Which end is up? and Which do I Prefer?

Two shawls on the needles got me thinking about shawl construction today.

The blue shawl, Birch, is a Rowan pattern by Sharon Miller in Rowan KidsilkHaze. Construction starts at the bottom with 299 stitches and it travels north becoming smaller by 10 stitches every 8 rows until you bind off the last 3 stitches together.

The Nature Scene shawl from Knitters Mag. Spring '96 starts at the bottom point with 3 stitches and expands at the top to over 449 stitches. I'm working this one in certified Sea Island cotton - a true light cloud of fluff. It is heavenly to work with unless you have to correct mistakes. It is prone to break if you knit and reknit too much. So far I have had just two such occurrences and am being very careful.

Interestingly both shawls start at the bottom but they differ in that the bottom is the long end for one and the short end for the other. Which way do I prefer? Well lets wait 'till I finish them because I haven't decided yet.