On a weekend sojourn to lovely Portland we came upon a few structures that looked eerily similar. Well, three newish buildings in Downtown's South Park—Evo, Luma, and Elleven—were developed by The South Group, a partnership of two companies that helped turn Portland's Pearl District from an abandoned factory wasteland into a gorgeous, retail-laden neighborhood that makes Santa Monica look like a no-man's land. While we prefer Portland's older brick and mortar buildings, these newer mixed-use structures aren't half-bad: no asshats for miles. You may all know about how Portland's streetcars helped change the fortunes of the Pearl over 10 years ago, and now LA is trying to get a street car line to traverse its own downtown. But, according to a letter to the editor in the Downtown News, our streetcar plans are all kinds of wrong-headed, including the idea to run the cars in the middle of the street, rather than curbside. Anyway, click on these photos and play our fun "Portland or South Park" game. Most are dead giveaways, but whatever. Answers at the bottom. [Some LA photos by La Citta Vita and Renegade of Funk both via Flickr]
· The South Group [Official Site]
· Letters [Downtown News, click on current issue]
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