Best NeighborhoodNow that you once again declare Capitol Hill the best neighborhood in town, isn’t it time to make your move? With a raging mix of international food, hordes of pierced and tattooed people, and many fun bars to stumble home from, the Hill is clearly the place to be.Best (Last?) Cheap NeighborhoodBallard garners enough votes to discredit the barrage of whimpering we received from readers convinced that there’s nowhere left to live in Seattle for anyone not rolling in bling.Best SchoolThe University of Washington’s libraries are ranked 14th among North American research facilities, and The Princeton Review recently selected the school as one of its Best in the West. Now UW can add the high esteem of SW readers to its brag sheet. Maybe it’ll even help ’em put the sports and medical-center scandals behind them. www.washington.edu.Best WalkNot only is Green Lake a great place to show some skin (see below), it also makes for a scenic, invigorating three-mile walk.Best Place to Pick Someone UpGreen Lake is your classic singles scene: Babes in biker shorts Rollerblade around the lake, while men with puppies long for the day when Fido’s chick magnetism hooks a winner.Best Place for a First DateFeed her/him fresh oysters at Salty’s, then grab her/his hand for a brisk water’s-edge walk in pursuit of a breathtaking view at Alki Beach, and you should be good to go in the romance department.Best Thing to Do With KidsSeattle’s anti-child snarks come out in full force on this one, sharing their unbridled disdain for procreation with witty yet troubling responses (e.g., “fry them in a wok”). Still, tolerance wins the day, as most of you choose the Woodland Park Zoo as the best kid-friendly destination in town. 601 N. 59th St., 206-684-4892.Best Alternative to the MonorailPerhaps you misunderstand us when you vote for walking as the best monorail alternative. While walking does have its benefits, few people are going to commute from Ballard to West Seattle on foot.Best BuildingEnormous, oddly stacked, and glittery, the new Central Library is really cool on the inside, too, which earns it top marks in your architectural winner’s circle. (New York Times archi­tecture critic Herbert Muschamp called it “a blazing chandelier to swing your dreams upon” and “a big rock candy mountain of a building.”) 1000 Fourth Ave., 206-386-4636.Best Yoga StudioOwner Phyfe Palmer says that 8 Limbs provides a “down-to-earth” yoga experience. Veteran yogaphiles and newcomers alike enjoy the wide range of classes and warm feel of the studio. 500 E. Pike St., 206-325-8221.Best Nearby GetawayUnderage drinking, Canadians, really good ice cream, and myriad snow sports—Vancouver, B.C., is an easy choice.Best Service StationMany of you name favorite gas stations (Arco, Chevron, etc.), but we have full-service garages in mind, so Queen Anne’s Hobbs Hilltop Auto is this year’s winner. And hearty jeers go out to whoever answered “Volunteer Park.” Har har. 205 W. Galer St., 206-283-8700.Best Day CareThanks, perhaps, to the endearing sight of children being led around downtown Seattle on a rope, West Edge powerhouse KidsCentre takes the title handily. Just peek in the windows: Doesn’t it look like all those adorable toddlers are having the time of their lives? 99 Spring St., 206-623-5437.Best PlumberThe Rad Dyke Plumber, aka Zan Scommodau, wins by a wide margin. She’s an accomplished plumber (and spoken-word artist!) who has fixed potties on houseboats and in concert halls. 206-723-2641.Best VetIn times of trouble, you trust Rainier Animal Hospital to heal your ailing pooch or kitty. Rainier vets Clifford Heino and Lo-Tin Kung are highly skilled in dealing with animals—as well as their distressed owners. 815 Rainier Ave. S., 206-324-4144.Best Pet StoreCalling all pampering pooch owners: Three Dog Bakery specializes in all-natural doggie treats, and they deliver! The bakery even provides a place for aspiring pet rescuers to meet potential adoptees. 1408 First Ave., 206-364-9999.Best Furniture StoreIn yet another testament to the appeal of inexpensive stuff, you overwhelmingly vote for IKEA as the best place to furnish your pad. Whether it’s the large variety of affordable, attractive furniture or simply the burning desire to pile IKEA boxes onto your VW bug that wins you over, the Scandinavian chain is your top choice. 600 S.W. 43rd St. (Renton), 425-656-2980.Best Local BeachThe best place to expose those sun-starved legs? Alki Beach. You’re far enough from downtown that the whiteness of your legs won’t blind commuters. 1702 Alki Ave. S.W., 206-684-4075.Best CharityThe fact that many of you choose PAWS suggests that you’ve stopped paying hundreds for purebred animals when so many hard-luck puppies and kitties need love, too. 15305 44th Ave. W. (Lynnwood), 425-787-2500. Cat City: 8503 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-782-1700.Best ChurchEven the least religious among us has to admit that St. James Cathedral is the most beautiful church around; according to you, it’s also the best. This First Hill parish offers services to help the poor and suffering in Seattle, effectively supporting a close-knit community. 804 Ninth Ave., 206-622-3559.Best Thrift StoreValue Village is a dirt-cheap collection of unwanted threads. The fashion doesn’t scream chic, but hidden treasures are easily found between brimming racks of early-’90s grunge wear and outtakes from M.C. Hammer’s closet. 1525 11th Ave., 206-322-7789 (and other locations).Best Store SalesThe sales at Bon-Macy’s make you feel like a savvy shopper, especially when you emerge with a designer skirt that started at $35, spent a week at $20, had a brief stint at $10, then found its way into your closet at an unbeatable $7.50. 1601 Third Ave., 206-506-6000 (and other locations), www.macys.com.Best Free Wi-Fi LocationWhat would our ultramodern Central Library be without free wi-fi access? Surfing the Net has never seemed more high-tech than it does in the Central’s futuristic confines. 1000 Fourth Ave., 206-386-4636.ExtrasBest Thing That’s Changed in Seattle in the Last YearEven if the New York intelligentsia hadn’t unanimously drooled over our new Central Library, we’d know it was something extraordinary. The weird “red floor” makes you feel like you’re touring a giant human heart, the sleek computers are innumerable, and the whole enterprise is a brave new world for bibliophiles—the sort of infinite-seeming library that Jorge Luis Borges would have adored. 1000 Fourth Ave., 206-386-4636.Best New Thing You Discovered in Seattle in the Last YearThe raging javaholics who said Hot Stuff Espresso serves up the Best Coffeehouse Black Coffee banded together in this category as well. Their beloved cafe narrowly edges out the Central Library and Pop Tots, a children’s vintage clothing store; other picks include squid fishing in Elliott Bay, baby rabbits in Woodland Park, dim sum in Chinatown, Colors NW magazine, and this priceless observation: “You are much more likely to get laid in this town if you are honest and straightforward with people.”SEATTLE WEEKLY’S BEST OF SEATTLE 2004 INDEX