Built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920, Marine Drive
runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nariman Point past
Chowpatty Beach to the foot of Malabar Hill. It's one of Mumbai's
most popular promenades and a favourite sunset-watching spot. You
certainly won't be loitering on the sea wall long before you're
engaged in conversation, even if it's with someone offering to show
you how well their monkey can breakdance. The promenade is lined
with decaying Art Deco apartments just begging for a paint
manufacturer to prove what their product can do to brighten up an
area. Tourist brochures are fond of dubbing it the Queen's Necklace,
because of the dramatic curve of its streetlights at night. It's
less spectacular during the day, though there are plans afoot to
beautify the area.
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