Peggy Sue's 50's Diner

Peggy Sue’s is an original roadside Diner at Yermo, 10 miles north of Barstow, on California Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It was built in 1954 with 9 counter stools and 3 booths. It sits in the shadow of the Calico Mountains and was built from railroad ties and mortar from the nearby Union Pacific Rail yard. It was reopened in 1987 with an attempt to restore and preserve it in its original state. The diner was the perfect place to display the owners extensive collection of movie and TV memorabilia.

If you are driving on I-15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas take a break at Yermo some 10 miles north of Barstow and visit Peggy Sue's 50's diner. Entering the diner is like entering a time warp - everything is 50's .... the decor, the music, the memorabelia, the waitress' uniforms. The food is basic American diner-style food; burgers, fries, chicken, pork chops, biscuits and gravy, old fashioned ice cream, malts, sundaes, floats with a selection of period-style dessert pies.

As you enter the diner you are asked to seat yourself .... "Follow the yellow brick road!" the waitress shouts out .... a yellow line painted on the checkerboard floor leading you to the multiple rooms of the diner. We were lucky to grab a booth in the first small portion of the diner giving us a great view of the original counter and stools.

There are numerous statues around the diner with the Blues Brothers, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and the walls are adorned with an incredible selection of photographs and memorabilia.

There is a pizza restaurant through the back of the diner and they also have a dinosaur theme park and a 5 & dime store to buy numerous unique items. Even the rest rooms are decorated with wonderful wall murals.

This restaurant is extremely authentic and you can almost feel you have been transported back in the 50's era. After driving through the Mojave desert for a few hours this place is a most welcome stopping and resting point - highly recommended.

Retro Garage in Penang

Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia has wonderful collection of heritage style buildings, some which have been renovated and are now used as restaurants or hotels. This wonderful period garage (converted into a night club!) in the centre of the town exhibits a wonderful retro style architecture taking you back to the early days of motoring.

Ye Olde Smokehouse

High up in the Cameron Highlands three hours from Kuala Lumpur by car you can find the Old Smokehouse Hotel. This English mock Tudor design hotel built in 1939 takes you back to those nostalgic colonial days. The restaurant offers a traditional English breakfast and for dinner you can enjoy many of the favourite British dishes. The afternoon tea at the Smokehouse is certainly worth the drive, serving up traditional scones with cream and strawberry jam. Close to the hotel is an 18 hole golf course where you can enjoy a game in the cooler air of the highlands.

Singapore Transformation

Singapore has always been close to my heart as this was the first place I lived when I moved to Asia in 1984. The Singapore River waterfront has changed dramatically since then, from rows of run down godowns to a modern high-rise bustling financial centre. The river front now offers a wonderful variety of local and international restaurants, bars, night spots as well as museums, galleries and pedestrian walkways or river cruises to take in the views of the city.

The old post office that I remembered back in the early 80's has now magically been renovated into the top class 5-star Fullerton Hotel which commands a strategic location right at the river mouth and offers its visitors a nostalgic flash-back to those earlier colonial days of Singapore.