The Elite Eight match-ups continue right now with a contest between reigning Curbed Cup champion Kirkwood and tournament newcomer Adair Park. Last year, Kirkwood was a dark horse No. 10 seed and charged to victory on the backs of giants like Midtown and Inman Park. Could a Southwest Atlanta scrapper like Adair Park chart a similar course to glory this year? We shall see. This week, we're featuring two match-ups apiece on Monday and Tuesday — with the polls left open for 24 hours — and by Wednesday, only four contenders will remain. Now, let the eliminations continue!
(6) KIRKWOOD:
In what was probably last week's most heated competition, Kirkwood eked past Ormewood Park, capturing just 120 more votes of the nearly 3,600 cast. That contest also saw this year's first claims of "voting bots" and general tournament corruption — talk that usually surfaces with the very first matchup. But Kirkwood didn't get to be Curbed Cup champion without a sizable cache of old-fashioned neighborhood pride — and the ability to mobilize voters. With a blossoming downtown village, growing roster of restaurants and rapidly expanding inventory of new and renovated homes that non-doctors can afford, Kirkwood's pride could be justified.
(14) ADAIR PARK:
With 51 percent of votes, Adair Park ousted Chamblee in a first-round photo finish. That's a little surprising, given the outpouring of nominations for Chamblee prior to the tournament. But it's tough to keep down a neighborhood with Beltline wind in its sails. Along with Southwest Atlanta brethren West End, Adair Park is making its Curbed Cup debut, and so far, so good. This historical neighborhood has seen its ups and downs, but 2014 was huge from an exposure standpoint. Local media spotlighted the 'hood's charm and affordability, and a groundbreaking for the Beltline's Westside Trail was actually held in Adair Park, offering a "before" glimpse to city dignitaries that could be a starkly different "after" soon.
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