Yuck.\n(And I'm not one of the people comparing it to how it was in the 70s either - I am a 21 year old college student that thinks it is yuck.)\n\nMill Avenue is not the hype people give it. It is disgusting. It's dirty and grimy (and not just because it's old). There are homeless drug addicts everywhere you turn, that will harrass you if you don't give them change, and scare the crap out of me when I have to walk past. I will NOT walk down Mill after dark alone. \n\nFull of wasted college kids here every weekend night of course, and it is a terrible atmosphere if you're not 21-24 looking to get hammered and lucky.\n\nGood luck finding parking, it's all metered, expensive garages, or free 3 blocks away at Farmer and 5th, but that's usually full of students' cars.\n\nEDIT: No more free parking, ANYWHERE! 5th and Farmer is now \"Permit Only\" until 6 pm. So if you want to get lunch or hit happy hour, you are SOL on parking. Gee, Mill Avenue, guess you really must not be doing well, that you have to take more and more free parking away every few months.\n\nThe stores are all corporate garbage, except for Old Town Books, Hippie Gypsy and a couple independent (at least I think) restaurants/bars. How exactly is a giant PF Changs, Urban Outfitters, and Starbucks conducive to \"local flavor\"? The rent in the area is outrageous, hence why the mom-and-pops can't stay in business.\n\nAnd if I didn't hate Mill Avenue enough, the fact that they had a cute mom-and-pop ice cream sandwich store (Cookiez) and then allowed \"Slickables\", a big honking backed-by-tons-of-money store selling the EXACT SAME PRODUCT with Dreyers ice cream to move in across the street. That was just in poor taste, especially since Cookiez is now out of business.\n\nTake your venture to Old Town Scottsdale instead - way more variety!