maybe it is just me, but i have a hard time believing award exclamations, or polls, or lists in magazines that say this album or this place or this artist was the "best" or "worst" of the year. what is the real reason the club wins? there is no explanation given at all? what does it have, what does it offer that every other club in the entire united states does not? the fact that it is in dc? or is it like american idol, where people just cast votes because of local influenced opinion or some "brand name = great." don't get me wrong, i love the 930 club. they get acts that other venues will not bother with at prices that are usually great. but the best in the entire nation? do the people who nominate and vote on these choices visit every single nightclub in every town of every state to judge the differences? there aren't even any reasons given why it is so great. no offence seth, but i went to The National in richmond, and in my opinion, it was just like 930. a great club with more bars, better sight lines, newer, catering to the crowd more than 930 (they have an outside patio area for smokers that has it's own bar), and in a better neighborhood surrounded by restaurants, hotels, and stores. but i guess because it is in richmond and not a "major on the map" city like dc it does not count. perhaps 930 is the best in the u.s. . . . but for some reason i feel it wins years after year only because of the name, like a new cbgb's, where the image of place is more important than the place itself. you may begin hurling bricks now.