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BEST Art Gallery Blue Horse Gallery

BEST Casino Silver Reef Hotel Casino Spa

BEST Fun Place for Kids American Museum of Radio and Electricity

BEST Indie Theater Pickford Film Center

BEST Live Comedy The Upfront Theatre

BEST Local Bands Death Cab for Cutie

BEST Museum American Museum of Radio and Electricity

BEST Theater Venue Mount Baker Theatre

BEST Theatre Group Good Time Girls

These "ladies of the evening" are not only sexy - they're smart, funny and full of juicy tidbits on Bellingham's history of sin and gin.

BEST Winery Chateau Ste. Michelle

BEST Repair Terry's Automotive of Olympia

BEST Tattoo and Piercing Old School Tattoo

Odds are, if you see a beautiful tattoo on a person in Bellingham, they'll tell you they got it at Old School. Paul, in particular, does the most AMAZING portraits - they look JUST like the picture!

BEST Barbecue Speak E-Z's

BEST Breakfast Old Town Cafe

BEST Burger Win's Drive-In

BEST Burrito Casa Que Pasa

BEST Crepes Mount Bakery

BEST Food Truck El Tapatio

BEST Greasy Spoon Horseshoe Cafe

BEST Healthy Lunch Community Food Co-op

BEST Hot Dog El Capitan's

BEST Pizza Rudy's Pizza

BEST Sandwich Shop Davinci Classic Subs

BEST Teriyaki Lakeway Teriyaki

BEST Eyewear Spyglass Optik

They have the the COOLEST eyewear and they're unbelievably helpful in finding you the BEST frames for your face. Dr. Young is patient and knowledgeable. Prudence and the rest of the staff are awesome as well; I think I tried on over a hundred different frames and never once was I hurried to make a choice. Even Dr. Young came out and gave me a male opinion on the frames I'd narrowed it down to! Caring people with great customer service.

BEST Brunch The Fork at Agate Bay

BEST Fine Dining Barking Frog

BEST Seafood The Cliffhouse Restaurant

BEST Favorite Local Charity Whatcom Humane Society

Whatcom Humane is more than "just" our local animal shelter; Laura Clark and the handful of dedicated employees (as well as WONDERFUL volunteers) have done so much for the animals of Whatcom taking on, sadly, numerous local animal abuse cases, dealing with lawmakers, rescuing abandoned farm animals (and housing them - which is no small feat), along with small animals of every ilk - all while having their budget trimmed excessively due to the poor economy. They always come up with new and interesting fundraisers and work tirelessly to rescue, rehome and educate the people of Whatcom re: the needs of the animals. I just can't say enough good things about Whatcom Humane!

BEST Beer Selection McKay's Taphouse

Dave (the owner) is just a cool dude who knows his beer and offers up a great selection. The pizza is great too!

BEST Blues Club Wild Buffalo House of Music

BEST Brewpub Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro

BEST Cocktails Glow Nightclub

BEST College Bar Glow Nightclub

BEST Gay and Lesbian Bar Rumors Cabaret

BEST Happy Hour ANthony's Bellingham

BEST Irish Pub Uisce Irish Pub

BEST Movie Theater Pickford Theaters

BEST Neighborhood Bar McKay's Taphouse

BEST Wine Bar Purple Café and Wine Bar

BEST College Athlete Nick Montana

Talk about a chip off the old block; it'll be great to watch another Montana throw the ball!

BEST Dentist Faith Bult

BEST Doctor Dr. Karen O'Keefe

BEST Local Comedian Ryan Stiles

BEST Local Musician Vicci Martinez

BEST Local Radio Personality Dave and Shari 104.3 - Bellingham

BEST Local TV Personality Megan Black

BEST Mayor Dan Pike

BEST Plastic Surgeon Jordan Gottlieb

BEST Pro Athlete Jake Locker

The Seahawks are my favorite football team - but Jake Locker is my favorite player! Great to see a local guy make it big! I will be watching (and rooting) for the Tennessee Titans, as well as the Seahawks (unless, of course, they ever play each other ;)

BEST Sports Team Bellingham Roller Betties

BEST Team Mascot Blitz

BEST Couture Bow Wow and Woofs

BEST Dog Park Lake Padden Dog Park

Grateful Dogs Off-Leash Association have done an AWESOME job of providing Bellingham (and Blaine) dogs with fantastic off-leash areas to play and socialize!

BEST Dog Walker The Clever Canine

BEST Doggie Daycare tails-a-wagging

BEST Grooming City Dogs Grooming

BEST Pet Photography Barbara Murtaugh-Django Photography

BEST Pet Sitting The Clever Canine

BEST Pet Supplies Doorstep Pet Supply

Doorstep Pet Supply is AWESOME! They are communicative, honest and dependable. Why lug big bags or cases of canned pet food when you can have it delivered to your doorstep (and at great prices)? They special order too - and email or call to let me know availability, etc. As a pet lover (with 6 pets), Doorstep has made my life infinitely easier!

BEST Training The Clever Canine

Celeste is an unbelievably amazing trainer; her methods are all positive-based. She's the most knowledgeable trainer I've known and VERY patient (with the pets AND with us slow-learning owners). She has a vet tech background and is very aware of health problems that could be contributing to behavior problems. You can't do better than Celeste at The Clever Canine for your pet training needs!

BEST Ugliest Dog Ivan McHugh

BEST Bookstore Village Books

BEST Children's Gifts Fairhaven Toy Garden

We don't even have kids, but LOVE this store!

BEST Gift Shop Paws Awhile

Every purchase benefits the Whatcom Humane - it's a win-win!

BEST Home and Garden Bakerview Nursery

BEST Housewares Greenhouse

BEST Beer Store Red Hook Brewery

BEST Cheese Shop Pleasant Valley Dairy

BEST Chocolate Chocolate Necessities

BEST Donuts Rocket Donuts

BEST Fish Market Pike Place Fish Market

BEST Ice Cream Shop Mallard Ice Cream

BEST Tea House Bellingham Spice Hut

BEST Wine Shop Old Fairhaven Wines

Gary Hofmann and the staff at Old Fairhaven Wines not only have an excellent selection of wines and beer, they have a GREAT gift store and tasting area, to boot. Very friendly and easy to talk to - and they'll do special orders, as well!

BEST Photographer Jonathan Lindsay Photography

BEST Biggest Public Eyesore Cherry Point Refinery (BP)

Nothing spoils the natural beauty of Birch Bay more than belching smokestacks.

BEST Green Building Avocet Environmental Testing

BEST Local Event Ski to Sea

BEST Pick-up Place Dog Parks

Depends on what you mean by "pick up" ;)

BEST Place to People Watch Boulevard Park

BEST Place to Work PeaceHealth Medical Group - Bellingham/Lynden, WA

BEST Playground Lynden City Park

BEST School with the Most Spirit Blaine High School

BEST Woman of the Year Sophia Sennett

Sophia is a graduate of the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, DC and is currently a Davis Scholar, attending United World College of the American West in Montezuma, New Mexico. With a passion for public policy, Sophia has served as a page for both the Washington State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. She is particularly interested in environmental policy as it relates to climate change, food security, and human rights. Sophia is actively engaged in sustainability initiatives and enjoys working in the campus greenhouse, organizing a Kiva youth microlending team (peacepennies), and interning at the Peace and Justice Center in Las Vegas, New Mexico. After graduation Sophia plans to attend university to pursue a major focusing on political science and applied ethics. Sophia resides in Blaine, WA with her parents and an equally gifted younger sister (Sheylin).