Readers' Picks 2010

People & Places

Best Park

1. Washington Park

2. Thacher Park

3. The Crossings

Enjoy ’em while you can.

Best Playground

1. The Crossings

2. Washington Park

3. Central Park

Kinda surprised not to see the truly cool, wooden playground behind the Voorheesville elementary school. Splinter issues?

Best Day Trip

1. Lake George

2. NYC

3. Thacher Park

Yep, now we’ve got the Beatles song in our head, too.

Best Bike Ride

1. Mohawk River

2. Corning Preserve

3. Hudson –Mohawk

If it weren’t for all those runners in the way!

Best Running Trail

1. Corning Preserve

2. Mohawk River

3. The Crossings

If it weren’t for all those bikers in the way!

Best Hiking

1. Thacher Park

2. Indian Ladder

3. Five Rivers

In our in-office poll, the winner was “short pier.” I’m gonna look for it after work.

Best Rock Climbing

1. AIR, Albany Indoor Rock Gym

2. Shawangunks

3. Thacher Park

Watch that first step. It’s a doozy.

Best Gym

1. Planet Fitness

2. Gold’s Gym

3. YMCA

Which is the one with the comfy chair? . . . What?!

Best Laser Tag

1. Zero Gravity

2. Outer Zone

3. Battlefield Live

Pew! Pew!

Best Tattoo Artist

1. Lark St. Tattoo

2. Tom Spaulding

3. Don Demers

Ours says “Gnip Gnop” across our knuckles.

Best Massage Therapist

1. Mary Panza @ Balance Massage

2. April Ashbee @ Delmar Massage

3. (tie) Susan Brooks, 2727 Hamburg St., Schenectady/ Anna Burns @ Delmar Massage

We love friends with strong hands.

Best Yoga/Pilates

1. Yoga Loft

2. Best Fitness

3. Heartspace Holistic

We misread this as Yoga Pirates. Downward Doaaarrrrrrrgggh!

Best Golf Course

1. Saratoga National Golf Course

2. Frear Park

3. Colonie Golf Course

If, as Mark Twain said, golf is a good walk spoiled . . .

Best Mini Golf

1. Hoffman’s

2. Oasis Mini Golf

3. Funplex Fun Park

. . . is mini golf a short walk spoiled? Not if you love windmills.

Best Skiing/Snowboard

1. Gore Mountain

2. Jiminy Peak

3. West Mountain

Gore Mountain, the Sprain Parkway and the Chevy Nova (“no go,” in Spanish). Branding.

Best Ice Skating

1. Swinburne Park

2. HVCC

3. Empire State Plaza

Speaking of branding, why not Union College’s Achilles (god of weak ankles) Rink?

Playdium Photo: Alicia Solsman

Best Bowling Alley

1. Playdium

2. Sunset Lanes

3. Del Lanes

Anybody know any good bowling songs?

Best Pool Hall

1. Diamond Eight Billiards

2. Trick Shot

3. Golden Cue

We do not wager with the people who voted in this category.

Best Bar

1. Tess’ Lark Tavern

2. Wolff’s Biergarten

3. Mahar’s

Uh, so, you like beer?

Best Hook-Up Bar

1. Jillian’s

2. Lionheart

3. Tess’ Lark Tavern

So, does “best” describe both the hook-up bar and the hookup itself? You know what, nevermind.

Best Gay Bar

1. Oh Bar

2. Waterworks

3. Rocks

Aren’t all bars gay? I’m always so happy there.

Best Wine Bar

1. Wine Bar & Bistro

2. The Wine Bar

3. VinSanto

THIS ISSUE IS MAKING ME THIRSTY!!

Best Happy Hour

1. Tess’ Lark Tavern

2. Lionheart

3. Bombers

All within walking distance of our office . . .

Best Strip Club

1. DiCarlo’s

2. Night Moves

3. Double Vision

Two out of three strip clubs are named after classic rock songs, according to a recent poll.

Best Bartender

1. (tie) Kevin McLaughlin, Potter’s Tavern (Pittstown, NY) & Mark Graydon, Wolf’s Biergarten

2. Karen Caraher, Tess’ Lark Tavern

3. Maria Oeser, Red Square

Don’t you mean Best Human?!

Best Server

1. Sarah Stevens, Lark Tavern

2. Aleph Ashline, New World Bistro Bar

3. Nicole, Lark Tavern

No, thank you!

Best Public Official

1. Jerry Jennings

2. Paul Tonko

3. Harry Tutunjian

Congratulations, you three. See you in the funny papers.

Best Citizen Advocate

1. Alice Green

2. Corey Ellis

3. Jerry Jennings

One of these things is not like the others.

Best Animal Advocate

1. Steve Caparizzo

2. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

3. ASPCA

Oh, we were gonna say MacGruff.

Best Local Charity

1. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

2. Ronald McDonald House

3. Red Cross

Nope. Not cracking wise, here.

Best Swimming

1. Grafton Lake

2. Lake George

3. Victoria Pool

“With bow-legged women” didn’t even show. You guys are really grown up.

Best Campground

1. Thompson Lake

2. Moreau State Park

3. Lake George

Some say, when the wind is right, you still hear him scraping his one hook hand down the stone . . .

Best In-Store Pet

1. Barkley, Brunswick Harley Davidson

2. Amber, Sweater Venture

3. “The dogs,” All Star Wine & Liquor

Guess nobody in the area keeps a “gimp.” We thought that’d take off after Pulp Fiction.

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