So you don't have to read the entire piece, here is Curbed's summary of the LA Times' piece on The Grove and Rick Caruso:
The Grove is a Disney-fied weird, fake retail environment. No, actually it's really pretty. The Grove brings people--all kinds of people--together. But in an artificial way. Happy families come to the Grove because it's the new town square. No, they come to the Grove because they have nowhere else to go. You can even jog at the Grove. You can't do that on 3rd St. The Grove is actually quite genius. So is Caruso. Even if he built an ugly theme park. If you pretend to like the Grove, you actually might. The Grove is the future. Take the blue pill.
· A Man of the Street [LA Times]