Scottsdale Has Vegas Syndrome

Old Town Scottsdale recently turned 60, in it's history Old Town as we like to call it here has evolved into something of a nemesis from what it once was. Of course it depends on who you ask, I think the majority of long time residents, the ones who live here pay their taxes and are concerned about the integrity of the community would agree.It was and still remains for the most part a hub for tourists with it's kitchy shops and well heeled eateries. It is a shopping mecca with the advent of places like Fashion Square and the Canal shops and a trendy paradise of silicone where everything is bejeweled and ignorance is bliss. Having owned a business in Old Town for the past 15 years and as a past resident I have saw first hand these changes taking place. The high rises don't bother me, I think they did a beautiful job on Scottsdale Rd. & Camelback as a whole, and the canal shops married together with the Soleri bridge makes for a real destination place with plenty of good places to eat and spend. As a matter of fact Old Town is full of good spots to eat, the Italian Grotto, Olive & Ivy, Eddie's House, Cowboy Ciao among others all help to make Old Town a real destination spot for fine dining as more and more up and coming chefs moved into the neighborhood offering up every type of cuisine one can think of. Then theres the seedy side, the side you see as the sun goes down and it becomes like hedonism two. It wasn't always this way, Old Town has for years been a place where galleries flourish and the art walks certainly have their own fan club, as a matter of fact the downtown arts scene is vibrant and alive and Scottsdale Public Art has been successful in making things happen, of course the crowning achievement being the Soleri Bridge and the Scottsdale Museum of Modern Art, this coupled with the civic center helps breath life into the city and it is this art scene that brings out its uniqueness. If they would have only saved the Safari Hotel... The last time I took my kids down there for pizza I decided that coming down here at night was no longer a place for families,while walking to Oreganos we witnessed a group of college kids picking a fight with a guy(who was with his family) because they made asinine comments about the guys car... The downfall of Old Town has been the countless bars and clubs that have opened up in close proximity to one another that have taken over like gangbusters much to the dismay of residents living in or around the center of it all, in particular South of Camelback Rd. from Stetson to Scottsdale Rd. Take a trip down here at night you will find scores of drunk people, many of whom get behind the wheel as DUI enforcement is a joke in this neck of the woods, neighborhoods filled with trash as the overflow of cars line the streets in and throughout the residential neighborhoods because simply there is no where to park. And now we hear of the monstrosity that will be the new beach club, built right on Scottsdale Rd in the heart of the joke they like to call the "entertainment district" which in reality is just a bunch of overpriced bars and clubs full of 21 yr olds looking to either pick a fight, score a line or get lucky. The have Mill for that don't they? The beach club is a 2 acre 60 million dollar development with a total of 60 parking places. This is a far cry from the "Beverly Hills of Arizona" it's shitty, it's dirty, it's fake, and unfortunately what we see happening is Old Town has just become a place to come to get screwed up, loose your pants, and maybe ride a mechanical bull while you are at it. It could have been so much more..