2007 Index of Winners

After a charmed debut year when it welcomed (and collected admission charges from) more than 3 million visitors, the GEORGIA AQUARIUM has experienced a bit of a sophomore slump. This year, two of its largest animals, whale sharks Ralph and Norton, went belly-up. The deaths drew scrutiny to the aquarium’s animal-care practices, as well as prompted questions about the wisdom of bringing enormous ocean creatures to Atlanta just for our viewing pleasure. Despite those setbacks, the Home Depot Memorial Fish Tank is and will likely remain the city’s finest tourist attraction. Its size, breathtaking visual presentation and novelty make it a no-brainer for entertaining out-of-town guests. It’s our Disneyland.

225 Baker St. 404-581-4000. www.georgiaaquarium.org

CRAIGSLIST is more than just a shopper’s mecca. Its “anything goes” posting policy has made it a repository for users’ deepest and weirdest thoughts. Though it pains us to say this since Craigslist has taken a huge chunk of newspaper revenues, we still have to give props. Whether you’re looking for a guitar, a couch, a car or a house, it’s a great place to browse. On a given day, you’ll also find things such as heartfelt letters penned to anonymous grocery-store clerks someone was afraid to talk to, invitations by men who want to “swap body rubs,” and obscene racist rants about problems with Mexican drivers. Craigslist is part shopping mall, part diary, part bathroom wall.

www.atlanta.craigslist.com

Whether seen as a defiant indulgence, kitschy novelty or unexpected projectile, it’s hard to deny the mysterious allure of the corn dog. No wonder David Railey has spent so much energy nurturing Atlanta’s CORNDOGORAMA. The indie-fried omnifest rocked through its 11th year in July, despite a somewhat sour relocation from the Earl to Lenny’s, and seems poised to keep growing in its new home. The 2007 edition was headlined by Atlanta metal rockers Mastodon, and featured local up-and-comers the Coathangers, the Selmanaires and Snowden. As with any festival that really cares about its congregation, there are gimmicks and games aplenty, including motorcycle stunts, a corn-dog-eating contest, the Queen Corndog pageant, a heavy-metal petting zoo and 40-yard flip-flop race.

www.corndogorama.com

TV news anchors aren’t reporters. They’re readers, tasked by TV stations with the job of lending authority and likability to the copy scrolling up their teleprompters. In Atlanta, no one does it better than MONICA PEARSON. Longtime Atlantans remember when she arrived in 1975 from Louisville, Ky., as Monica Kaufman to anchor the morning local-news breaks during “The Today Show.” Even then, it was obvious there was something about her that made you stop what you were doing to watch. Today, she’s a part of the fabric of the city. Pearson’s ace in the hole is her hard-to-categorize-yet-undeniable charisma. Maybe it’s her vaguely diva-esque bearing. Maybe it’s her adventurous hairstyle choices. We’re not sure what. All we know is that whatever “it” is, she has it.

www.wsbtv.com

Since starting Drifting Through the Grift in March 2006, GRIFTDRIFT has attracted a loyal following with his easygoing online persona and his trenchant commentary on important local news stories. His finest achievement: his posts this spring and summer that chipped away at the mountain of political, legal and media hypocrisy surrounding the Genarlow Wilson case. When the U.S. attorney in Atlanta ripped the Douglas County prosecutor for having distributed a video of Wilson and an underaged girl having sex, his statement was uncannily similar to the ones GriftDrift had been making for weeks.

www.griftdrift.blogspot.com

It’s unusual to stay relevant in fashion as long as BILL HALLMAN has, but somehow, this venerable store seems to have the freshest, cheekiest looks to help you stay ahead of the crowd. And now occupying an expansive 6,000-square-foot space, it has enough room to be twice as good. BH has always been about more than trendy denim and hipster T-shirts, but the addition of such men’s brands as Paul Smith and John Varvatos has upped the sophistication quotient. The women’s side, meanwhile, is off the hook, with more bags, accessories and even a carefully selected vintage selection.

Multiple metro Atlanta locations.