Phrom Phong Area

Phrom Phong (BTS: Phrom Phong) is a great area of Bangkok to hang out.

Here are some of my picks in the area:

Food

Bourbon Street


Sukhumvit Soi 22, in Washington Square
The best home cookin' in Bangkok, hands down. Everything has been fantastic here: gumbo, crawfish, brisket, pizza, breakfast... Okay, so let me tell you about something called "Mexican Buffet Night." Every Tuesday you can go to Bourbon Street for an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet (About 300 baht). The food isn't excessively authentic, but it hits the spot when you get your cravings for Mexican.

Coyote
Sukhumvit Road, near soi 33

This is a huge ex-pat hang out on Thursday nights for ladies night.

The Londoner
Sukhumvit Road, at soi 33

The Londoner is a place where you can eat some good hearty pies or pasta while watching a live football (soccer) match. It's actually in the basement of a building- don't miss it!

The Dubliner
Sukhumvit Road, between soi 24 and soi 22

The Dubliner serves a mean Irish breakfast all day long. They also have great Irish pies.

Attractions

Emporium Shopping Mall
BTS: Phrom Phong, sky walk to mall

Emporium is a collection of high-end stores, great eateries and a cutting-edge movie theatre.

Queen Sirikit Park

This small but beautiful park is home to picnickers, joggers, and families. There's a fountain show at night, but it's not much to write home about.


Flower Street Vendor
BTS Phrom Phong

On Sukhumvit Road, across the street from Emporium, is a great selection of fresh flowers. You can get a bouquet for as little as 25 baht (less than a dollar). It takes up a big portion of the block- it'll be hard to miss.

Thai Snack Vendors

Thailand is famous for snacking, which is why there are vendors lining every major road in Bangkok.

Diced fruit on the go?
Pork satay on the go?
Roasted bananas on the go?

It can ALL be located in this food-loving city. A word of advice: It's all cheap, so give everything a try!

Here are some of the snacks/vendors you might encounter...

Roasted Bananas


Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice from Mr. Orange


Belgium Waffles


Spring Rolls

Safety

How safe will you be living in Bangkok? It's a massive city in an area you've probably never visited. Of course you're going to be nervous about safety.

Here are the key points:
1. There is crime, but most crime happens in touristy areas and is typically petty crime- like pick pocketing or purse snatching.
2. There has been and will continue to be (for the foreseeable future) political unrest. The unrest is not geared toward tourists. When they plan rallies, the media relays the information (date, place, number of people) days in advance. If you register with the US Embassy (highly, highly recommended), they will send out e-mails warning you of future protests. They are peaceful rallies, but should be avoided anyways. It's a big city, go somewhere different.

But that being said...
Bangkok has one of the lowest crime rates for a major international city. In my 10 months here, I've never felt threatened, scared or unsafe. Bangkok is a very pleasant city. But even so, use common sense like you would in any other world city. Don't walk alone on the street at night, lock your door... the basics.

Here are some English media sites to bookmark:
The Bangkok Post
http://bangkokpost.com/
The Nation
www.nationmultimedia.com

Register with the US Embassy

Shopping

Here are some of the best shopping spots in Bangkok

Emporium
BTS: Phrom Phong

Emporium has a collection of high-end stores like Hermes and Chanel, a movie theatre, grocery store and a great selection of eateries.


Paragon, Siam Discovery, Siam Center
BTS: Siam

These three malls are all within a 10 minute walk from each other. Paragon is known as "the pride of Bangkok," for its high-end fashion, aquarium named Ocean World, and car showrooms- including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. Siam Discovery and Siam Center are just other beautiful Bangkok malls.


Central World
BTS: Chit Lom

Central World is a somewhat affordable mall for a teacher's salary. Their department store has very reasonable prices, many sizes (unlike street clothes) and frequent sales.


Siam Square
BTS: Siam

Siam Square is across the street from Paragon. It has inexpensive and fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories.
My favorite shop "Kini I Ri Ma Shi Ta" is on Siam Square soi 3.


Chatuchak Weekend Market
BTS: Mo Chit

This 35-acre weekend market sells fashionable clothes, antiques, artwork, pets and souvenirs.

MBK
BTS: National Stadium

MBK is a massive indoor market- styled mall with kiosks for clothes, new and used electronics, souvenirs and more.


Platinum
BTS: Phaya Thai

This market-style mall contains kiosks selling the same things over and over, except a few kiosks. It's like going through a thrift store- you'll find something good every once in awhile.

Pantip Plaza
BTS: Phaya Thai

This market-style mall contains kiosks selling DVDs and electronics of all kinds. It's like Best Buy, but way better.