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KL's
hotspot never loses charm
BUKIT
BINTANG has long been the hip and happening spot in Kuala
Lumpur.
City
folk flock to the area after sundown primarily in search
of pleasure and entertainment.
There
were lots to keep them busy in the old days: two theatres,
the Cathay and the Pavillion, rows of restaurants and shops
and of course, BB Park, a 0.4ha amusement park for patrons
to dance the night away.
"It
was the only place for us to enjoy ourselves back then,''
said Foong Yin Yee, 63, who fondly recalls numerous trips
with friends to BB Park, where she also celebrated her wedding
dinner.
Bukit
Bintang is also close to famous landmarks such as Stadium
Merdeka, Stadium Negara and what used to be the Pudu Jail.
The
country's earliest and oldest schools: Victoria Institution
(founded in 1893), St John's Institution (1906) and the
former Bukit Bintang Girls' School (1893) are within a 5km
radius of the area. The city's first luxury hotel, the Federal
Hotel, still stands along Jalan Bukit Bintang. BB Park has
also enjoyed a new lease of life. In 1998, the Low Yat Group
opened the park again as an outdoor food, arts, crafts and
cultural centre.
It will
be relaunched again once a RM7mil project is completed which
will turn it into a huge semi-enclosed canopied food and
shopping plaza.
One
side of Bukit Bintang near Jalan Raja Chulan is quiet and
refined. Exclusive apartments, condominiums and bungalows
dot the hilly area of Jalan Bukit Ceylon along with office
blocks.
And
on the other end, lies a boisterous Bukit Bintang. Developed
into KL's Golden Triangle and a shopping haven, the area
has a profusion of expensive shops, fine dining restaurants,
luxurious hotels and sophisticated nightlife.
Here
is where The Ritz-Carlton, J.W. Marriott, Shangri-La and
The Regent stand alongside Sungai Wang Plaza, Lot 10, Star
Hill Shopping Centre and KL Plaza.
The
sidewalk cafe culture has also been embraced with the setting
up of Bintang Walk.
As you
walk further down Jalan Bukit Bintang towards Pudu, a darker
side of the area looms. A row of low-budget lodging houses
facing Jalan Imbi remains shut all day while its poorly-lit
backlane is lined with prostitutes.
Jalan
Alor is as famous for its hawker stalls as it is infamous
for its "ladies of easy virtue''. Whichever way you look
at Bukit Bintang, the area still beckons with its promise
of pleasure, be it food, fun or entertainment.
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