I'm not sure if there is a clear winner for second place, but some other high quality article directories include those listed on my blog post: Article Directories List
Any specific reason, why you are looking for just one more article directory?? BTW, I can place 4-5 article directories in second place.
Never go for article submissions, just publish your article on your own website. you will get more juice rather than submitting your articles in article directories for getting cheap bl's.
This is false belief. It works very well with article submissions. After all, Article submission is a way to promote your site and every one has right to promote his site. Forget about duplicate penalties etc. It is only benefit you get from article submissions.
Submitting articles to article directories is one of the best ways for getting traffics and backlinks. It's time tested! To make it more effective, spin your articles and submit it to a few hundred directories.