Upper Penang Road

Up till the early eighties, the northern 
seaward portion of Penang Road was better known to folks as the place to get some of the best bakery in town. The section of the road was home to Cold Storage, a food and pastry store with a distinctive signboard.

The store is no longer around, but its engraved name still remains on the old building, now shabby and discoloured. Today, the rather 
dilapidated building, lodged under the shadows of several modern high-rise structures, houses an Indian Muslim hawker has scrawled its front wall in paint with the unlikely name 'Hameed 
Sup'

All around the building, Penang Road looks a stellar leap away from the bakery and sundry environment of decades ago.The streets are lighted up with flashing hues and revelers swing around in the numerous pubs and nightclubs in the precinct.

How times have changed. Penang Road is fast becoming chic.

This northern portion of the lengthy historic road is now the centre of a trendy precinct dubbed 'Upper Penang Road', comprising upscale restaurants, karaoke joints, bars, discotheques, pubs, and vogue boutique and antique shops.

Hollywood has its Rodeo Drive, Kuala Lumpur its Bintang Walk, and Perth has Northbridge. Penang is now starting to develop an a la mode precinct where locals and outsiders alike can have their entertainment, dining and shopping.

Eric Lim, a director of the relatively new Cititel Hotel here, is a chief mover of the precinct's new image. He is currently chairing the pro-tem committee of the Upper Penang Road Promotional Council, comprising various commercial establishments in the area. 

"The idea is not to imitate Bintang Walk or 
Rodeo Drive, but to help develop this area within a local context," he says. "People can realise it is pleasant to come here." 

The precinct does have its own unique home-grown charm, most notably the historic architecture and streetscape. Most of the establishments are housed in heritage buildings cleverly restored to provide an appealing ambience, without being inimical, for merry-makers.
And then there are the trishaws on the roads, and the teh-tarik and nasi kandar stalls lying just a stone's throw away from sweaty joints selling pina coladas, margaritas and slings. A feeling of the old and the nouveau complementing each other in true Penang fashion.

One can actually take a 'club crawl' along the precinct; walk past major outlets in the area, starting, say, from the newly renovated Mansion, an early 20th century Italian-style building that houses the trendy '32' restaurant. Walk east along Farquhar Street past the historic Eastern & Oriental Hotel, the Garage with its host of antique and boutique outlets, and new entertainment outlets such as the throbbing 'Lush' and 'Club 10' pub and bistro.

Source http://www.penang-vacations.com/penang-road.html