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Good Grove/Bad Grove: Fountain Edition
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Quick. You're designing a public space. You need a focal point, something fun and attention-getting to slap down in the center to take people's attention away from the fact that the entire purpose of your space is to squeeze money out of them. So what's it gonna be?
Did you say fountain?
Well, congratulations. You're boring. The good news is you may qualify for a position at the Grove. If you also have the bright idea to play cheesy songs like "That's Amore" during periodic water shows, then you're hired! We here at LAist love a good fountain as much as the next blog, the operative word being "good". The Trevi fountain is tops with us. Fountain Avenue, fountain pens, we love 'em. But the fountain at the Grove, while certainly pretty, just doesn't possess quite the same imagination as the rest of the Grove. The trolley, for example, may be silly, but silly trumps blah any day.
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Watching a few jets of water slosh around to bad classical music is the equivalent of watching synchronized swimming without the people. And it's the kind of kitsch that belongs in Vegas, probably the only place in the world where tacky is synonymous with hip. In LA, tacky is just tacky. The rest of the man-made pond at the Grove is beautifully designed, and it would've been a charming oasis if not for the tourist-baiting, lowest-common-denominator squirt show at the center. Sorry, fountain, but you're part of the Bad Grove.
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