Despite our dislike of many things and many people, one thing we do not dislike is The Grove. We hate the traffic it generates, think the fountain show is dumb, and all the people who make every movie sell out are the suck, but otherwise it's a fantastic place. Joe Dungan pens an amazingly spot-on assesment of The Grove and developer Rick Caruso in an article from The Simon.
There is a double-decker electric trolley that runs the length of the mall. I’m still not sure why, but it’s a nice touch -- like cell phones that take pictures. The décor is contemporary with neither that cheap ticky-tack feeling that developers love nor the art nouveau horseshit that everybody hates. The streets are unusually clean and the foliage is well manicured. At risk of insulting the place, it’s vaguely reminiscent of Main Street at Disneyland. And maybe I’m just imagining it, but on windy days, the wind doesn’t blow in The Grove. And it’s an open-air mall.
This wouldn’t be Los Angeles if there weren’t something to make fun of, however, and Christmas at The Grove provides an extra dash of unintentional cheer. Twice a night during Christmas season at The Grove, it sort of snows. At 7:00 and again at 8:00, the chimes ring, announcing to all that the snow will begin -- in seven or eight minutes. (Nothing in Los Angeles starts on time.) Then "Let It Snow" comes on over the outdoor speakers. Machines all over the mall rev up simultaneously and shower the assembled with… bubbles.
We also learn that The Grove's Christmas tree is taller than the one in Rockefeller Center. That's cool, too.
· Welcome to The Grove: An Oasis in the City [The Simon]
· Curbed LA Goes to The Grove For Caruso [Curbed LA]