Old Town Astoria

Link to Larger Map
Old Town Astoria is just what it sounds like - an area of town that was among the first settled. Old Town sees perhaps the greatest concentration of tourists, given its proximity to the boardwalk. Old Town is well-maintained and has a friendly vibe and somewhat of a youth-centric, counter-culture flavor to it.

Old Town is really the center of "celebrity Astoria," those parts of town use in movies and the like. It has a wonderful profusion of Victorian and Queen Anne houses five to ten blocks south of the river, on rising land that overlooks the boardwalks and commercial areas.

Between 2nd & 3rd (not shown on map)

• Columbia House Condos, a set of condos built out in the river on a set of pilings. Several stories tall and quite luxurious, these condos go for between $200,000 and $250,000.

Between 4th & 5th

• The Columbia Inn, a small busy motel in the middle of Old Town.

Between 6th & 7th

• The Hotel Regina has been shut down for about as long as anyone in Astoria can remember. It is a local edifice, with its carved wooden doors and boarded-up windows. Children in Old Town have told one another ghost stories about it for years, and despite its abandonment, no one has ever thought of proposing it be torn down - it is too much of a local landmark for that.
• Desdemona Club, a nightclub and bar, with one of the few live music venues in Old Town.
• Old Town Police Department, the police headquarters for Old Town.

Between 7th & 8th

• County Jail
• George Flavel House, a historical landmark, once owned by a river boat captain who became a millionaire. Now used as a museum.

Between 8th & 9th

• Bus & Trolley Stop, where the Historic Astoria Trolley makes its major stop; it also serves as Old Town's main Greyhound stop.
• Keepsake Tattoos, a piercing and tattooing parlor.
• Astoria Post Office

Between 9th & 10th

• Astoria Holdings, a sardine processing plant. One of the few fish canneries still in operation.
• Red's Beer & Wine, the local all-night liquor store.

Between 10th & 11th

• Sea Star, a combination Internet cafe and tanning salon.
• Astoria Library, the oldest library in Astoria.

Between 12th & 13th

• Wet Dog Cafe, a small greasy-spoon burger place and brew pub that seems a little too run-down to attract many tourists, but a favorite of the locals.
• Columbia Cafe & Voodoo Lounge
• Godfather Bookstore
• Lunar Boy Gallery
• Astoria City Hall

12th Street

On Sundays, from 10am to 3pm in the months between May and October, 12th Street is closed down and hosts a vendor marked with local produce, clothing, jewelry and handicrafts.

Area Stats

• Physical: Access +3, Safety +1. Old Town has plenty of navigable streets, broad sidewalks and a predictable street layout. Though it isn't overtly dangerous, the presence of a wide variety of partying tourists and the accumulation of most of the town's nightspots means that safety isn't always an assurance in Old Town (though it's rarely danger of any kind of true severity).
• Mental: Information +2, Awareness +1. Old Town is definitely part of the information age - many of the coffee shops, brew pubs and hotels maintain WiFi hotspots, and billboards and signage is clear and to the point here. Most people are used to strange faces here, and though they don't generally bother anyone, they do keep an eye out for the things that go on.
• Social: Prestige +1, Stability +3. Though it is considered a tourist trap, Old Town is still a nice place to live, and its locals watch out for one another.
• Sanctum Qualities: Up to Size 3. The buildings of Old Town are divided and sub-divided such that it's impossible to find a truly large Sanctum.