Revitalizing the old downtown by enlarging the sidewalks and remodeling its street is not going to cut it. I have been a Folsom resident for 10 years and have not found anything worth returning there unless I have visitors from outside town interested in a quick drive through.

Aside from a couple of restaurants and bars, the rest of the shops are mainly set to trap tourists. Like many other similar places along Highway 49, it cultivates a Gold Rush look and tries to capitalize on the same real and fake old stuff.

Like Placerville or Auburn, the old town is set for a trip a year and a Kodak moment with some relatives. The last time I ventured there must have been a year ago, maybe more. I picked up my kids after work and directly went out for a pizza.

The place downtown Sutter Street was full and we went for a stroll instead, window watching, literally! Everything was closed and dead!

So much for my town! I have decided to leave it to the tourists, if any. We have so many ways to bypass the bottleneck now.

Eric Chevreuil, Folsom