The Best of Michigan for 2005

Local Life: CITY LIVING & CULTURE

Best car for Detroit roads

Hummer

Second place: Tank

Third place: Jeep

Best annual festival

Richmond Area Good Old Days Festival

Richmond

Second place: Wyandotte Street

Art Fair

Wyandotte

Third place: Freedom Festival

Detroit

Morris Richardson II / The Detroit News Christopher Hideg, shapes a flower at the Glass Shop at Greenfield Village, picked as the best place to take a tourist.

Best place to show out-of-town guests

Greenfield Village

20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn (313) 271-1621

Second place: Greektown

Detroit

Third place: Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit (313) 833-7900

Best small-town parade

Richmond Area Good Old Days Festival

Richmond

Second: Wyandotte Christmas Parade

Wyandotte

Third place: Romeo Peach Parade

Romeo

Best fast-talking politician

Kwame Kilpatrick

Mayor of Detroit

Second place: Jennifer Granholm

Governor of Michigan

Third place: Sharon McPhail

Detroit City Counsil Member

Best blog to make you seem smarter at cocktail parties

Bestoftheblogs.com

Second place: blogmaster.com

Third place: detroitsports.blogspot.com

Best place to people-watch

Hart Plaza

Detroit

Second place: Somerset Collection

Troy

Third place: Eastern Market

Detroit

Best place for free entertainment

Hart Plaza

Detroit

Second place: Campus Martius

Detroit

Third place: Chene Park

Detroit

Best local sports star

Steve Yzerman

Second place: Ben Wallace

Third place: Dmitri Young

Best church festival

Saint Joseph Parish Festival

353 Elm St., Wyandotte

Second place: Annual Polish Festival

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Wyandotte

Third place: St. Joan of Arc Festival

22412 Overlake St., St. Clair Shores

Best charity fund-raiser

Friends for the Cure

Second place: Cattle Baron’s Ball

Third place: Bow Wow Champagne Brunch

Best criminal or civil judge

Randy Kalmbach

27th District Court, Wyandotte

Second place: Joseph Boedeker

39th District Court, Roseville

Third place: Fred Mester

6th Circut Court, Oakland

Best bad new law

Seat belts

Second place: Smoking Ban

Third place: Patriot Act

Best use of taxpayer dollars

Wyandotte Main Streetscape

Second place: Fix roads

Third place: Belle Isle Aquarium

Best local gadfly

Scott Lewis

Fox 2 News

Second place: Steve Wilson

WXYZ, Channel 7 news

Third place: “Big Daddy” Arthur P

101 FM, WRIF

Best police precinct

Wyandotte Police Department

2015 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte (734) 324-4405

Second place: Detroit Police Department - 1st Precinct

500 Clinton, Detroit (313) 596-5100

Third place: Detroit Police Department - 5th Precinct

11411 E. Jefferson, Detroit (313) 596-5500

Best art gallery

Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit (313) 833-7900

Second place: Biddle Gallery

2840 Biddle St., Wyandotte (734) 281-4779

Third place: Robert Kidd Gallery

107 Townsend St., Birmingham (248) 642-3909

Ave Maria Fine Art Gallery

24 Franklin Wright Dr., Ann Arbor

(734) 930-7514

Best place to see a concert

DTE Energy Music Theater

7774 Sashabaw Rd., Clarkston (248) 377-0100

Second place: Bishop Park

Van Alstyne St., Wyandotte

Third place: Ford Field

2000 Brush St., Detroit (313) 262-2000

Best swank hotel

Ritz-Carlton

300 Town Center Dr., Dearborn (313) 441-2000

Second place: Townsend Hotel

100 Townsend St., Birmingham (248) 642-7900

Third place: Atheneum Suite Hotel

1000 Brush St., Detroit (313) 962-2323

Best riverfront festival

Wyandotte Street Art Fair

Wyandotte

Second place: Concert of Colors

Detroit

Third place: International Freedom

Festival Fireworks

Detroit River

Best rainy-day hideaway

Detroit Science Center Exhibit

1604 Clay St., Detroit (313) 871-2239

Second place: Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit (313) 833-7900

Third place: IMAX Dome Theater

5020 John R St., Detroit (313) 577-8400

Best road to avoid

Eureka Rd.

Second place: Ford Rd.

Third place: Outer Drive

Best power couple

John and Debbie Dingell

Second place: Mike and Marion Ilitch

Best category we forgot

Best fireworks

Second place: Best Metro Detroit city

Third place: Best Web site