BMA to develop Soi Thonglor into tourist spot

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Bangkok Governor Wallop Suwandee said Thursday that the city administration would develop Soi Thonglor into a popular tourist spot.

He said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would improve the landscape of the soi and regulate foods shops on the soi and instruct motorcycle taxi stands to put up signs to inform passengers of fares.

-- The Nation 2007-11-02

I wonder how much land he owns on Thonglor...

Been downhill there ever since they built the bridge over the klong...

Every five years "downtown" Bangkok expands another major soi eastwards.

Thonglor is kind of boutique-like already with the J Plaza and the other new hip places.

Ekkamai will be more difficult to change, it's basically a through traffic road. Miss the huge old nursery @ 65, replaced by Big C. But then again, Big C is a welcome addition!

Over the past two years even soi 71 started changing already.

Over the next years you gonna find fancier restaurants, a shopping center or two and nice bars on soi 71.

Next Station, a Wild West styled restaurant, already moved from Thonglor to 71.

Way to expand, Bangkok!

Every five years "downtown" Bangkok expands another major soi eastwards.

Thonglor is kind of boutique-like already with the J Plaza and the other new hip places.

Ekkamai will be more difficult to change, it's basically a through traffic road. Miss the huge old nursery @ 65, replaced by Big C. But then again, Big C is a welcome addition!

Ekamai has already had a nightlife scene for ages - Thonglor kind of came after the fact. But now Ekamai is in full expansion mode again... all of the old shophouses will be gone within a few years. Besides Big C, which surprisingly I never go to but my wife does, there's a Health Land just opened, something I will try out one day, a new bar in the secondhand car lots which was originally a seafood restaurant (I want to know who thought that up, I knew it was a failure from the day I saw it being built) - the bar only just opened a couple of weeks ago and it is jam-packed now. Blog9, I think it's called. Ekko, the furniture market, has also disappeared, with one side now razed and available for lease.

Rent is still reasonable in this area though, if you want space in Bangkok Business Center it's only about 350 baht per square meter - so if Ekamai does become more popular you might want to start looking for available space for investment purposes.

Sadly, we still have the frigging 10-wheelers coming in at 9:30 pm, and the motorcycle racers (flies) racing up the overpass every frigging night. Until they designate the inner ring road out further, Ekamai will never reach any full potential - that's why Thonglor is growing quickly.

Over the past two years even soi 71 started changing already.

Over the next years you gonna find fancier restaurants, a shopping center or two and nice bars on soi 71.

Next Station, a Wild West styled restaurant, already moved from Thonglor to 71.

Way to expand, Bangkok!

Will have to see about 71. It is also a major nuisance street, no thanks to the junction with Petchburi where it becomes Ramkhamhaeng Road.

I'm sure tourists will flock to Thonglor to see the abandoned buildings and polluted canal.

bad idea... i like thonglor because it is not as touristic as suk. take for example bombay bar and song salueng to name a few, can you imagine farangs flocking in these bars? please do not convert this nice little soi to a bigger version of soi cowboy and nana.

BMA to develop Soi Thonglor into tourist spot

He said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would improve the landscape of the soi and regulate foods shops on the soi and instruct motorcycle taxi stands to put up signs to inform passengers of fares.

-- The Nation 2007-11-02

Blimey that's really going to pull in crowds of tourists.