[ 'Best of' Index | San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]

People, Places & Ideas When we saw that San Francisco won as "Best Place to Bring Visitors from Out of Town," we cried salty tears. Great--another chance for the fancy glasses crowd to sneer at the Vals. But you redeemed yourselves promptly by voting for "diversity" as the third best reason to live here. How enlightened! How hipsterishly multi-culti! Of course, there were ruder answers: "We, the Silicon Valley, control the nation," opined one vicarious power-tripper. And there was precisely one vote for "quality of life." Speaking of which, we got some laughs out of "Best Place to Shock Your Parents"--"rent deposit" and "real estate classifieds" being our favorites. Um, here's a note: Third-place "Best Politician" honoree Susan Hammer is no longer in office. Enough said. Although it should be marked that we're considering changing this category to "Best Name Recognition." How else could Ron Gonzales have won it? "Best Solution to Traffic Problems" certainly touched a nerve. One vote for "killing spree" was a little worrisome. The "God grant me the serenity ..." entry got a few knowing chuckles around the shop. Interestingly, "telecommuting" and "bikes" tied for fourth place; and we remember how we chided you back in 1990 for voting for "home" as the "Best Place to Work." How times change. But readers were at their most venomous and, perhaps, funniest in the "Best Example of Conspicuous Consumption" category, in which Hummers received four votes (no other automobile brand was singled out). Quite an honor, that. We also appreciated the "Phish concert Shoreline parking lot" vote. Some of us always knew the truth about Deadheads. Best Place To Get Hitched First Place Villa Montalvo 15400 Montalvo Rd., Saratoga * 408.961.5800 Second Place Las Vegas Third Place Mission Santa Clara Santa Clara University * 408.554.4023 Best Place To Bring Visitors From Out Of Town First Place San Francisico Second Place The Tech Museum of Innovation Park Avenue & Market Street, SJ * 408.279.7150 Third Place Winchester Mystery House 525 S. Winchester Blvd., SJ * 408.247.2101 Best Reason To Live Here First Place weather Second Place money Third Place diversity Best Reason To Leave Here First Place too expensive Second Place traffic Third Place too crowded Best Place To Shock Your Parents First Place Leather Masters 969 Park Ave., SJ * 408.293.7660 Second Place Pink Poodle 328 S. Bascom Ave., SJ * 408.292.3685 Third Place Watergarden 1010 The Alameda, SJ * 408.275.1215 Best Radio Station First Place KSCU/103.3 Second Place KBRG/104.9 Third Place KSJO/92.3 Best Newscast First Place KTVU/Ch 2 Second Place KNTV/Ch 11 Third Place KRON/Ch 4 Best Street For All Your Dining And Entertainment Needs First Place S. First Street (San Jose) Second Place N. Santa Cruz Avenue (Los Gatos) Third Place University Avenue (Palo Alto) Best Politician First Place Ron Gonzales Second Place Zoe Lofgren Third Place Tom Campbell Third Place Susan Hammer Best Politician To Vote Out Of Office First Place Tom Campbell Second Place Willie Brown Third Place Bill Clinton Best Venture Capital Firm First Place Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Second Place Hummer-Winblad Third Place U.S. Venture Partners Best New Company First Place eBay Second Place Redhat.com Third Place photoloft.com Best Solution To Traffic Problems First Place public transportation Second Place BART Third Place Light Rail Most Annoying Event Of 1999 First Place Monica Lewinsky Second Place JFK Jr. & Co, demise of Third Place Columbine/kids shooting kids Best Example Of Conspicuous Consumption First Place SUVs Second Place monster houses Third Place expensive cars Best Thing To Do When You Cash In Your Stock Options First Place buy a house Second Place travel Third Place move Best Neighborhood For Garage Sales First Place Willow Glen Second Place Los Gatos Third Place Saratoga Best View Of The Valley First Place Mt. Hamilton Second Place Skyline Blvd. Third Place Mountain Winery [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]