2001 Best Of Atlanta

Best Mailbox
1283 Elmwood Drive
Simple is in this year, and this mailbox captures the style perfectly. The post-modern look of white numbers on black, the red metal flag, the slightly tarnished but boldly implanted wooden stand - it's the postman's best friend, besides Jeff Greenberg.

Best party house:
Phil's
His parents are never home, and his fridge is always stocked up with cool beverages. There is a Nintendo 64, a life-size basketball court, plenty of comfortable seats, and it's even okay to smoke on the back porch. The atmosphere may be casual and laid back, but at Phil's house, you feel like you are at a formal restaurant where all the buff, well-tailored waiters will come around and fill your glass of water after every sip you take. They usually will, you just have to make sure you tip them well.

Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners:
World Congress Center
Whether it's boats or telecommunications equipment, no one does conventions like the World Congress Center. Expert booth placement, exciting carpeting, carefully printed nametags, easy access to loading/unloading allow guests to concentrate on making the sale. Located in the heart of Atlanta's entertainment district*.

Best Greeting:
Critic's Choice: Paula Bartlett
No one says "hello" like Bartlett, the 44 year old geologist who makes her way around Atlanta almost everyday. "I like to greet people, like, when I'm going to pick up the paper, maybe, or just when I need to get some bread from the store," she says, smiling that signature smile that has made her the most enjoyable Atlantan since Tom Key. "I just want to acknowledge everyone when I see them." And acknowledging is one thing Paula does well.

Reader's Choice: Mike Kyzowski
Mike's choice of salutation, the more informal, "what's up," has been a public favorite ever since he moved here in '98. Kyzowski, 28, calls it "just your basic 'what's up,' I guess," but the acceptors of his low-key recognition consider it much more. "It makes me feel good inside," says one fan, who calls herself "Victory." "He just says 'what's up in exactly the right way." Apparently Mike is doing something right, this is the third straight year he's been the reader's choice for Best Greeting! Go Mike!!!

Best One-Liner:
Larry McNeill
Hands down, this would have to go to Larry McNeill, who caught Joe and Travis completely off-guard with his quick-as-a-fox remark, "What do I look like, the Pope?," on June 14 at Manuel's Tavern.

Best Place to Find Four-leaf Clovers:
Under that big tree in Piedmont Park, by the water fountain
Look for five minutes, you're guaranteed to find at least three.

Best Divorce
Tie:
Ted Turner/Jane Fonda
Louis/Lois DePuglio

Best Place to Lose Your Virginity:
Critic's Choice: Boyfriend's bedroom
Reader's Choice: Girlfriend's bedroom

Best Left Turn:
North Highland S onto Boulevard

Best Place to Wear Blue Jeans:
Taco Bell on Howell Mill Road

Best Mozzarella Sticks:
T.G.I. Friday's

10/1/01 UPDATE:
Worst place to find four-leaf clovers:
Under that big tree in Piedmont Park, by the water fountain Here at the Rag, it seems we may have misestimated the size of our audience. Immediately following the release of this special issue, it seems that land was raided clean by greedy savages, hungry for some good luck. There are no longer any clovers or even grass left in this area. In fact, I'm sure those bastards would have taken the tree itself were it not cemented into the hillside.


* Designation valid only when Korn is in town.