And The Winners Are …
You voted. We counted. Now we announce the winners of our 2010 “Family Favorites” Reader Survey . (Read our September issue for a more detailed recap of our readers’ comments – including some additional categories.) Family Favorite Restaurant (Our “Happy Highchair” Award) : Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell Blvd.; hopworksbeer.com ) claimed the top spot, with comments like, “My husband and I actually consider this family outing a ‘date night’ because we get to have uninterrupted conversation while the kiddos play in the kids’ area.” Laurelwood Public House & Brewery (Sandy Blvd., Kearney and NE 40th locations; laurelwoodbrewpub.com ) came in a close second, with reader reviews including, “Sipping on a cold Free Range Red beer with my husband while the kids are off playing in the play area is my mini-vacation.” Coffee Shop : Munchkin Playland (18335 NWWest Union Rd.; munchkinplayland.com ) took top honors this year, barely outpacing Café Sip-n-Play (3000 SE 164th Ave., Vancouver; cafesipnplay.com ), both receiving rave reviews for their children’s play spaces. Toy Store : Piccolo Mondo (4768 SW Bethany Blvd.; piccolomondotoys.com ) moved from third place last year to win the category this year. In addition to great service and selection (amenities all of our top toys stores this year share), Piccolo was praised for their children’s activities, cool toys kids can play with while mom and dad shop, free gift wrap and a game “library” (borrow before you buy). Thinker Toys (7784 SW Capitol Hwy; thinkertoysoregon.com ) finished a strong second and Kids at Heart (3445 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; kidsathearttoys.com ) took third. Ice Cream Parlor : Baskin Robbins (multiple locations; baskinrobbins.com ) claimed the gold in this category for the first time, with Cold Stone Creamery (multiple locations; coldstonecreamery.com ) taking a respectable second. Bliss Bake Shop (4708 NW Bethany Blvd.; blisscupcakeshop.com ) surprised us by taking third place with 16 flavors of Tillamook ice cream. Book Shop : It’s hard to compete with Powell’s (1005 W Burnside and other locations; powells.com ) which, once again, earned the No. 1 slot for its unbeatable selection of new and used books as well as comfortable seating in the kids’ section and the coffee shop. Second and third place winners, Annie Bloom’s (7834 SW Capitol Hwy; annieblooms.com ) and Green Bean Books (1600 NE Alberta St.; greenbeanbookspdx.com ), both were cited for amazing selections of high quality children’s books; Green Bean also was praised for free children’s activities and story times. Kids’ Clothing/Shoe Store : Clogs-n-More (multiple locations; Clogs-n-More Kids, 3435 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; clogsnmore.com ) garnered top honors in this category, with bella stella (2751 and 2635 NE Broadway; bellastellaresale.com ) in second, lauded for reasonably priced new and used items, a play area and super friendly staff. The Hanna Andersson Outlet (7 Monroe Parkway, Lake Oswego; hannaandersson.com ) was mentioned by many readers for great selection at discounted prices. Movie Theater : McMenamin’s Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd; mcmenamins.com ), with their weekly Mama Matinees and comfy couches, narrowly beat out Academy Theater (7818 SE Stark; academytheaterpdx.com ), but the Academy boasts something the Kennedy School does not: onsite babysitting! Children’s Hair Salon : Little Clippers (15082 SW Bangy Rd., Lake Oswego; 10822 SE 82nd Ave., Clackamas; littleclippers.com ) once again reigned supreme, with amenities including cool cars to sit in, DVDs to watch, a play house, hair glitter and more. Outdoor Destination : The Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Rd.; oregonzoo.org ) was the runaway winner again, with our incredible public parks coming in second. Indoor (Rainy Day) Destination : OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.; omsi.edu ) once again topped this category, followed by the Portland Children’s Museum (4015 SW Canyon Rd.; portlandcm.org ). Family Vacation Destination : The Oregon coast took top honors again this year, with Cannon Beach, Newport, Seaside and Manzanita all mentioned numerous times. Sunriver (area: sunriverchamber.com ; resort: sunriver-resort.com ) also was nominated as a nearly ideal family vacation spot. Grocery Store : New Seasons (multiple locations; newseasonsmarket.com ) took top honors for their uber-friendly employees and quality food. Not far behind was Trader Joe’s (multiple locations; traderjoes.com ), with reasonable costs, kid-sized shopping carts and the “hide and seek” game for little ones. Bike Shop : By the passion of the comments, this category probably should go to Clever Cycles (903 SE Hawthorne Blvd.; clevercycles.com ) which was lauded for its myriad family and kid-friendly options, but the Bike Gallery (multiple locations; bikegallery.com ) actually received the most votes – although nary a comment among them. Sunset Cycles (15320 NW Central Drive; sunsetcyclesnw.com ) also received numerous votes for friendly and complete service. To read more about our Family Favorite winners – including those for Birthday Party Place, Children’s Gym, Fitness Center, Yoga Studio and Place to Swim – check out our September issue in print or online .
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And The Winners Are …
