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Asheville's best-kept secret

• 1. Not telling With so much media attention on our little bohemian enclave, it's no wonder Ashevilleans don't want to give away any more secrets. Everyone from the New York Times to AARP Magazine to Rolling Stone wants to let the country at large know how fun/freaky/happy/New Age/vegetarian-friendly we are, and the best spots to experience the aforementioned virtues. Despite the litany of reports, Asheville's top-secret info is safe for now — Xpress readers aren't telling.
• 2. The Admiral 400 Haywood Road, Asheville, 252-2541
• 2. Shoji Spa & Lodge 96 Avondale Heights Road, Asheville, 299-0999
• 3. Sky Bar 18 Battery Park Ave., Asheville, 225-6998

B&B/boutique hotel

• 1. Grand Bohemian Hotel 11 Boston Way, Asheville, 505-2949 Guests at the Grand Bohemian might feel as though they've wandered into a luxurious outpost of the Biltmore Estate. Just across from the Biltmore's gates, one finds the rustic-yet-glamorous Grand Bohemian hotel, the high-class hunting lodge-inspired boutique hotel that opened earlier this year featuring the Red Stag grill, its own art gallery and too many amenities to list. Tally-ho!
• 2. Princess Anne Hotel 301 E. Chestnut St., Asheville, 258-0986
• 3. Black Walnut Bed & Breakfast 288 Montford Ave., Asheville, 254-3878
• 3. The 1889 WhiteGate Inn & Cottage 173 E. Chestnut St., Asheville, 253-2553

Local eyesore

• 1. BB&T building in downtown Asheville So it's a bit, um, rectangular. And that shade of brown is oh-so-1965. But the BB&T (originally the Northwestern Bank) builders were looking ahead: An early ad for the 18-story structure says "Proof of our confidence in Asheville's great future."
• 1. Staples on Merrimon Avenue
If only the BB&T building could have decorative plants winding up its sides, such as the ones Staples eventually added to its boxy Merrimon Avenue structure.
• 2. Pack Square construction
• 3. Graffiti

Local politician

• 1. Terry Bellamy This year marks Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy's induction into the Best of WNC Hall of Fame. In fact, she's won best "Local Politician" every year since her inauguration. In our world full of polarizing politics and back-and-forth screaming, that's quite an accomplishment.
• 2. Carl Mumpower
• 3. Gordon Smith

Local villain

• 1. Carl Mumpower Apparently the nontraditional politicking (showing up at jamband concerts to look for drugs, calling the I.C.E. about illegal immigrants allegedly working at a local plant) isn't paying off in widespread goodwill for the self-titled "mountain maverick" (who did, we should mention, finish as the second-best local politician). Can't a Council member just say no to envirojackers and socialists (and, um, marijuana) these days? Yeesh.
• 2. Stewart Coleman
• 3. Bobby Medford

Local music festival

• 1. Bele Chere www.belecherefestival.com The oldest and biggest is this year's best, and it's no wonder: When Bele Chere takes over downtown, the music, art and fun are inescapable.
• 2. Lake Eden Arts Festival www.theleaf.com
• 3. Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival www.lexfestasheville.com

Local nonmusic festival

• 1. Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival www.lexfestasheville.com Man with birdcage on head? Yes. Fire-dancers and bike jousters? Check. Three stages of all-local music, plus costumed revelers, songwriter jam sessions, delicious street food and eclectic mayhem of all sorts? That would be LAAFF.
• 2. Bele Chere www.belecherefestival.com
• 3. Brewgrass www.brewgrassfestival.com

Bumper sticker

• 1. Keep Asheville Weird Our town has long been a bastion of quirkiness, and Xpress readers aim to strengthen the fort. The freak flags are flying overhead; long may they wave.
• 2. Don't Move Here
• 2. We Still Lay
• 3. Local Food: Thousands of Miles Fresher

Unsung hero

• 1. Teachers at large Remember a teacher who sparked your attention, changed the way you thought, showed you something new that stuck with you? Or just maybe you have one now. Maybe it's time to drop a note and let them know how important they are — let's remedy the "unsung" part of the award here.
• 2. Tom Godleski (teacher's assistant at Claxton Elementary School)
• 2. Cecil Bothwell
• 3. Jenny Bowen

Reason to live in Asheville

• 1. Mountains Whether you hike up 'em, bike on 'em, camp in 'em or just look at 'em, it's hard to deny the beauty and serene power of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• 2. People/Diversity
• 3. Beauty

Reason to leave Asheville

• 1. Lack of jobs Yes, it's true: Lack of jobs has often been a problem here, and a grueling recession hasn't made things any easier. But townies are getting creative with busking, craft-making and the ever-popular holding-down-of-three-or-more-retail-and-food-service jobs at a time.
• 2. Cost of living
• 3. Tourists

Local do-gooder group

• 1. MANNA FoodBank 623 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville, 299-3663 Since starting in the basement of Eliada Homes in 1982, MANNA has become a community stronghold. In the midst of a wrenching recession, MANNA has worked even harder to provide food for Western North Carolina's hungry. A $10 donation can provide food for 25 meals, according to the nonprofit's Web site. And if you're looking to be extra sure your charitable giving is being wisely spent, the agency includes links to its tax records.
• 2. RiverLink 170 Lyman St., Asheville, 252-8474
• 3. Asheville GreenWorks 357 Depot St., Asheville, 254-1776

Neighborhood

• 1. West Asheville West Ashevillians are fierce lovers of their land, from its bars to its bike shop to its bakery to its breakfast joints. Nabes get together for potlucks, crafty street fairs, tailgate markets and even parking-lot rockabilly festivals. Montford? Who can afford it? These days, Xpress readers say West is best.
• 2. Montford
• 3. North Asheville

Place to get your car towed

• 1. Downtown Asheville Often you see them, circling the block, lurking for unsuspecting tourists unfamiliar with the ironclad rules of many a downtown parking lot. Earlier this year, one towing company got in trouble for dragging off cars that had already paid to park. The lesson? Read the signs, use the city garages, and when in doubt, don't assume your car will be there upon return.
• 2. Parking lot adjacent to 144 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville
• 3. Lexington Avenue (Lexington Village Lot)

Thing you'd like to see local government do

• 1. Bike lanes For all its progressive ways, Asheville hasn't made great strides toward bike lanes. In fact, it can be a positively frightening town for cyclists. Our climate is changing, and our dependency on foreign oil is causing a lot of problems. Plus, it's just plain fun and healthy to ride a bike. Xpress readers are asking: Could we please get with the program on making it safe to cycle?
• 2. Sidewalks
• 3. Finish Pack Square construction
• 3. Clean up the city

Thing downtown Asheville needs

• 1. More parking
Excuse me folks, but this one's a baffler. With three city garages offering the first hour free and a number of side streets that are barely utilized, do we need more downtown parking more than we need, oh, a renovated Civic Center? Though 'tis not my job to question the good voters of the poll, as someone who works downtown, this editor harbors a not-so-secret desire to close the whole area to most types of traffic and run a shuttle around. Closet socialist, you say? Closet, no more.
• 2. Bike lanes
• 3. More green space