Half the field has already been eliminated in the Curbed Cup, our annual tournament for the Los Angeles neighborhood of the year. This week we'll have one matchup per day--with the polls left open for 24 hours--and by Friday only four contenders will be left vying for the prestigious fake trophy. Let the eliminations continue!
Quiet little Atwater Village beat out always-actiony Santa Monica in round one, but can it step to the Historic Core? This was a very parks and parking year for the 'hood: the city created the Atwater Village Pedestrian Oriented District, which allows reduced parking along Glendale Boulevard, the North Atwater Park opening signaled the beginning of the LA River's big comeback, the park under the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge broke ground (technically Silver Lake, but we're calling it for Atwater), and even the bridge itself is getting an overhaul. Meanwhile, rents are getting up into the Silver Lake zone, actor Giovanni Ribisi moved in, and there were a handful of trendy restaurant openings.
The Historic Core, the two-time Curbed Cup juggernaut that can't stop gentrifying (A damn Starbucks!), had no trouble destroying Boyle Heights in round one. This year saw the usual glut of adaptive reuse projects, new development, and restaurant openings, but really this was Broadway's year. The street has long been the laggard in the fancifying of the HC, but it's almost hard to believe how action-packed it was this year. The Downtown Streetcar, which will run along the street, is moving ahead; Clifton's Brookdale is getting a hipster rehab; four historic theaters are getting nightlife-friendly makeovers; work is underway at LA's first Ace hotel; Umamicatessen opened; and there's rumormongering about an Urban Outfitters moving into the old Rialto.
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