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At WNIR-FM 100.1, Stan Piatt leads a chipper squad with a natural chemistry. Morning Show sidekick Maggie Fuller flashes a quick wit, Steve French is the resident sports nut and parrothead, and Jim Middock handles news. Piatt is outspoken about anything that comes to mind: He likes to watch... More >>

Best Advocate for Local Kids (1 Comments)

Jim Lardie

With his white hair and round belly, Jim Lardie looks like Santa Claus, and he's been almost as generous to kids. For the past 30 years, he's run a nonprofit advocacy group called For the Children, which acts as a watchdog for the pathetic morons who pass as city school officials in our town.... More >>

Best Amish Road Trip

Holmes County

Take I-71 to State Route 83 south and follow the signs to the Amish Scenic Byway. Your route will be lined with roadside stands and handmade-furniture stores, country restaurants, and quaint gift shops. Do not miss the endless free samples at Heini's Cheese House or the impromptu tastings at the... More >>

Best Barfly

Melinda Urick

In a town with plenty of worthy contenders, Melinda Urick grabs the crown with her hustle and consistency. She shows up at all of Cleveland's best parties, whether it's the opening of a posh new bar, a charity bachelor auction, or a crowded Tribe pre-game. And she brings a 100-watt smile, plenty... More >>

Best Bet for Dinner and a Movie

Boulevard Blue

We dig dining out, and we're mad about movies; but more than anything else, we love a good bargain. That's why the "meal and a movie" package at Boulevard Blue always makes us smile: Every Monday through Thursday, $25 snags us a two-course dinner at this trendy restaurant, bar, and blues venue,... More >>

Best Chess

Barnes & Noble

In front of the bookstore is a giant chessboard painted on the sidewalk, with plastic pieces that stand three feet tall. Funny how you take it a little more personally when one of your pawns gets killed, since it's the size of a small child. And running all the way across the board with a rook or... More >>

Best Cosmetic
Dentist

Dr. Donald Shingler

While most people view tooth-whitening as a costly annoyance, Dr. Donald Shingler sees it as cause for celebration. Two years ago, Shingler started holding tooth-whitening parties at bridal salons and hair parlors downtown. And every season, the Cavalier Girls go to him to get their teeth pearly... More >>

Best Crime Fighter in a Suit and Tie

U.S. Attorney Greg White

Greg White prepped with the farm club in Lorain, so cuffs or no cuffs, you know the guy can scrap. And that's exactly what the U.S. attorney has done. Nate Gray and four of his associates are in prison after being prosecuted for a citywide extortion ring. This on the heels of a treasure hunt in... More >>

Best Crusader

Regina Brett

She may be the songbird of the matron class, but when Regina Brett wants to light a fire under someone, she can make things pretty hot. Officials at the Cleveland school district have been scurrying for flame-retardant suits since The Plain Dealer columnist took aim at their bumbling... More >>

Best Culinary Spokesman

Michael Ruhlman

Author, chef, and confidant to the country's culinary elite, Michael Ruhlman has the cred -- and the connections -- to carve a niche in Napa or make his mark on the Big Apple. But instead of living the high life on the coasts, he's sticking with Cleveland. "Look, I could have lived anywhere I... More >>

Best Defense Against Predatory Lenders

East Side Organizing Project

Thanks to rampant predatory lending and the politicians who sanction it, Cleveland now boasts the dubious distinction of having the second-highest foreclosure rate in the nation. While the Statehouse has largely turned a blind eye to the epidemic, the East Side Organizing Project has risen to... More >>

Best Downtown Parking

The Cleveland Play House/ MOCA

The location is ideal: The lot connects with both Euclid and Carnegie, so you have two options for avoiding traffic. And hey, if you go during the day, it's completely free. More >>

Best Drag Queen

Danyel Vasquez

For the ultimate in female illusion, drive down I-77 to Akron, where you'll find Danyel Vasquez, a former Miss Gay Ohio USofA-at-Large who choreographs nightly drag shows as the Interbelt's entertainment director. In her form-fitting gowns, custom-made wigs, and designer stilettos, the... More >>

Best Emerging Fashion Designers

Tinkerbotglamcouture

Felicia Kassim and Dartanya Butcher's new collection reflects the designers' personalities: loud and risqu?. The duo's 2006 catalog includes denim miniskirts with lacy pink fringes and black fishnet tank tops paired with furry leg warmers. Kassim and Butcher, both graduates of Kent State's... More >>

Best Excuse to Cross-Dress

The Drag Ball at Oberlin College

Each year, Oberlin College throws down around $30,000 to make its Drag Ball the best festival of debauchery around. For one night each spring, the school converts its student union into four floors of non-stop partying, with numerous dance clubs, runway shows, karaoke bars, cabarets, and sex... More >>

Best First-Date Spot

Lolita

Beautiful, playful, and a little mysterious, Lolita is the ideal place to take a first date. The menu is built around a trendy but reasonably priced collection of Greek-influenced "small plates" and entr?es. Best of all is the vibe, which is as energetic as a party at your rich uncle's penthouse.... More >>

Best Grassroots AIDS Activist

Ray Allmond

Since his HIV diagnosis in 2000, Lakewood's Ray Allmond has vigorously campaigned as an advocate for African Americans with AIDS. When he's not working as a corporate-events manager at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the 50-year-old Allmond acts as a staunch watchdog in several AIDS activist groups,... More >>

Best Haunted Hill

The End of the World

This unlit, winding street used to cut through several townships, but fell into disrepair and was eventually closed off with road blocks. Dubbed "The End of the World," after several fatal car crashes, this dead end is said to be haunted by a hearse-driving ghost, who rides your tail only to... More >>

Best Homegrown Radio

Morning Show , WNCX-FM 98.5

There's hope for the future of homegrown radio in 98.5 FM's WNCX Morning Show, featuring Mud, Mihalik, and Mike. For the first time in 14 years, the classic-rock station's morning show is in the hands of true Clevelanders. Host Mud graduated from Beachwood High School and was later booted out of... More >>

Best Investigative Reporter

Carl Monday

The competition for best TV investigator was tougher than ever this year. But at the 11th hour, Carl Monday of WKYC swept in and stole the prize with his seething expos? of the library masturbator. After using a hidden camera to catch a kid pleasuring himself at the Berea library, Monday tracked... More >>

Best Library

Westlake Porter Public Library

Behold the Westlake Porter Library, the Taj Mahal of the literature-lending world. When it comes to new releases and bestsellers, this place rivals Borders. It's also the only library we know that features both a caf? and a gift shop. With amenities like these, we're in no rush to get home. More >>

Best Local Superhero

Superman

This summer, Superman flew back into the spotlight with a lively new movie, and once again, our city giddily went with him. Yes, Superman grew up in Smallville and became the protector of Metropolis, but he was born in Cleveland. His creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were just a couple of... More >>

Best Lofts

Mueller Lofts

Lofts are cool and arty, but most are way overpriced. $400,000 for a little concrete box with no yard? In Cleveland? C'mon. But the developers of the Mueller Lofts know this town. They've turned a former factory into 45 loft condos with high ceilings and massive windows. They've got the amenities... More >>

Best Luxury Living

Condominiums at Stonebridge

Why settle for a room with one view? These newly constructed condominiums along the West Bank of the Flats offer a whole panorama. The corner units are shaped like a slice of pie, with the mighty Cuyahoga River as its crust. The bathrooms feature black granite floors and a spalike walk-in shower.... More >>

Best Makeup Artist

Jason Kelly

Jason Kelly is Cleveland's answer to Kevyn Aucoin. The MAC-trained artist pairs Renoir's eye for color with a makeup kit bigger than a plumber's toolbox. He can make even the palest, plainest face ready for the runway, which is why he was chosen to head the makeup team at Cleveland's Fashion... More >>

Best Museum

Museum of Contemporary Art

This museum has something most others lack: balls. Month after month, it takes chances, turning exhibitions into extreme sport. One recent show included everything from ghostlike Japanese cartoon figures to an artist who programmed a SimCity videogame to reenact her autobiography. Crazy! More >>

Best Outspoken Politician

Councilman Mike Polensek

After 25 years on the Cleveland City Council, there are very few things Mike Polensek is afraid to say. Reporters love him because he provides quotes that are both hilarious and blunt, on everything from the Cavs to former Mayor Mike White's criminal associates. Recently, he compared city... More >>

Best Pitchman

Marc Brown, Norton Furniture

The goal of all advertising is to be memorable, and Marc Brown succeeds, albeit in a weird way. Once you've seen one of his ads on late-night local TV, you'll have a hard time forgetting Brown's unnerving raspy voice or the life-sized mannequins of motorcycle cops and pirates that appear as set... More >>

Best Place for a
Dirt Nap

Lake View Cemetery

If you end up planted here, you'll be sharing earthworms with short-term U.S. President James Garfield, crime fighter Eliot Ness, megamillionaire John D. Rockefeller, and the Van Sweringen brothers, who built Shaker Heights and the Terminal Tower. But Lake View is also one of the region's most... More >>

Best Place for Fun With Golf Carts

Put-In-Bay

As soon as you get to Put-in-Bay, you'll be barraged with offers for renting golf carts. They cost $65 a day and are considered licensed vehicles on the island. The investment is well worth it. In a golf cart, you can visit the lesser-known sites of the island, drive to the beach, or coast down... More >>

Best Place to
Watch Fireworks

Cliff Drive, west of
Edgewater Park

Every Fourth of July, Edgewater Park is jam-packed with families trying to see the fireworks. What most people don't know is that a better view is just a few hundred yards west. Cliff Drive is only a block long, but this cliff along Lake Erie is even higher than the one at Edgewater. You can... More >>

Best Place to Be a 10-Year-Old Again

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail -- Independence

At the towpath-trail entrance near Rockside Road, you can rent a bike for $6 an hour and set off on a peaceful journey along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Granted, the bikes look as if they were dug out of Grandma's garage, but that just adds to the retro charm. The ride alongside the canal's muddy... More >>

Best Place to Be a Male Dog-Owner

The Lakewood Dog Park

This park, less than half a mile from the Detroit Avenue entrance to the Metroparks, has everything your dog could ask for. There's ample space to run, single women, other dogs to sniff, and single women. It's a win-win! And if you don't own a dog, try pretending that yours ran away. You'll be... More >>

Best Place to Bump into a Cavs Player

Panini's

Forward Drew Gooden can sometimes be seen here, capping his night with a late-night pizza. Just don't hassle him for autographs. The man's hungry. More >>

Best Place to Play With Food

Dave & Buster's

We have a buddy who insists that not taking your kids to Dave & Buster's is pretty much the same as child abuse. After all, where else can Junior and Sis make like Jedis while Dad pilots a Boeing 777 -- and Mom, perhaps, settles in at the cushy bar for some quality time with Margarita? More >>

Best Place to Score
an Heirloom Tomato

North Union Farmers' Markets

Needless to say, old-fashioned toms are best found in old-fashioned places -- like weekly farmers' markets, where locally grown produce arrives at peak freshness. While new venues seem to pop up every summer, our favorites are still the reliably well-organized, well-stocked, and well-attended... More >>

Best Place to See Snakes

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center

A flooded snakehouse sounds like the setting of a bad horror movie, but that's exactly what happened at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo back in 1959. The zoo's collection of snakes -- that creepy creature most favored by little boys everywhere -- was never the same again. Thankfully, the Lake Erie... More >>

Best Place to Shmooze Akron Politicos

Bricco Restaurant

Need to gripe to Akron mayor Don Plusquellic about your trash pickup? Itching to tell Summit County Executive James McCarthy how you feel about the County's smoking ban? Just head down to Bricco, where on any given day you can rub elbows with the area's political players. Since the restaurant... More >>

Best Place to Take the Kids

Memphis Kiddie Park

Little kids have a blast at this place. It has 11 miniature amusement rides, including the spinning cups and saucers. It's better than an amusement park, because the lines for rides are shorter and there are shady trees to stand under. And it's better than county fairs, where too often the rides... More >>

Best Place to Walk and Shop

First and Main, Hudson

This tree-lined patch of shops and restaurants captures the quaint feel of a 1950s town square. Children enjoy ice-cream cones from Cold Stone Creamery while their parents listen to live music in the middle of the grassy quad. Specialty stores include Abigail & Annie's, which sells housewares and... More >>

Best Place to Watch Planes Land

Patio of the 100th Bomb Group

Sit outside, hoist a brew by the fire pit, and look up. As planes land at Cleveland-Hopkins Airport, they come within strafing distance of the restaurant roof. More >>

Best Plant Nursery

Quailcrest Farm

Even if you're not buying plants, Wooster's Quailcrest farm is worth the trip. The nursery is known for its herbs, roses, shrubs, and perennials, and boasts more than 25 gardens, including the Tea House Garden and formal Herb Garden. Stroll around and take in some of the historic buildings on the... More >>

Best Public Servant

U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott

Take a normal person's workload, cut it in half, then skim from there. That's how most Ohio public officials approach their jobs. But U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott apparently never got the memo. In 2003, he organized the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, composed of officers from 37 area... More >>

Best Radio
Newscaster

David C. Barnett

A public-radio staple since 1990, David C. Barnett sets himself apart by telling a riveting news story with a crisp style, spellbinding sound bites, and a soothing bass voice that lets you know everything's all right. Today, the lanky, bespectacled reporter contributes frequent radio stories to... More >>

Best Radio-Host Homecoming

Rover

Like many Clevelanders, we were bummed when Rover announced he was moving to Chicago. It also seemed all too typical: Whenever folks get successful, they bail on Cleveland for a bigger market. But Rover promised that it would increase the quality of his show, and you know what? He was right.... More >>

Best Scalper

Megaphone Mike

We'll call him Mike, because we think that's his name. At least, that's what he told us. Either way, if you're looking for a game-day ticket for the Tribe, he's your man. These seats are so good, they're within sniffing distance of Grady's stirrups. Mike's also reliable: You'll find him perched... More >>

Best Survivor of On-Air Staff Attrition

Good Morning Cleveland

GMC's happy family began to crumble in December, when beloved meteorologist Stephanie Roberts moved to Florida. Months later, morning anchor Adam Shapiro left the station after 18 years. Utility anchor Danita Harris has been the rock of the broadcast, splitting duties between the morning show and... More >>

Best Swimming Hole for Dogs

Rocky River Park

Located off Lake Road, Rocky River Park boasts a generous amount of hilly green space, a playground, picnic benches, a small beach, and a great view of Lake Erie. There's a breakwall about 30 feet offshore, where the water is no more than 5 feet deep. At any given time, you'll find several dogs... More >>

Best Taste of Nature

Cuyahoga Valley
National Park

You'll encounter wetlands, ponds, forests, ravines, waterfalls, rocky ledges, and a mighty river. You're guaranteed to see deer, raccoons, and great blue herons, and if you go often enough, you'll probably spot coyote, fox, and maybe even a bald eagle. More >>

Best Town Square

Medina

While it's invariably described by nonresidents as "quaint," Medina's Square has actually evolved into a pretty hip place. At the heart of the square is the town's famous gazebo, a favorite spot for weddings during spring and summer. The surrounding period buildings house an eclectic array of... More >>

Best Traditional Wedding Location

Old Stone Church

If you and your beloved are traditionally minded, the Old Stone Church at Public Square is the perfect choice. The sanctuary features dark wood and Tiffany stained-glass windows, as well as one of the most beautiful pipe organs you've ever heard. The mandatory weekend marriage course offers... More >>

Best Unusual
Wedding Location

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Renting the facilities is fairly cheap; the RainForest exhibit -- which holds up to 300 guests and features crocodiles, snakes, and porcupines -- costs $3,000 for the night. The zoo makes planning easy, offering its own catering service. But if you're eating at the aquarium, you might want to... More >>

Best Walking Trail

Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail -- Peninsula

If you want to explore the great outdoors without getting lost, head to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and hop on the Towpath Trail at Lock 29 Trailhead in Peninsula. From there, the trail takes a gentle, winding path through some beautiful forest areas and meadowland without straying too far from... More >>

Best Way to Drown Your Midlife Crisis

The North Coast
Parrot Head Club

The Jimmy Buffett fan club claims almost 100 members and meets monthly to drink cold beer and raise money for charity. You don't even have to like Buffett. It's more about "chillin' out and havin' a good time," says club president Dennis King. More >>

Best World Tour
in 10 Blocks or Less

The Restaurants of
Lorain Avenue

Mexico, Lebanon, Italy, Germany, Cambodia -- the names read like a World Cup semifinals bracket, and you'll find them all on a half-mile stretch of Lorain Avenue, where some of the city's most adventurous kitchens work elbow-to-elbow. Beginning with the authentic Mexican cuisine of Luchita's at... More >>

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