Best Park
1. Washington Park
2. The Crossings
3. Thatcher Park
Whether due to the festivals, the tulips, the dog park, the neat way the light hits the trees at just the right time of day or, simply, its easy access for a quick sunlight picnic with a stealth bottle of wine in the middle of your work week, Washington Park crushed this category.
Best Playground
1. The Crossings
2. Central Park
3. Washington Park
Pretty much everyone agrees that the best playground can be found in Colonie. We totally get why: They have some solid equipment and that cool, springy turf.
Best Day Trip
1. Lake George
2. New York City
3. Saratoga Springs
It warms our hearts to see an old-school, legendary upstate playground like Lake George take first place.
Best Bike Ride
1. Mohawk-Hudson
2. Corning Preserve
3. Zim Smith
We trust our readers on this one. You guys are a bunch of bike-riding fools and, according to you, the Mohawk-Hudson is twice as bikeable as the Corning Preserve.
Best Running Trail
1. Corning Preserve
2. (tie) The Crossings, Mohawk-Hudson
4. Zim Smith
However, when it come to running, you’re only slightly less enthusiastic in your preference for the Preserve.
Best Hiking/Nature Trail
1. Thacher Park
2. Five Rivers
2. (tie) Pine Bush, Plottenkill
Just can’t beat the Indian Ladder Trail. And no one did. You would much rather hike Thacher than even the educational Five Rivers Trail in Delmar.
Best Rock Climbing
1. The Edge
2. Albany Indoor Rock Gym
3. Thacher Park
We don’t know if we can condone rock-climbing at Thacher (is that even allowed?), but we’re pretty sure it’s safe at your other favorite spots.
Best Gym
1. Planet Fitness
2. Vent
3. Best Fitness
You all LOVE your P-Fit. But we wonder how often you actually go.
Best Tattoo Artist
1. Dustin Horan
2. John Abbott
3. Eric Brown
You’ll find No. 1 at the Dead Presidents Lounge in Albany, No. 2 at Ms. Dixie’s Tattoo and Pin-Up Parlor in Troy, and No. 3 at Impulse Tattoo in Glenmont. In case you’re looking.
Best Yoga/Pilates
1. Heartspace Yoga
2. The Hot Yoga Spot
3. Good Karma
Heartspace and Hot Yoga took this category easily, but Good Karma is the only local studio with a “flight center,” where students can do upside-down yoga.
Best Golf Course
1. Saratoga National
2. Frear Park
3. Van Patten
Local golf lovers don’t all care about fancier amenities such as those offered by the courses in Saratoga and Clifton Park, they’re just as happy to play on the municipal course at Frear Park in Troy.
Best Miniature Golf
1. Pirate’s Cove
2. Funplex
3. Oasis
Arrrr. . . . Oh, and by the way, Oasis in Troy has been closed for over a year.
Best Skiing/Snowboarding
1. Jiminy Peak
2. Gore Mountain
3. Whiteface
This was definitely a fantastic year for snow sports (if not for our collective seasonal affective disorder), and you overwhelmingly preferred to visit Jiminy and Gore to make the most of all that powder.
Best Ice Skating
1. Empire State Plaza Ice Rink
2. (tie) HVCC, Swinburne Park
We agree that it’s pretty awesome to ice skate right on the Plaza, but were surprised that the other indoor rinks didn’t get a little more love.
Best Bowling Alley
1. Playdium
2. Uncle Sam
3. Spare Time
This was a close one. Rock’N Bowl, Blacklight bowling, galactic bowling. Pretty much anywhere you can consume copious amounts of beer and call it a sport, right?
Best Pool Hall
1. Trick Shots
2. Golden Cue
3. Diamond 8
Golden Cue might be one of the oldest pool halls in the Northeast, but Trick Shots is by far your favorite place to sink your balls.
Best Bar
1. The Ruck
2. The Barrell Saloon
3. McGeary’s Pub
Y’all really, really love the Ruck. For so many reasons.
Best Hook-Up Bar
1. The Ruck
2. (tie) The Lionhart, Stout
4. Bootlegger’s
This was a landslide. Best bar, best beer, best wings AND best tail.
Best Gay Bar
1. (tie) Oh Bar, Waterworks Pub
3. Rocks
We love these places too, but where are the gay bars outside of Albany?
Best Wine Bar
1. Lucas Confectionary
2. Wine Bar & Bistro
3. Mio Vino
Its big, big win shows, again, that Lucas Confectionary has become a central part of the happening scene in Troy.
Best Happy Hour
1. The Ruck
2. (tie) McGeary’s, Bombers Burrito Bar
4. Wheatfields
The Ruck’s the one when work is done. What with all the beer and wings and hookin’ up.
Best Bar Staff
1. McGeary’s Pub
2. The Ruck
3. (tie) Finnbar, Brown’s Brewing Company
Tess Collins and her staff are friendly, fun and great at their jobs. That’s why they always win here.
Best Strip Club
1. DiCarlo’s
2. Nite Moves
3. Double Vision
Newly reopened and reenergized, the “new” DiCarlo’s is as popular as the “old” DiCarlo’s.
Best Sports Venue (Spectator)
1. Times Union Center
2. Joseph L. Bruno Stadium
3. Bleecker Stadium
Given that the TUC is home to Siena basketball and Albany Devils hockey, this was a lot closer than you’d expect. Why? The Tri-City ValleyCats deliver a great night at the ballpark. A nice shout-out from Twilight League baseball and Metro Mallers football fans, too.
Best Bar/Restaurant to Watch a Game
1. Recovery Room Sports Grille
2. Wolf’s 1-11
3. The Ruck
The name says it all: This popular chain is where you go to watch the big game(s).
Best Trivia Night
1. The Ruck
2. Bombers Burrito Bar
3. Nanola
Who’s the “Canadian sprint canoeist” born in 1946 who has the same last name as the winning establishment in this category? Wolfgang Ruck, of course.
Best Public Official
1. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko
2. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan
3. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Have we got a Democratic readership or what?
Best Citizen Advocate
1. Alice Green
2. Masai Andrews
3. Angelica Clark
Institutionalized racism was the civil rights issue this year, and your favorite advocates were all involved in organizing Capital Region responses to events in Ferguson and elsewhere. Dr. Alice Green took first, no doubt, due to her many years of service as founder and executive director of the Center for Law and Justice, and countless other achievements and recognitions in the areas of civil and criminal justice as well as community organization.
Best Animal Advocate
1. Steve Caporizzo
2. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
3. Brad Shear
With his Pet Connection segments and off-air charity work, the ABC 10 meteorologist is generous in his efforts on behalf of animals.
Best Local Charity
1. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society
2. (tie) HUGS, Rescue Mission
4. Ronald McDonald House
You love your pets just slightly more than you hate cancer and homelessness.
Best Swimming
1. Grafton Lake
2. Lake George
3. YMCA
Outdoor lake swimming wins. The YMCA has that year-round thing going for it, but it also has all that chlorine.
Best Campground
1. Moreau State Park
2. Lake George
3. KOA
Go north, young men (and women). When the Capital Region goes camping, we like to get the hell outta town.
Best Suburb
1. Delmar
2. Colonie
3. Clifton Park
Compact, old-school Delmar wins again. And why not? Location, amenities, shopping and public transportation options are all first class.
Best Downtown (Living)
1. Troy
2. Saratoga Springs
3. Albany
Troy is the happening place to live, and you think so by a wide margin.
Best Downtown (Partying)
1. Troy
2. Saratoga Springs
3. Albany
Troy’s margin of victory was slimmer in this category. You may not afford to live in Saratoga, but you can apparently afford to drink there.
Best Up-and-Coming Neighborhood
1. Troy
2. Downtown Schenectady
3. Delaware Avenue, Albany
An entire city is not a “neighborhood.” Y’all are Troy crazy.
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