Spark St. Jude
Year in and year out, clear skies and comfy climes keep Atlantans happy.

BEST REASON TO LIVE IN ATLANTA

The Weather

THE LOWDOWN: We have tornados in February. We still have to wear sweaters on the first weekend of May. And September is so hot that there are heat-stroke advisories. But come late March, all the flowers bloom in unison, gentle breezes caress the skin and we get that awesome fairyland effect no other city can claim. It’s like living in a postcard—without getting passed around.
THE RUNNER-UP: Lots of things to see and do

Spark St. Jude
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin

BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN

Mayor Shirley Franklin

THE LOWDOWN: Atlantans just aren’t going to know what to do with themselves when Mayor Franklin steps down in a couple of years. Sure, some citizens have gripes with Her Honor—her frequent trips abroad, her daughter’s involvement in a cocaine ring—but she’s run a relatively corruption- and scandal-free administration. Even in the face of a massive budget shortfall, we’re happier with Franklin at the helm than a certain past mayor we could name.
THE RUNNER-UP: Gov. Sonny Perdue

Best New Business

Palas Jewelers

THE LOWDOWN: This Buckhead jewelry boutique is far from what you’d expect—high-end estate jewelry and custom stone settings intermingle with contemporary, handcrafted gemstone pieces. Need a thorough appraisal of a piece of jewelry? Perhaps a cleaning or re-setting is in order. Just stop by Palas, have a cup of tea and browse through its extensive online store while you wait.
THE BASICS: 3209 Paces Ferry Place, Suite 10. 404-846-8122. www.palasjewelers.com.
THE RUNNER-UP: Lola Bellini Bar & Restaurant

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
No doubt about it—Coke adds life.

BEST LOCAL FORTUNE 500 COMPANY

Coca-Cola

THE LOWDOWN: Coca-Cola was global before “global” became a business buzzword. No company in America has a more fascinating history, more political intrigue, more legends busted on Snopes.com or more celebrity status. From the mythic story of the seriously (they’ll sue you over it) top-secret formula to the heroic solo fight by its German operations manager to fend off a Nazi takeover to a 1980s ad campaign in Australia that featured a hidden phallus, Coke adds life, ya’ll.
THE BASICS: www.coca-cola.com.
THE RUNNER-UP: Home Depot

BEST CEO

Chuck Bengochea

THE LOWDOWN: According to SmartBusiness magazine, The Honeybaked Ham Company’s notoriously humble president and CEO led the business to revenue growth of an estimated $250 million in 2006, up 10 percent over 2005. He’s known for saying that arrogance is a characteristic he can’t tolerate. In his 50s, Bengochea is a competitive triathlete and the father of a U.S. Marine who’s served in Iraq. In short, he sounds like a guy we’d like to get to know better.
THE RUNNER-UP: BERNIE MARCUS

BEST LOCAL SCANDAL

GA. Department of Transportation

THE LOWDOWN: The department’s new commissioner, Gena Abraham, herself under fire for a romance with the department’s board chairman, has fired 43 employees for stealing gas, possession of pot, looking at porn and, in one case, using a machete to intimidate a coworker. No wonder we’re stuck in gridlock.
THE RUNNER-UP: Michael Vick

BEST HOSPITAL

Piedmont Hospital

THE LOWDOWN: Piedmont Hospital offers luxury suites with a specialty nursing staff, private chef, concierge service and afternoon tea, but we’re guessing that’s not why most of our readers like it. More likely, it’s the fact that it’s been around for more than a century just doing its job, from pediatrics to cardiology, with the help of a super-friendly staff (the folks at the information desk will chase you down to help if you look lost).
THE BASICS: 1968 Peachtree Road. 404-605-5000. www.piedmonthospital.org.
THE RUNNER-UP: Northside Hospital

BEST HOSPITAL TO HAVE A BABY IN

Northside Hospital

THE LOWDOWN: According to its No. 1 Consumers Choice Awards in 2005, 2006 and 2007, Northside is ranked among the busiest maternity wards in the nation, delivering more than 18,000 new bundles of joy each year. And if those bundles come with a bundle of unexpected challenges, Northside has its own Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It also features 36 labor-delivery-recovery and postpartum rooms with 27 devoted to high-risk labor cases.
THE BASICS: 1000 Johnson Ferry Road. 404-851-8000. www.northside.com.
THE RUNNER-UP: Piedmont Hospital

BEST HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM

Grady Health System

THE LOWDOWN: Grady trains one of every four doctors in Georgia. Its emergency department sees more than 300 patients per day. It’s the only Level 1 trauma center in the metro area. It also offers some of the best emergency medical training in the country, practically on the steps of the state Capitol. Shame on the Georgia General Assembly for not passing legislation that would have helped fund care for trauma victims—a major source of Grady’s ongoing financial woes.
THE BASICS: 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE. 404-616-1000. www.gradyhealthsystem.org.
THE RUNNER-UP: Piedmont Hospital

Courtesy of the Georgia Department of Economic Development
UGA students chill between classes in downtown Athens.

BEST LOCAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

The University of Georgia

THE LOWDOWN: Founded in 1785, eclectic and rigorous UGA is the oldest public university in the nation. Its nanotechnology center, along with similar centers at Brown, Dartmouth and Cal Tech, recently received a $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant. UGA is also home to one of the nation’s top-ranked business schools, and yet, this year its enrollment of philosophy majors increased 69 percent. Holy Spinoza! Go Dawgs!
THE BASICS: www.uga.edu.
THE RUNNER-UP: Georgia Tech

BEST HIGH SCHOOL

Woodward Academy

THE LOWDOWN: Woodward’s vice president for admissions is named Rusty Slider—seriously—need we say more? Well, OK. Woodward, founded in 1900, was historically a military academy. Today, it’s the largest independent prep school in the continental United States, with almost 2,900 students who come from all over the 24-county metro area, which is why you see people waiting for the Woodward bus to drop off their kids in your grocery store parking lot in the evening.
THE BASICS: 1662 Rugby Avenue, College Park, Ga. 404-765-4037. www.woodward.edu.
THE RUNNER-UP: Marist

BEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

Crabapple Middle School

THE LOWDOWN: Remember Bart Simpson’s teacher, Mrs. Krabappel, who pronounced it “krab-AH-pul”? This isn’t that. Crabapple Middle was Fulton County’s first National School of Excellence in 1988, and has since been designated a Lighthouse School to Watch—a school so excellent that it mentors other schools—in 2003 and 2006. The school uses looping, block scheduling and “Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound” to accommodate the learning styles of nearly 900 students.
THE BASICS: 10700 Crabapple Road Roswell, Ga. 770-552-4520. www.crabapplemiddleschool.org.
THE RUNNER-UP: Woodward Academy

BEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Suzuki School

THE LOWDOWN: The Suzuki School in Buckhead was founded in 1976 in collaboration with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, internationally known as the founder of the Talent Education Institute in Japan. After many years of teaching thousands of very young children to play classical violin, he developed a philosophy of education based in part on the idea that learning begins in infancy and that working with a child’s natural curiosity will ensure a lifelong love of learning.
THE BASICS: 443 East Paces Ferry Road. 404-869-1042. www.suzukilearning.com.
THE RUNNER-UP: Morningside Elementary

BEST METRO ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOOD

Midtown

THE LOWDOWN: Home to appealing restaurants, hopping clubs and trendy boutiques—not to mention landmarks like the Margaret Mitchell House, the Woodruff Arts Center and Piedmont Park—this area can certainly be considered the heart of the city. Plenty of special events, from festivals to theater openings, keep the energy level high. But there’s also a number of ways to relax here, whether it’s with a walk down the tree-lined residential streets or with a picnic at the park.
THE BASICS: www.midtownatlanta.com.
THE RUNNER-UP: Dunwoody

BEST OTP NEIGHBORHOOD

Alpharetta

THE LOWDOWN: If you’ve missed the transformation of this town, which was a sleepy bedroom community not that long ago, it’s time you ventured OTP to check it out. You’ll find what its citizens already know well—that the dining and entertainment options, as well as business centers, are beginning to rival those intown. Plus, there’s a wealth of desirable houses (with new ones being constructed every day) and the schools just keep getting better.
THE BASICS: www.alpharetta.ga.us.
THE RUNNER-UP: Roswell

BEST ITP NIEGHBORHOOD

Inman Park

THE LOWDOWN: There’s certainly something to be said for the classics. This neighborhood east of downtown, developed in the 1880s, is considered the city’s first planned community and one of the country’s first garden suburbs. Today, the streets and houses retain their historic charm, while new businesses, like Shaun Doty’s restaurant, are helping to revitalize the storefronts.
THE BASICS: www.inmanpark.org.
THE RUNNER-UP: Decatur

BEST PLACE TO RAISE YOUR KIDS

Dunwoody

THE LOWDOWN: The fact is, a lot of people have raised their kids in Dunwoody, and so far none of them has done anything any more embarrassing than kids from anywhere else in Georgia. But seriously, folks: Dunwoody has parks, malls, nice neighborhoods with spacious lawns, broad sidewalks, and quiet cul-de-sacs for teaching a kid to ride a bike or play a round of 21. What’s not to love?
THE BASICS: Dunwoody is in DeKalb County, just northeast of the City of Atlanta.
THE RUNNER-UP: Meadowbrook

Piedmont Park

BEST PARK

BEST PLACE TO WALK YOUR DOG

Piedmont Park
THE LOWDOWN: The city’s largest and most celebrated public green space is a center of outdoor activity for many Atlantans. Take your pick: walking, jogging, biking, skating, swimming, bird-watching, picnicking, kicking around a soccer ball or sporting your tennis whites—this Midtown Mecca has it all. Outside of the standard park offerings, Piedmont is also host to concerts, film screenings, live performances, festivals and a fantastic weekly green market. (You can’t really beat a park that brings its own picnic.) And it’s a great place for your four-legged friends, too: Walking your dog in the dog park or through the park itself offers a great way to strike up conversations with potential partners.
THE BASICS: 400 Park Drive NE. 404-875-7275. www.piedmontpark.org.
THE RUNNER-UP: Chastain Park