Every summer since 1974, Philly Mag’s editorial team has put together its picks for the very best stuff in Philadelphia. And I’m fairly sure that in every one of those 38 years, a breathless meeting has been held to discuss one simple question: Who or what should go on the “Best of Philly” cover?

Last week, Philadelphia magazine published its 36th annual Best of Philly list. It’s a good list because its results were based on numerous professional journalists visiting hundreds of locations, interviewing hundreds of persons, and considering hundreds of categories. This ain’t that list. But this, too, is a good list. And although it is admittedly biased (which is an honest admission since all such lists are biased to some extent), it’s a meritorious list because it’s based on the activist rants—I mean the learned analyses—of a person born, raised, educated, employed, experienced, and civically engaged in Philadelphia. Here we go: Best Tourist Site: The President’s House/Slavery Memorial at Sixth and Market Streets Located next to the Liberty Bell Center, it’s the site of America’s first “White House.” That’s the good news. But the bad news is that it’s also where President George Washington enslaved black men, women and children. It’s a place where white Americans can literally see their ancestors’ creation of the executive branch of the United States government, where black Americans can finally see their ancestors’ courageous role in making that creation possible, and where all Americans can graphically see the best and worst of this country’s history.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In honor of the release of our annual Best of Philly issue (on newsstands now), we've asked Philly Post contributors to name their own personal Bests and Worsts of Philly. Best Local Sports Star: In a city packed with sports stars, Chase Utley shines brightest. He has pushed himself so hard over the years that his body seems to wearing down, but not his heart. When I was putting together a documentary on Alex’s Lemonade Stand I met Andrew Accardi, a little boy with a rare form of cancer and a love of baseball. I called the Phillies and asked if I could bring Andrew onto the field before a game, and they were more than happy to oblige. We were standing by the dugout as the Phillies were taking batting practice and Chase Utley walked over. “Are you Andrew?” he said, “I have something for you.” He handed the little boy a Phillies jersey with “Accardi” on the back. Andrew was in a state of euphoric shock when Utley said, “Hey do you mind if I take a picture with you?” I was taken by how kind and gentle Chase Utley was with the young boy. One of the Phillies front office staff told me, “That’s Chase. He’s like this all of the time.” (Andrew is in remission now and an annual golf outing in his name has raised more than $300,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.)