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| - In one word: overrated. In many words...
It's a tourist trap. It's a plastic version of the Old West. It is one of the few places in the Valley in which you can go bar-hopping... but like anywhere else in this swollen suburb you still have to drive to get there. And on that note, don't bet on light rail service reaching this area anytime soon. The mayor argued a light rail line running through Old Town would ruin the look of the area. Forget the fact that two streets-- one to the east and one to the west-- branch off from Scottsdale Road, run alongside Old Town, then merge back to the main drag, they say it will spoil the look. I guess asphalt roads, traffic lights and a parking garage in the middle of the city were staples in late-19th Century Western towns though. But, I digress. It has amenities and street life Downtown Phoenix can't seem to attract, but most cater to tourists. Like pretty much everywhere else in the Valley, you'll be hard-pressed to find unique street life and quirky, bohemian elements of it. Scottsdale Fashion Square is nearby, as it wouldn't flourish anywhere else in the Valley without out-of-town money flowing in, thanks to an abundance of low-paying jobs in the Phoenix area.
A favorite haunt of 20K-millionaires and tourists, Old Town is a hilariously false representation of metro Phoenix. About as authentic to the Old West as Howdy Doody, if you're out for a pioneer-days pastiche you'll find it here.
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