Best Place to Watch the Sunset
ASILOMAR

Facing due west into open ocean, Asilomar’s sweeping sunsets range from the ‘classic Californian’ on clear evenings to phantasmagoric canvases of purples, reds and golds when the sun is filtered through cumulus or fog. Wait until the sky gets dark enough that the lighthouse beam is visible sweeping overhead. Unforgettable. Especially when the surf is big. [RM]

Best Place For a First Date
DEL MONTE CENTER
1700 Del Monte Center, Monterey 373-8080

Dinner and a movie—it’s the classic date. (The classic first-date variation: movie first, so you have something to talk about during dinner.) And Century—the new kid on the block—this year wins our readers’ hearts as the best place to start the night off. Century wins by playing the numbers: 13 screens (the biggest of them almost 50 feet wide), in 13 stadium-style auditoriums that feature “high-back rocking love seats.” The Century also serves up some brand names our readers love, like Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn (on which they serve more then 10 pounds of real butter every night), Nathan’s hot dogs, Starbucks coffee drinks, etc. And afterwards, first-daters can cruise the Del Monte Center, which can be lovely when there’s a little romance in the air. [EJ]

Best Place to Get Married
LOVERS POINT
Ocean View Avenue, Pacific Grove

The name says it all. Whether standing atop the grassy bluff overlooking the ocean or on the sand near the water in the protected cove, there’s no better place to say “I do” than picturesque Lovers Point. And really, the blue coastal waters go fabulously with a white (or off-white, or pink, or red, or whatever color the bride wants) gown. Romantics from all over the world travel to this scenic spot to exchange wedding vows. Monterey Countyites are lucky. We’ve got one of nature’s best wedding chapels in our own backyard. [JL]

Best Surf Spot
ASILOMAR
Off of Sunset Dr, Pacific Grove, 372-4076

There are scores of great surf spots in Monterey County, from Moss Landing down to the southern end of Big Sur. There are meaty beach breaks, slow-motion right-handers, crushing reef breaks and tiny rideable waves peeling off manmade structures. Despite having so much formidable competition from other spots, Asilomar Beach won Best Surf Spot in our reader’s poll, and I understand why. This Pacific Grove beach break has the advantage of being very accessible and fairly consistent. [ST]

Best Hiking Trail
GARLAND
Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel Valley (8.6 miles east of Highway One) 372-3196

This year, the people decreed that all of the 4,500-acre Garland Ranch Regional Park is the best hiking trail. I see why readers said screw it and just wrote down the whole damn thing instead of one single trail. With scores of great hikes, from the really easy Lupine Loop to the almost-so-steep-you-have-to-crawl Snively’s Ridge Trail, Garland Ranch Regional Park is a great place for a day outdoors. Toss in cultural features like the homestead site off Sage Trail and the Rumsen Grinding Rock off Mesa Trail and it is even better. [ST]

Best Place to Bike
REC TRAIL
Pacific Grove to Castroville

There are lots of great places to bike in Monterey County. Road bikers love the twists and turns of Carmel Valley Road, while mountain bikers have the endless dirt trails and roads on Fort Ord. But, the winner of the Best Place to Bike is the Rec Trail. Using my intuition, I would have to deduce that this paved path is popular because it’s right on the Bay, it’s a great way to commute to work and it feels great to speed past roller bladders sliding along the trail. [ST]

Best Beach
CARMEL BEACH
Scenic Avenue, Carmel

There’s really only one thing wrong with Carmel Beach. For at least six months, the water’s too cold for casual, neoprene-free dips. That’s it. Everything else is basically perfect. From the soft white sands juxtaposed against the blue-green waves, to the views of Pebble Beach to the north and Carmel Point to the south, to the sea lions and otters and dolphins swimming with surfers glistening in the light of a pink-hued sunset, to the glow of bonfire pits, the summer picnics, frolicking dogs and sandcastle-building children…suddenly those Carmel home prices make perfect sense. And Carmelites know they’re blessed. On a recent walk on the sandy path above the beach, one old man shouted to another, “Who needs Hawaii?” [BW]

Best Architectural Treasure
CARMEL MISSION
3080 Rio Rd, Carmel 624-1271

Entering the grounds you are overtaken by the Shangri-la found within the foliage and peaceful paths that surround the basilica. As its construction began over two centuries ago, the Carmel Mission has architectural elements reminiscent of the Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome fused with the style of 17th century Mexican missions and a touch of the Eastern European gothic cathedral. Roman arches, catenary arches, friezes, and Moorish designs have all been incorporated into the magnificent stone structure that stands today. [AJ]

Best Park for a Picnic
POINT LOBOS
Highway 1, Carmel

There are very few places where food is actually allowed at Point Lobos. Thus the fact that a park with only a handful of picnic benches won our readers’ vote for “Best Park for a Picnic” speaks more to the place than the picnicking. Arguably the most beautiful place in Monterey County or anywhere else, Point Lobos has been home to whaling operations, abalone canneries, and dairies. Today its hiking trails, beaches, and yes, picnic tables, offer mythical views of the sea crashing against craggy rocks to the tune of sea lions barking below. The wild salty air and the unbelievable views make that tuna sandwich all the more delicious. [BW]

Best Place to Eavesdrop
COURTHOUSE
240 Church St, Salinas 775-5400

Artist José Mora’s “heroic heads” lining the exterior walls of the Monterey County Courthouse in Salinas should be a sign to visitors—someone is always watching. And listening. Indeed, there are loads of juicy tidbits waiting to be overheard inside the art deco buildings that house the superior court’s criminal department and the grand jury, among others. Every Tuesday, there’s plenty more human drama and politics as usual when the County Supervisors meet, beginning at 9:30am, in the courthouse’s east wing. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the five Supes meet in closed session… [JL]

Best Place to People Watch
FISHERMAN'S WHARF

The wharf already has plenty of stimuli for the eye, between the boats, the amphibious pork-chop sea lions, the colorful storefronts and the charismatic monkey. Then come the people, as steady as the tide, pushing strollers, riding those obnoxious four-wheel bikes (with the youngest person inevitably driving), tugging pugs in harnesses and chasing screaming kids high on wads of cotton candy. They come alone like the weathered fisherman or in families of 15. They wear everything from sleeveless shirts and garish tattoos to military uniforms and formal dresses. Individually, they’re funny, strange, attractive and mysterious. Together, they weave a fascinating quilt of Americana before your eyes. [MCA]

Best Use of Local Tax Dollars
LIBRARIES

It seems like common sense: what better use of tax dollars than to pay for kids’ free reading groups and homework centers and adults’ literacy programs and computer labs? And everyone enjoys a warm, well-lit place to read, right? Salinas city taxpayers nearly learned this lesson the hard way. Last November, voters rejected two tax measures—money the city needed to keep its three libraries up and running. If Mayor Anna Caballero’s Rally Salinas! campaign succeeds, and does, in fact, raise $500,000 before June 30, then its three branches would stay open two days a week, for five hours a day. Of course, it’s only a band-aid solution, and by December, Salinas voters will (hopefully) approve a new tax measure to provide a permanent revenue stream for the libraries. [JL]

Best Hangout for Little Kids
DENNIS THE MENACE PARK
Pearl Street, Monterey 646-3860

Dennis the Menace Park may be the best hangout for little kids, but it comes close to being the best hangout for us bigger kids, too. Located in El Estero Park, Dennis the Menace Park was (of course) designed by Hank Ketchum, the local hero-cartoonist. The joyful possibilities of his creation appear endless: Turn corners in your imagination in the hedge maze; travel the silver sleek wave of the giant slide; conquer the never-ending sway of the suspension bridge; and ride a real Southern Pacific Steam locomotive back into reality. Then rent a rowboat or paddleboat and take it out on Lake El Estero and say hello to all the ducks and geese. [AJ]

Best Place to Reclaim Your Inner Child
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
886 Cannery Row, Monterey 648-4800

Somewhere in the midst of crawling through the tunnel on the way to Leafy Sea Dragons in the Aquarium’s “Splash Zone,” petting rays, and watching sea otters frolic up close, a real sense of joy creeps into even the most jaded heart. Here is the chance to see the usually unseen, to play, to touch, and to care. The Aquarium manages to make the yawn-inducing topic of conservation fun, and its frequently changing exhibits (Art at the Aquarium) and ground-breaking studies (hello, white shark) make that season pass well worth it. [BW]

Best Local Athlete (female)
VALENTINA VALDEZ

“You kick like a girl,” has all new meaning now that Valentina’s around. The CSU Monterey Bay junior didn’t even pull on her first shin guard until she was a freshman at Carmel High, but the soccer star’s been making a name for herself ever since. She was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the Central Coast Conference while at Hartnell, and has played on numerous distinguished all-league and all-county teams. She is now on soccer scholarship at CSUMB, working on her bachelor’s degree in business before heading out for her master’s in the same. For now, her business is the ball. And nobody stops it like she can. [MC]

Best Local Athlete (male)
JOSE CELAYA

Jose Celaya is Salinas tough. Currently positioned #11 in the hyper-competitive welterweight class, according to the most recent North American Boxing Association rankings, Celaya continues to prove himself as gritty as the town he calls home. And as a volunteer with community programs like the new Alisal Education Foundation, it’s clear Celaya hasn’t forgotten where he’s from. [RM]

Best Local Politician
SAM FARR

Sure, he’s a perennial winner, but is anyone more deserving? He’s been looking out for his district since first winning a seat in the US House of Representatives in 1993. When it comes to protecting the ocean, promoting local agriculture, and supporting the DLI and Naval Postgraduate School, to name just a few examples, Farr’s got our collective back. Most recently he secured $18 million earmarked for Central Coast infrastructure projects, and called the President’s proposed budget a “sham.” And we’ll always love him for voting against the war in Iraq while still supporting our troops and their families. [JL]

Best Power Broker
LEON PANETTA

Weekly readers love this guy—and for good reason. He’s made public service a life-long career, first as a First Lieutenant in the US Army, later as a Monterey Congressman and as Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton. In Congress he drafted legislation to create the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary—now he chairs the Pew Oceans Commission. He also currently co-directs (with his similarly public-spirited wife) the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at

CSU-Monterey Bay—a university he helped establish. This year, they kick off the eighth annual Lecture Series where Panetta will moderate converstaions with his powerful friends and aquaintences. Last fall, Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed a council to help save California military bases in the next Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) go-round. Guess who the governor named to chair the council? Yup—Mr. Best Power Broker. [JL]

Best Hangout For Teens
DEL MONTE CENTER
1410 Del Monte Center, Monterey 373-2705

We don’t have the colossal super-malls of southern California that warrant their own zip codes, but we also don’t have the traffic to fight on the way to the mall. It’s a give-and-take sort of deal. However, Del Monte Center does serve as a great locale for teenagers with too much free time and is home to the oversized burritos of Chipotle, the surfer-fusion eatery Pizza My Heart, the suave corporate giant Starbucks, the video-gamer’s playground Electronics Boutique, and the newly constructed gigantic Century Theater, complete with stadium seating. The perfect place to kill time. [NP]

Best Hangout for Seniors (tie)
THE CARMEL FOUNDATION
SE Corner of 8th and Lincoln, Carmel 624-1588
SALLY GRIFFIN SENIOR CENTER
700 Jewell Ave, Pacific Grove 375-4454

Proof that great minds think alike, these winners have adopted the attitude that one’s golden years can be the very best years. Each establishment provides plenty of activities for those age 55 and up. Both the Carmel Foundation and the Sally Griffin Senior Center offer dine-in programs, exercise classes, dancing, wood-carving, bingo, bridge, movies, special events and discussion groups designed to keep the mind and body fit as a fiddle. [CJ]

Best Volunteer Organization
MEALS ON WHEELS OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
700 Jewell Ave, Pacific Grove 375-4454 and 229 Pajaro Dr, Salinas 758-6325

In their 33rd year of operations, the volunteers of Meals on Wheels are truly doing God’s work. Serving 250 clients across Monterey County, this nonprofit organization depends on its core of 300 hard-working “saints” to donate 24,800 hours and drive over 114,000 miles to provide food for those unable to serve themselves. Through home-delivered meals, group dining and active learning programs, Meals on Wheels successfully fulfills its mission of providing and promoting the physical well-being and independence of seniors. [CJ]

Best Local Do-Gooder
MORLEY BROWN

When told that she’d won the votes for Best Local Do-Gooder, Morley Brown said things like, “I’m flabbergasted. This is so embarassing. I feel guilty.” Although Ms. Brown has volunteered for decades in Monterey County, and has served on the boards of such organizations like Legal Services For Seniors, Shelter Outreach Plus, the Natividad Medical Center Foundation, and Community for Caring, she believes that others better deserve the accolades. “My love and passion is to help agencies that help the poor and the needy,” she says. “I raise funds, but there are a lot of people who are doing more, doing the hands-on work.” Brown’s on a mission to get others involved. “Put my phone number in the paper and tell people anytime they want information on how to volunteer, to call me.” Here it is: 624-3166. [BW]

Best TV News
KSBW (ACTION NEWS 8)

Whether it’s today’s news of war abroad, breaking scenes from car chases up Highway 1, or the latest in the depressing saga of the Brad/Jen breakup, the familiar faces of KSBW are the ones who are easy to turn to at all times of the day. We trust them. They’ve seen us at our worst: with curlers and cleanser, brushing our teeth buck nekked in the morning. They wouldn’t let us down. We let them into our twisted little worlds because in some two-dimensional way, they’ve become part of the family. Sometimes, even General Manager Joseph Heston’s editorials make good sense. [MC]

Best TV Anchor
DAN GREEN, KSBW

Newsflash: Trustworthy, professional Dan is a funny guy. He’s hard to read at first; you can’t tell whether he’s just said something magnanimously profound that went right over your head, or he’s just outwitted you. Big-time. “I’m surprised Clint didn’t win this one too,” he quips. He was dodging the real question: What’s he wearing under that table? “Jeans or sweats, depending on my mood. And I’m definitely barefooted.” Perfect, so long as he still tucks us in every night, and we can sleep well knowing he’s got his watchful eye on the world. That’s what we love. [MC]

Best Local Web site
WWW.THEKSBWCHANNEL.COM

With nearly 200,000 visitors and 1.5 million hits each month, KSBW’s Web site serves Central Coast citizens with late-breaking news, extensive coverage of sports, entertainment, health, money, and a number of other sections guaranteed to flare-up that pesky case of carpal tunnel syndrome. The site provides information from the entire Central Coast and features up-to-the-minute weather reports as well as live skycams reporting from Monterey, Salinas, Fremont Peak and even Lake Tahoe, for those thinking of hitting the slopes. [CJ]

Best Place For Intelligent Conversation
FARMERS' MARKET
Alvarado St, Monterey

In my experience, farmers are a lot smarter than some smarty-pants people give them credit for, but the Intelligent Conversation at the Farmers Market isn’t about the farmers—they’re mostly too busy to engage in a lot of chatter. The smart talk mostly occurs among the customers, who demonstrate their intellectual powers first of all by buying their fresh vegetables straight from the source. The Farmers Market has become a Tuesday afternoon ritual for some of the brightest folks on the Peninsula—in part just because it is such a good place to bump into far-flung neighbors to exchange an old-fashioned friendly howdy—and there is no conversation more intelligent than that. [EJ]

Best Place for Mindless Chatter
LALLAPALOOZA
474 Alvarado St, Monterey 645-9036

According to Zen, existence is found in the silence of the mind—no mind. Therefore, it is probably safe to assume that mindlessness is a Zen state, something to be attained by great patience and careful study. At Lallapalooza, meeting place for locals, out-of-town visitors and other seekers of enlightenment, well-crafted martinis and other spirit forms prepare Zen practitioners for their important studies in mindless chatter, an essential stop along the path to transcendence. As with any journey, travelers build up a thirst. Lallapalooza is there to quench that thirst. [RN]

Best Radio Station
KDON 102.5

KDON is one of those radio stations that anyone who buys clothes in their own size isn’t supposed to like. It’s your teenager’s noise, or the guy who pulls up next to you whose bass makes even your thoughts vibrate. Truth be told, though, the station’s wake-up crew, Morning Mad House, is what gets you to work on time. It’s all about the tunes. The hip-hop and funk are nothing short of audio porn, exuding a sense of groove so freakin’ cool, you can’t help but listen. And move. Hard. Right in the driver’s seat of your own reverberating ride. [MC]

Best Radio DJ
DALLAS DOBRO
KPIG, 107.5 FM

KPIG DJ Dallas Dobro has been doing radio for an impressive 35 years. Dobro started his broadcasting career during his junior year in high school working for the Pocatello, Idaho radio station KWIK. Now, he works the 6am to 10am Monday through Friday shift on the genre-busting Freedom-based radio station KPIG. Since he loves to play acoustic music and tunes from bands like Los Lobos, it is easy to see why county residents choose DJ Dallas Dobro to help ease themselves into the coming day. [ST]

Best Golf Hole
18TH AT PEBBLE BEACH
2700 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach 647-7500

Choosing the best golf hole in Monterey County is as difficult as choosing the best basketball player in Michael Jordan’s country club. Pebble Beach, referred to by Jack Nicklaus as “the one course I would play if I had only one round left,” is the golf world’s Shangri-La, for everyone from weekend hackers to polished professionals. Newcomers to Pebble Beach first approach 18 through the lobby of the Lodge, step onto the veranda and praise God while looking at it from the green backwards. When they step onto the tee box to play it, they’ve achieved salvation. [RN]

Best Local Event
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

You know you’ve arrived as the transcendent event anywhere, let alone Monterey County, when Super Bowl Champions are tabbing you over Disneyland as their celebratory destination. Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady did it in 2004; über-brain/Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichek did it this year. They’re not alone in their pilgrimage to the pristine greens of Pebble: a record 151,000 fans attended this year alone. Heck, people travel 2,000 miles here to volunteer. In fact, the Pro-Am is far more than an event: it’s a pillar of the Peninsula, generating millions for local charities every year and tens of millions more for local businesses. [MCA]

Best Local Sex Symbol
CLINT EASTWOOD

It’s difficult to find anything unappealing about a guy whose most constant companions these days are gold—Globes, Oscars, whatever. But forget the awards, the résumé, the fact that he could single-handedly take out an entire brigade with a furrowed brow and a devastating one-liner. The stud’s approaching 75, and happily married, but there’s still the hope that he’s held onto his driver’s license and will pull up in an old beat-up truck (or Bentley, Rolls, Jag) Bridges of Madison County-like and rescue a girl from a lifetime of tragic love. He’s living proof that sexy knows no age. [MC]