Local attractions we visited.

The Esplanade is not so grand as its name. You walk along the
seawall and look out at the water; on the other side of the wall
is a rocky beach with just a little sandy spot.

At the end of the Esplanade, the World War I memorial is a kind of
grand (in the context of the city) Edwardian monument, rather nice
to look at but - as with many structures in this part of town -,
reminding one of the long British colonial history. After WWII,
they couldn't afford to build another memorial, so this one serves
that purpose as well.

Down the way is Fort Cornwallis (yes, it's named after That
Cornwallis). It's your pretty standard fort, semi-restored, rival
to Wonderfood as greatest rip in town - MYR20, the tourist rate,
double the resident rate, which is high enough. For that price,
you get to wander the fortifications, get a closer look at
the lighthouse at the northeast corner of the property, and
catch a promotional movie or two in the air conditioned
theater. We found a custodian who wanted to practice his
English on us, which was fun for a while, except that he
kept pressing us to let him take our pictures posing with
this or that artifact and giving advice about what to see
on the island. At least he was proud of his hometown and
enthusiastic about living there.

By contrast, the State Museum may be the greatest bargain in
town at MYR1. I've been there three times - the first time,
to learn about the history of Penang, its ethnic and cultural
makeup, and the layout of the city; the second time because
the ground floor has excellent air conditioning; this was the
third. lili seems to have enjoyed it not solely because of
the air conditioning.

Little India. It's very Indian.

Local attractions we didn't visit. Batu Ferrenghi. Penang Hill.