Stone Mountain Park

Best Overall Neighborhood BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Inman Park

Best OverRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Buckhead

Best College BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Georgia State University

Best Person You Hate to Love BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
NeNe Leakes
twitter.com/NeNeLeakes

Best Person You Love to Hate BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Neal Boortz

Best Picnic Spot BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Piedmont Park

Best Place to People Watch BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Little Five Points
little5points.wordpress.com

Best place to ride your bike BOA Award Winner

Year » 2012
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2012 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Silver Comet Trail - Mavell Road / Nickajack Elementary Trailhead


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