Arts & Entertainment

Sun., Oct. 29, 2000

Seems there’s still no place like home. The four walls that house your favorite recliner, comfiest couch and well-used TV took top honors among readers for best place for a romantic evening and best late-night hangout.

But that doesn’t mean everybody’s a homebody. Many respondents head to the multiplex, with the new AMC 20 in River Park Square winning the most votes. For sports bars, The Ram beat out the competition as the best spot to catch a game and a beer. And for a slightly more highbrow evening, the Spokane Civic Theatre topped the list of best places to watch a live theater performance.

Nightclub

Tie, 1. Thirsty’s, Kelly’s

Kelly’s Grand Ole Opry in Stateline and Thirsty’s in Spokane tied for best nightclub. You’d be hard-pressed to find two more different nightlife scenes in the area. Kelly’s will inspire even the most timid to boot-scoot boogie with its lineup of top-notch, nationally known country acts and a primo house band. Across the border, Thirsty’s offers bargain drinks and a groovin’ R&B band, A51, on Friday and Saturday nights.

3. Dempsey’s

Honorable mention: Havana’s, The Ram

Sports bar

1. The Ram

2. Players & Spectators

3. Finnerty’s

Honorable mention: Swinging Doors, McQ’s

Place for a romantic evening

1. Home

2. Clinkerdagger

3. Manito Park

Honorable mention: Ankeny’s, Beverly’s

Movie theater

1. AMC 20

Newness also seems to be a factor in the choice for best movie theater, with the AMC 20 at River Park Square leading the pack. The theater, with its plush “love seats” and relatively unobstructed views, opened in August 1999. But the real test comes next year, when the NorthTown 12 which opened last month, too late to inspire reader voting gets thrown into the mix.

2. Spokane Valley 12

3. Newport Cinema

Honorable mention: Garland, Fox

Casino

1. Coeur d’Alene Casino

2. Two Rivers Casino

3. Players & Spectators

Honorable mention: Chewelah

Casino, Silver Lanes

Bowling center

1. Lilac Lanes

The third time’s a charm for Lilac Lanes, voted best bowling center every year of the Reader Review. Manager Bob Ramelow credits the success to the center’s new digs at Nevada and Magnesium, where bowlers have been hurling balls down the 32 lanes since February 1998.

2. Players & Spectators

3. Silver Lanes

Honorable mention: Colonial Bowl, Sunset Bowl

Place to shoot pool

1. McQ’s

2. Players & Spectators

3. The Ram

Honorable mention: Paddy’s, The Onion

Place to watch live theater

1. Spokane Civic Theatre

2. Spokane Opera House

3. The Met

Honorable mention: Interplayers, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater

Public artwork

1. Bloomsday Runners

2. Cheney Cowles Museum

3. Big Red Wagon

Honorable mention: Art On The Green, City Hall

Place to hang out late at night

1. Home

2. Satellite Diner

3. Shari’s

Honorable mention: Denny’s, Mercury Cafe

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