Best Sports League: Rage City Rollergirls
ragecityrollergirls.org
They’ve got rage, they rep ‘Rage City, and they’re ranked 89th out of 308 national and international teams. The Rage City Rollergirls have been bruising skulls and breaking hearts since 2007, and Anchorage has a whole lotta love for their roller derby home team. Right now the team has two separate rosters: Rage City All*Stars, comprised of the best skaters on the team who represent Rage City on the national and international circuit, and Orange Crush, who host the majority of the in-state bouts. Catch them in their eighth season and any of the remaining three home games in November, February and March.
2. Soccer Alaska
3. Aces
Best Clothing Boutique: Blush Boutique
720 D St., Ste. C
677-8967
blushboutique.com
Opened in 2005, Blush Boutique are more than just it's 10th birthday to celebrate. The boutique has been voted the best in Anchorage. Specializing in women's clothing, accessories and gifts, you can find just about anything your heart desires that's off the generic retail stores’ radar. All the items are hand-chosen and a limited supply of each item guarantees that your look will be one of a kind. Make sure to keep an eye on the shop website and Facebook to get the latest news about trunk shows and new arrivals.
2: LuLu E. Bebe
3: Clothesline Consignment
Best Bank/Credit Union: Alaska USA
alaskausa.org
Founded in 1948, Alaska USA is a credit union with more than 543,000 members. Press readers love their app, friendly customer service, and numerous branches all over town with many open seven days a week.
2. Credit Union 1
3. Denali Federal Credit Union
Best Dog Park: University Lake
Although parking can be tricky on a sunny day, and trails can get muddy on a damp one, this is truly dog heaven. Whether it’s romping, fetching, butt-sniffing, or swimming in a lake inhabited by ferocious and sometimes dangerous beavers, this is where dog-lovers take their pets year-round. Fights are rare, pet owners are friendly, and poop is promptly scooped. Props to the third place, illegal Valley of the Moon park, as well as the newest park (less intimidating for smaller pups) at Arctic and Benson.
2. Connor’s Bog
3. Valley of the Moon
Best Doggie Day Care: Dog Tired Doggie Daycare
310 E. Fireweed Lane
334-6962
Full disclosure, on most days there are at least four dogs hanging out at the Press World Headquarters, so staff here don’t often use a doggie day care. But, if you can’t take Fido to work, then why on earth would you leave him home alone when Anchorage has so many great day care choices? After a day at Dog Tired, Fido will have fulfilled all of his socialization and play requirements in a safe, supervised environment, leaving him ready to relax with you in front of the fire when you arrive home at night.
2. Hound Lounge
3. Dog Wash Resort
Best Radio DJ: Bob Lester
KWHL 106.5
Mr. Lester seems to have done just fine since he went solo on KWHL’s morning show early this year, winning Press Picks again!
2. Casey Bieber
3. Don Megga
Best Radio Station: KSKA 91.1
Press readers are a cultured, sophisticated lot, so it’s no surprise that they voted KSKA their favorite radio station. Great local programming alongside National Public Radio favorites like Morning Edition and All Things Considered mean that KSKA is button #1 in the majority of our readers’ vehicles.
2. KNBA 90.3
3. KWHL 106.5
Best City Park: Kincaid Park
9401 Raspberry Rd.
343-6397
The 1,500-acre park is Anchorage’s preeminent year-round outdoor stop without traveling too far. Offering nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding during the winter months and archery, frolf, soccer, and trails for running, biking and hiking during the summer. Plus, what other city can boast a park that includes a deactivated Nike missile site from the Cold War days?
2. Cuddy Family Midtown Park
3. Delaney Park Strip
Best Tattoo Parlor: Anchorage Tattoo Studio
706 W. Benson Blvd.
561-0065
You can’t talk about tattooing in this town without talking about Larry Allen’s Anchorage Tattoo Studio. The oldest tattoo shop in town, Anchorage Tattoo Studio can be seen from just about anywhere in mid-town thanks to the infamous neon tattoo machine that lightens up the night sky. The shop currently features five artists: James Allen, Kasha Palmer, Mason Pillion, Ms. Judy, and Miss Jenn. And while Larry Allen himself no longer finds himself behind the needle, you just might catch the living legend in person if you stop in to the shop. And yes, you should definitely tip your tattoo artist.
2. The Hole Look
3. Rebirth
Best TV Personality: Jackie Purcell
KTUU
At 54, Jackie Purcell retains the same youthful perkiness she has been bringing to Channel Two for the past 25-years. The seemingly ageless meteorologist has worked her way into Press renders hearts in an indelible fashion. Has there ever been a year when Purcell has not won this category?
2. Maria Downey
3. Ron Holmstrom
Best Piercing Salon: The Hole Look
570 E. Benson Blvd.
563-4653
So basically, we all know that there are two top contenders in this category: Body Piercing Unlimited and The Hole Look. And while BPU had a valiant shot at the number one spot, it's The Hole Look who gets bragging rights for the next year. Blake "Atom" Thomas and "Sterile" Taryl Cordova are the go-to body stabbers for all your needle needs. Just make sure you tip these outstanding body piercers for doing so in a sterile, professional manor.
2. Body Piercing Unlimited
3. Natural Canvas
Best People Watching: Ted Stevens International Airport
5000 W. International Airport Rd.
266-2526
We’re the type of people who head to the airport a few hours before our flight, just for the pleasure of grabbing a drink and watching strangers come and go, and maybe striking up a conversation with one of them while we enjoy our upsized beer and a shot. Apparently you are too, since Uncle Ted’s airport wins this category once again. We’ve made the mistake before of splurging on Alaska Airlines’ Board Room, where it’s all quiet with workstations and couches, but not only was it expensive, you miss out on all the action in that sterile environment. Downtown came in a close second place, and we can’t argue with that either, in the summertime.
2. Downtown
3. Town Square Park
Best Car Dealer: Affordable Used Cars
929 E. 8th Ave.
274-2277
Apologies to the winner, but we all know buying a car sucks. Pushy salespeople, complex financing options, wondering if you’re purchasing a lemon … It’s not something we look forward to. So props to Affordable Used Cars for impressing our readers with their service and selection. Very few votes separate Affordable Used Cars from the second and third place contenders, so we’re also giving a shout-out to Kendall Toyota (6930 Old Seward Highway, 855-981-5457) and Continental Auto Group (multiple locations, 563-CARS) for making a chore into a pleasant experience. We’ll admit, buying from a good dealer is a safer bet than purchasing off of Craigslist, so it’s nice to know Anchorage has several options our readers trust.
1. Kendall Toyota
2. Continental
Best Cop: None
C’mon Anchorage, it’s not like we live in Ferguson. But indeed, Press readers overwhelmingly chose “None” as their answer for who the best cop in town is. Former Chief of Police Mark Mew came in second, and Sean Keating, a patrol officer known for hunting graffiti artists, came in third. Quite a few of you wrote in “all of them,” and there was one vote for “every one of them.” We also had “are you kidding?” as an answer, as well as “none there [sic] all assholes,” “seriously?” and “the one who didn’t give me a ticket when I was accidentally speeding on Abbott on my way home from a 17 hour day the other night at 1:30 a.m. in a snowstorm.” Yeah, that last cop sounds pretty cool.
2. Mark Mew
3. Sean Keating
Hippest Neighborhood: Spenard
You all chose Spenard in a landslide. As well you should. It’s just seedy enough, but is also home to Press Picks winners like the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub, Chilkoot Charlie’s, Title Wave Books, Tommy’s Burger Stop, Popeye’s Emporium, and a lot of other great shops, bars, and restaurants that didn’t score a first place this year. We love the food truck carnival on summertime weekends, stumbling out of the dingy Buckaroo Club into the sunshine in the afternoon, bands and kegs out back of the Rusty Revolver (with the 12-stepping Alano Club right across the parking lot), and sampling chefs Rob Kinneen and “Delicious” Dave Thorne’s latest take on bar food at Tap Root. Sounds like you do, too.
2. Airport Heights
3. Turnagain
Best Thrift Store: Value Village
5437 E. Northern Lights Blvd.
337-2184
501 Dimond Center Dr.
522-9090
Both of Value Village’s Anchorage locations pack a lot of items into their square footage. We’re not Macklemore fans, but you can definitely walk out of these thrift stores rockin’ your grandpa’s style. Huge collections of clothes, books, vinyl, funky home décor, kitchen dishes—you name it, you’ll probably find it here. Unlike some thrift stores, Value Village is clean and mostly organized; you won’t be sifting through piles on the floor or digging through boxes. Right before a recent trip to Hawaii, we hit Value Village and scored two horrendously ugly floral-patterned pieces of carry-on luggage for about ten bucks each.
2. Bishop’s Attic
3. Salvation Army
Best Republican: Lisa Murkowski
We’re going to take a stab in the dark and guess that conservative talk radio listeners, fans of guys like Dave Stieren and Rick Rydell, didn’t vote in this year’s Press Picks. We had a few “ew,” “gross,” and “errr… what? I don’t understand what you’re asking me here” responses. And there was a four-way tie for fifth place between failed mayoral candidate, all-around wingnut and current Assemblyperson Amy Demboski, Governor Bill Walker (an Independent former Republican), legislator Charisse Millett, and Speedo-wearing, Lesil-bashing candidate for Senate District L Jeff Landfield. But our senior senator in Washington, D.C., Lisa Murkowski, took the top spot. She’s the Joe Miller killer, oftentimes moderate, and oftentimes declared a RINO, which likely speaks to her popularity with our audience. Speaking of which, the number two spot went to former legislator and mayoral candidate Andrew Halcro, the sage of moderate Republicanism who’s currently working for Dem Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. (If you’re wondering, the number three and number four spots went to two guys named Dan Sullivan—the junior senator and the former mayor, respectively.)
2. Andrew Halcro
3. Senator Dan Sullivan
Best Democrat: Ethan Berkowitz
We’re not sure who the reader who voted for “the lizard in the human suit” was referring to, but it likely wasn’t our new mayor, Ethan Berkowitz. Ethan is the former legislator and perennial candidate for every office in the state who finally won one, beating the crazy Jesus-lady from Chugiak in the runoff election. And we’ll give Ethan a high-five for what he’s accomplished so far. He signed the assembly’s LGBT equal rights ordinance, which he’d been a proponent of, replaced out beleaguered police chief, and signed his own declaration replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Also his election means Anchorage has a whip-smart and elegant first lady, Mara Kimmel.
2. Mark Begich
3. Les Gara
Best Electronics/Computer Store: Best Buy
It’s too bad the economics of the electronics industry mean that the major chains have pushed out locally owned retailers, but that’s the case across the nation. Best Buy has pretty good deals, and an incredible selection. The Apple Store was a distant second in this category, but that’s just logical, since you can buy an iPad Air or MacBook Pro at Best Buy, as well as the latest Surface Pro or a wide variety of Chromebooks or a 4K Ultra HDTV or a home stereo system or Ted 2 on Blu-ray or the new Demi Lovato album or a pair of urBeats earbud headphones or a Samsung Galaxy 6 edge+ smartphone or an Xbox One or a DSLR camera or … Well, you get the picture.
2. Apple Store
3. Frigid North
Best Florist: Bagoy's Florist & Home
341 E. Benson Blvd. #2
278-1922
8250 Homer Dr.
522-1922
Ninety-two years after Bagoy’s created their first bouquet, Press readers still trust their most important life occasions to the folks at Bagoy’s. This winning, local florist donates two dollars of each arrangement purchased online to the non-profit of the buyer’s choice through their Helping Hands program. Does Costco do that for you?
2. Uptown Blossoms
3. Bloomsbury Blooms
Best Grocery Store: Fred Meyer
Hurrah, Press readers named Fred Meyers number one for all their grocery needs again. Maybe it’s the sushi, the second floor lounge at the Northern Lights location, the Starvin’ Marvin pizzas or the floral department. We’re happy to relate that Costco hardly registered as a blip on our readers’ radar. At least New Sagaya’s City Market found a foothold.
2. Carrs Safeway
3. New Sagaya City Market
Best Car Stereo: Perfectionist Auto Sound
801 E 82nd Ave.
563-8112
Alaskans depend on their vehicles and they trust Perfectionist Auto Sound to add all the bells and whistles. Many come for the diverse choice of auto start solutions but you can also find custom stereo, lighting, and fabrication services for a bitchin’ set up. Readers know quality, which is probably why Bose took third place. It’s all about the speakers!
2. Safe & Sound
3. Bose
Best Veterinarian: Diamond Animal Hospital
2545 E. Tudor Rd.
The kind folks at Diamond Animal Hospital offer expert and compassionate care for your pet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether you need vaccinations or emergency services, this is the place our reads trust with their furry, fluffy or feathered friends.
2. VCA East
3. Southside Animal Hospital
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