I don't get Old Town. Bulldoze that turd and create a real riverfront (San Francisco: house, theater)

[wburg]

Very nice!

[caligirlz]

Originally Posted by wburg

Problem is, the only solution I hear is "bulldoze it!" and they don't seem to notice any of the riverfront we have besides the 1000 or so feet of Old Sacramento. I can only assume that they prefer the bulldozed part, and just want to sabotage the city by destroying a part of it that people not from Sacramento actually like to visit. Or they just hate old buildings. Obviously if you live way out in the sticks you're not going to find yourself in Old Sacramento that often. And if you're not into festivals, then Old Sacramento isn't for you....or Midtown/Downtown for that matter. Or Old Folsom or Old Roseville, or Old Auburn or Old Placerville, either. They seem to have quite a few festivals.

I don't think the solution is to bulldoze it. Revitalize it, yes.
I haven't lived in the suburbs the whole time I've lived here. I used to be much closer but that really didn't increase my visits. I do love history, just not into cheesy touristy. I think there are plenty of other things to do in the other places you mentioned besides festivals. But then again, they aren't weekly/monthly trips for me either. There are plenty of things to do in the Sacramento region which don't even involve any of these areas.

[wburg]

Which is why I don't get people so obsessed about that six-block area, as though 30 acres of Old Sacramento was somehow stopping a secret batch of skyscrapers from busting out of the ground. It's a small area, a remnant of what once was, in the same way that other big cities' "historic core" areas are primarily tourist experiences rather than someplace where locals hang out.

[Deezus]

I went to Old Sacramento a ton of times growing up and my memories were always that it had a nice historic set of buildings but the shops were incredibly corny tourist places(even as a young teenager). I think the last times I went back was just visit the railroad museum with elderly relatives.

Isn't though the real issue with Sacremento's waterfront more so that you have I-5 blocking off downtown from it(and taking up a lot of the direct space near the river).

[wburg]

True enough--it is Interstate 5 that blocked off the riverfront, and originally it was intended to follow Front Street all the way through. A "compromise" in the early 1960s resulted in I-5 and nearby redevelopment projects only destroying 75% of the "Labor Market" area, instead of 100%. Apparently for some folks that was not sufficient, and they won't be happy until the other 25% is demolished. There are still a lot of corny tourist places, for the simple reason that tourists love corny tourist places, whether they're on Hollywood and Vine, the San Francisco embarcadero, or Front Street in Old Sacramento. Angelenos don't go to Hollywood Boulevard to buy T-shirts.

Another reason why Sacramentans tend to feel detached from Old Sacramento is its lack of residents. There are two apartment buildings and one condo building in Old Sacramento now, but even that is comparatively recent (the Clarendon dates from the 1980s, Mechanics Exchange and the Orleans from the 2000s) and there isn't much other housing anywhere nearby. Compare this to Midtown, where thousands of people live, and even trolls like the OP admit is a lot more fun to visit, despite the fact that Midtown consists mostly of historic architecture not that much newer than that in Old Sacramento. In addition to being a destination, it's also a neighborhood, and people feel more comfortable visiting a neighborhood than a place where they don't get a sense that people live.

[dajebriza]

I lived in Sac for 3 years while I attended Sac State and have lived many different places since, all over the U.S. and world. I do have to agree that Sac's old town riverfront area is just blah by comparrison to many other city examples I have seen that are done right. I wouldn't say it is bad, or should be torn down, but it does strike me as below average, a bit run down looking and certainly nothing to rave about. There definitely is significant room for improvement and it would be great to see a major renovation to that area.

[timtemtym]

Old Towns don't always work out. San Diego's is pretty cool, LA's Olvera street seems to be doing well, but both have history centers and make a big deal out of it.

San Antonio's river walk used to be similar, but in the 90's all the giant chain restaurants moved in and closed out the old places. Now you go down there and stroll the river to eat in a restaurant that is probably located within a few miles of your home in a parking lot shopping center. And now they are doubling the size of it.

[anderscl]

I'm optimistic that Old Sacramento will probably improve as West Sacramento develops their side of the Tower Bridge and the Arena hopefully attracts more people on the downtown side. I would think the best scenario for Old Sacramento would to simply have a more attractive river front area in general--not just in Old Sacramento. I routinely run along the Sacramento River north out of Old Sacramento and while I appreciate having the bike trail, it's not "nice" by comparison to some other cities. However, I know, for example, that the city has (or had?) plans to develop a park near the dragonfly-esque water intake facility, in that grassy area nearby. No idea where they are in that project, but things like that will help make the riverfront more attractive for visitors. I think the increase in visitors and a slightly better looking riverfront would probably help foster a bit more vibrant Old Sacramento.

I would agree that having I-5 run where it did obviously limited the options for the riverfront. It's actually surprising how nice it is given the noisy freeway right there.

[wburg]

There is a park next to the dragonfly-shaped water intake--Matsui Park. The building alongside it is planned to become a science museum (the Powerhouse Science Center), but the private foundation behind it is still gathering funds. Now that there is a new owner in the Railyards, we'll see what they decide to do with the property--the plans for the Railroad Technology Museum are still in place, which would expand the Railroad Museum into the Shops buildings. South of Old Sacramento, the toxic remediation they just finished in the Docks will hopefully be followed by the development planned for that end of town.

We'll see what happens on the West Sacramento side, but the other planned project to put back the streetcar line between Sacramento and West Sacramento will be an important component. Downtown Sacramento can effectively be West Sacramento's "downtown" too, but not if West Sacramentans have to drive to get here. Folks living close to the river can easily walk downtown to enjoy Old Sacramento or Downtown, but as the streetcar runs farther into Old Sacramento it becomes more useful to those not directly on the river, and also helps connect the residential neighborhoods of Midtown to West Sacramento by the same line--the same way we used to be connected 100 years ago!

[Chimérique]

So just spent the last few days near OLD Sacramento, staying at the Embassy Suites Hotel for a wedding party.

We decided to give OLD SAC another try with a fresh objective look.

I took notice of the architecture and buildings: interesting, pleasing, beautiful; loved the whole 1800's restored look, building were lit at night makes them even more beautiful and enjoyable.

Evangeline's can't be beat. So much fun. A costume shop since 1974.

Chef's Olive Oil Mix: A shop that has olive oil tastings. Friendly and Fun. Olives grown in Sacramento Valley.

Fanny Ann's Saloon: Real old-fashion Saloon since 1973. Fun place!

We really enjoyed our visit!