[wburg]

I live in Midtown too (and consider myself a total midtown snob, btw), and admittedly there isn't a whole gargantuan lot of reason for us midtowners to go to Old Sacramento during the day. We've got the historic buildings, trees and walkable places to eat and shop covered already. However, you have to admit that Old Sac is the one part of downtown that (unlike, say, DTP and K Street) actually draws people from the suburbs and other outlying areas, even if they are "rednecks."

And the things that draw me (other than the trains) are generally nightclub/band oriented activities, which have been on the upswing lately. No tacky T-shirts involved, although I do sometimes get the urge to go buy candy cigarettes. I also noticed that a lot of Old Sac retail businesses are staying open until 10:00 PM or thereabouts, an idea that could bear some copying in Midtown.

The idea of removing parking meters and instead having an attendant has merit, although it would increase the physical separation of Old Sac even more because you'd have to pay to get in/out.