Street of Shame

[gobbledonk]

I dont know about anyone else here, but I cant afford to shop at Emporium every day, even on holidays : I'm sure there are middle-class Thais in the same situation. That lower Suk area is a beacon for 'Ye Olde Bargain Hunter' : as much as I despise the stalls and the crowds, I recognise that its not the same as Emporium/Paragon and I hope it remains a part of the Suk panorama. The stallholders bring the food sellers (and a few undesirables, granted), but its a lot closer to the Thailand I saw in the provinces than the Thailand the developers want to see. If you want upmarket shopping madness, Air Asia will drop you in KL for a pittance.

 

For me, my favourite section of pavement is the walk from Washington Square to Emporium : no stallholders, wide (and surprisingly well kept) footpath and usually very few people. Chuvit Garden, slackjawed Thais staring at the Farang from crowded buses : its great. The other side of Emporium is a more boring experience, for mine, although I'm sure those with high-rise condos in that part of the world would disagree with me

[Gadfly]

GB,

 

In my opinion, I think you are safe for now. I just don't see Sukhumvit from Siam Paragon to Emporium turning into one big upscale shopping mall anytime in the near future. I know others may disagree, but I just don't see that happening right now. I personally wish it was otherwise, but right now there is tremendous uncertainty about Thailand for various reasons (some of which we cannot discuss).

 

You make a good point about the Emporium (which could also be made about Siam Paragon). There are wealthy people in Thailand, and wealthy people do visit here, but I don't think there are enough to support an extension of malls from Siam Paragon to Emporium. Plenty of Thais do visit these malls (it's free to visit), but I don't see much buying. If there was such demand, why the delay on the plot in front of the British Embassy? Why the obvious delay, slowdowns or, in some cases, obvious collapse, of so many projects on Sukhumvit?

[exit2dos]

Rome wasn't built in a day. Real estate mavens have patience and often plan on keeping vacant properties for years.

[Gadfly]

Agree. And perhaps years from now there will be super mall stretching from Siam Paragon to Emporium. If so, it will be many years from now and certainly not in the near or foreseeable future.

[exit2dos]

When you play the board game Monopoly, you would buy a property to block another player from buying it, so later, when you had the hotel, you could put it on the space rather than him.

 

A developer may be assembling a site and a rival may buy up a plot right in the middle of his planned project, thus bidding up the plot and delaying the deal.

 

You could call all the property alongside the Skytrain the Gold Coast. Calling those blocks the street of shame is just part of the game. Those news stories don't happen by accident, it's part of a PR campaign by one or another developer.

[Gadfly]

Those news stories don't happen by accident, it's part of a PR campaign by one or another developer.

 

I will assume you are serious. So, you don't think that story was a result of all of the major and negative (IMHO) changes that have, in fact, occurred in this part of Sukhumivt?

 

These changes are fact. I think virtually all members of this board have seen them and many have previously commented on the changes (once again, this board beats the local press, but perhaps that is damning with faint praise?) Indeed, I am surprised that it took so long to see a story in the Bangkok Post about these changes to this part of Sukhumvit.

 

And what about the construction delays, slow downs and flat out collapses up and down Sukhumvit between Siam Paragon and Emporium?

[exit2dos]

PR campaign.

[Gadfly]

OK, what posts here by members of this board confirming and telling their own stories about how the lower sois of Sukhumvit? Are we also part of this PR campaign??

[exit2dos]

OK, what posts here by members of this board confirming and telling their own stories about how the lower sois of Sukhumvit? Are we also part of this PR campaign??

 

I don't get the "Street of Shame" crap you keep writing about. Is this the Evangelical Christian Website to Eliminate Vice From Lower Sukhumvit? I really don't care to read more about how shocking Sukhumvit is. It was shocking 20 years ago and that's one of the reasons I live here. I like it better now because it's more fun.

 

If I wanted to live in a chaste, pious city I'd live in Salt Lake City where there is nothing to do but go to church and listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for excitement.

 

If some crazy guys are walking around calling themselves Somali Pirates, good. Maybe they are. I'm surely not going to Somalia to look at them. Let them come to me.

 

If seeing a guy crawling down the street, masked black widows of Jihadists buying costume jewelry, pretty little country girls looking like rough tough little hookers, trannies who look like Miss Universe and could kick your ass offends you or anyone else, don't go there.

 

Me, I like it. It's Bangkok. There's lots to do here. You don't have to go there. No one cares if you are there or not. It's a big city with lots to do. Get over it.

[chuckwoww]

Great post exit2dos. I've always enjoyed the sleaze and diversity on Suk myself. The only violence I've ever witnessed has been football hooligan types. I admit I haven't been there for a few years so maybe it has got worse. I'll soon find out.

 

One day when there's a beautiful new 24 hour shopping mall from Ploenchit to Ekamai we'll be talking about the good old days of vendors, hookers and weirdos. Hey you could sit on the street with a beer and watch it all!