Mumbai!! Awesome things to do in Mumbai
Mumbai!!
Some cities, at the very first instant, can make you feel at home. And, they'll be in your heart forever. I have heard so many stories about Mumbai; few of them nasty and few about the great love for Mumbai..and about how the city shaped that so&so or how the city made him/her what he/she is now. All this stories have made Mumbai an enigma to me that I wanted to experience.
Mumbai! There is some incomprehensible charisma to this city. An aura. The charm of the old colonial buildings, the smell of the sea in the air, the stylish clubs and varied places to eat, contemporary designers with their creations showcased along the glass walls of their chic boutiques and that feeling of I-can-be-anyone-I-want-here ...everything about this city is unbeatable. The city truly has a spirit. And yeah, style ;)
I am simply in love with this city. Did I say city? No! Mumbai is a phenomenon! The city is everything. It is a hundred cities put together at one place and a hundred decades living at the same time!
I dont know if its the language or it is the open armed welcome-ness that I felt or the firendly cab driver we had, I dint feel like a tourist at all! You gotta blend in like a local to feel the city and fall in love.
If you ever plan a trip to Mumbai, make sure you plan it during the weekend so that you can beat the traffic. While one can write a huuuuuge list of things that can be done in Mumbai, here's what and how I did it.
1) Siddhi Vinayak Temple
No, i am not religious. I visited this temple because all the celebrities do and wanted to see what is so special about this. Maybe, cos I started my tour of Mumbai with a visit to the temple, Ganeshji ensured that all the obstacles in the form of traffic were removed :P
On a serious note, the Ganesh idol at this temple is a treat to all the Ganesh lovers.
2) Haji Ali Dargah
The moment I heard Haji Ali Dargah, the song 'Piya Haji Ali' kept echoing in my ears. I was expecting to see some sufi saints sing some nice sufi songs at the dargah. Jokes apart, just like the song and several other sufi songs, the dargah has a real soothing effect. Maybe the sea or maybe whatever. The breeze and the half km long walk to the dargah is something you shouldnt miss.
If you are at the dargah, make sure you have the cheese sandwich at the Haji Ali Juice center near the dargah.
3) Gateway of India
If you are like me and love people watching, find yourself a nice spot, sit down and you can watch people for hours together. All kinds of people.
Or you could simply catch the ferry and go for a ride or visit the Ajanta & Ellora Caves. A must do thing here is to get 2 pictures taken; one with the Gateway of India in the backdrop and the other with The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. My mum n dad have a similar picture and so do my grand parents. I am gonna make it a family tradition. The night view of this hotel is something you shouldnt miss too!
The thing I loved the most about this place is the 100s of pigeons out there. You can feed the pigeons too. I simply loved it doing it and am gonna try this at KBR park this Sunday.
4) Colaba/Colaba Causeway
A walk through Colaba is another experience. Colaba was under Portugese rule and the old buildings reflect their style of architecture. It is a blend of old-princely charm as well as modernity.
Colaba Causeway is a street- shoppers paradise. Colorful bangles, chunky metal jewellery, stylish bags, clothes, books, handicrafts, DVDs, imported good, you name it, you will get it here!
5) Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus/Victoria terminus
This is where the first ever flash mob in India happened. Another gorgeous building! A visual treat for those who love colonial buildings. Insane crowds. We just drove around it.
6) Nairman Point
It is the extreme tip of Marine Drive and one of the costliest rental places in the world and headquarters a lot of premium businesses. You should have chai and sandwiches here and just admire the skyline in front of your eyes. One place where you can just sit in solitude and do some introspections.
7) Worli- Bandra Sea link
A must for long drive lovers. It may not be the longest cable stayed bridge in the world, but it is a definite civil engg beauty. You gotta read about the bridge
8) Marine Drive & Chowpatty
Marine Drive is the entire stretch of C-shaped road along the coast. Its south end is the Nariman Point and the northern end is the Chowpatty beach. You should walk along this road in the evening when it is beautifully lit up. Visit this place after 11 PM when the traffic is not a lot and when you can sit peacefully and enjoy the sound of the waves and the crisp sea breeze.
9) Shopping @ Bandra/Hill Road
A paradise-waiting-to-be-conquered for girls! I was actually lost not knowing where to start and how to start. It is like our General Bazaar but with more shops and more stylish stuff. Femme, Feet & Fantasy. How I wish my battery didn't die out on me and I could capture the glass walls of tiny shops adorned with beautiful shoes in all hues and colors.
Another nice place to shop is Lokhandwala market, though a little costlier than Bandra. This place has a lotttt of stores that sell stylish jewellery, hatke outfits and salwar suits. A lot of small stars hang out here. I bumped into Ganesh Acharya.
10) Mannat, Jalsa & Galaxy
See where the stars live. You can always find people waiting outside Mannat ( King Khan's home) and Jalsa (Amitabh Bachan's home) hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars. There is a guy who sells Chaai right opposite Shah Rukh's home. Have some Chaai. Apparantly, on Sunday evenings at 6:00PM, Big B comes out to say hello to the crowd waiting outside his home..
Galaxy is Salman Khan's residence and our cab driver tells that every Sunday Salman and his brothers play cricket with the street kids around that area and also feed them breakfast. Isnt that sooo cute!
11) Green Chiili Icecream at Bachelorr's, Chowpatty Seaface
This is something you shouldnt miss at any cost! Bachelorr's is a tiny shack of a fast food center near Chowpatty seaface which you can miss by the wink of the eye. They serve amazing icecreams and grilled sandwiches. Their speciality is the Green Chilli icecream. It starts with the sweet divine taste of icecream and within no time there'll be a sudden burning sensation in your throat like you just bit a green chilli...
12) A walk through Ballard Estates, Fort Area
Places to eat/visit:
Some cities, at the very first instant, can make you feel at home. And, they'll be in your heart forever. I have heard so many stories about Mumbai; few of them nasty and few about the great love for Mumbai..and about how the city shaped that so&so or how the city made him/her what he/she is now. All this stories have made Mumbai an enigma to me that I wanted to experience.
Mumbai! There is some incomprehensible charisma to this city. An aura. The charm of the old colonial buildings, the smell of the sea in the air, the stylish clubs and varied places to eat, contemporary designers with their creations showcased along the glass walls of their chic boutiques and that feeling of I-can-be-anyone-I-want-here ...everything about this city is unbeatable. The city truly has a spirit. And yeah, style ;)
I am simply in love with this city. Did I say city? No! Mumbai is a phenomenon! The city is everything. It is a hundred cities put together at one place and a hundred decades living at the same time!
I dont know if its the language or it is the open armed welcome-ness that I felt or the firendly cab driver we had, I dint feel like a tourist at all! You gotta blend in like a local to feel the city and fall in love.
If you ever plan a trip to Mumbai, make sure you plan it during the weekend so that you can beat the traffic. While one can write a huuuuuge list of things that can be done in Mumbai, here's what and how I did it.
1) Siddhi Vinayak Temple
No, i am not religious. I visited this temple because all the celebrities do and wanted to see what is so special about this. Maybe, cos I started my tour of Mumbai with a visit to the temple, Ganeshji ensured that all the obstacles in the form of traffic were removed :P
On a serious note, the Ganesh idol at this temple is a treat to all the Ganesh lovers.
2) Haji Ali Dargah
If you are at the dargah, make sure you have the cheese sandwich at the Haji Ali Juice center near the dargah.
3) Gateway of India
If you are like me and love people watching, find yourself a nice spot, sit down and you can watch people for hours together. All kinds of people.
Or you could simply catch the ferry and go for a ride or visit the Ajanta & Ellora Caves. A must do thing here is to get 2 pictures taken; one with the Gateway of India in the backdrop and the other with The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. My mum n dad have a similar picture and so do my grand parents. I am gonna make it a family tradition. The night view of this hotel is something you shouldnt miss too!
The thing I loved the most about this place is the 100s of pigeons out there. You can feed the pigeons too. I simply loved it doing it and am gonna try this at KBR park this Sunday.
4) Colaba/Colaba Causeway
A walk through Colaba is another experience. Colaba was under Portugese rule and the old buildings reflect their style of architecture. It is a blend of old-princely charm as well as modernity.
Colaba Causeway is a street- shoppers paradise. Colorful bangles, chunky metal jewellery, stylish bags, clothes, books, handicrafts, DVDs, imported good, you name it, you will get it here!
5) Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus/Victoria terminus
This is where the first ever flash mob in India happened. Another gorgeous building! A visual treat for those who love colonial buildings. Insane crowds. We just drove around it.
6) Nairman Point
It is the extreme tip of Marine Drive and one of the costliest rental places in the world and headquarters a lot of premium businesses. You should have chai and sandwiches here and just admire the skyline in front of your eyes. One place where you can just sit in solitude and do some introspections.
7) Worli- Bandra Sea link
A must for long drive lovers. It may not be the longest cable stayed bridge in the world, but it is a definite civil engg beauty. You gotta read about the bridge
8) Marine Drive & Chowpatty
Marine Drive is the entire stretch of C-shaped road along the coast. Its south end is the Nariman Point and the northern end is the Chowpatty beach. You should walk along this road in the evening when it is beautifully lit up. Visit this place after 11 PM when the traffic is not a lot and when you can sit peacefully and enjoy the sound of the waves and the crisp sea breeze.
9) Shopping @ Bandra/Hill Road
A paradise-waiting-to-be-conquered for girls! I was actually lost not knowing where to start and how to start. It is like our General Bazaar but with more shops and more stylish stuff. Femme, Feet & Fantasy. How I wish my battery didn't die out on me and I could capture the glass walls of tiny shops adorned with beautiful shoes in all hues and colors.
Another nice place to shop is Lokhandwala market, though a little costlier than Bandra. This place has a lotttt of stores that sell stylish jewellery, hatke outfits and salwar suits. A lot of small stars hang out here. I bumped into Ganesh Acharya.
10) Mannat, Jalsa & Galaxy
See where the stars live. You can always find people waiting outside Mannat ( King Khan's home) and Jalsa (Amitabh Bachan's home) hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars. There is a guy who sells Chaai right opposite Shah Rukh's home. Have some Chaai. Apparantly, on Sunday evenings at 6:00PM, Big B comes out to say hello to the crowd waiting outside his home..
Galaxy is Salman Khan's residence and our cab driver tells that every Sunday Salman and his brothers play cricket with the street kids around that area and also feed them breakfast. Isnt that sooo cute!
11) Green Chiili Icecream at Bachelorr's, Chowpatty Seaface
This is something you shouldnt miss at any cost! Bachelorr's is a tiny shack of a fast food center near Chowpatty seaface which you can miss by the wink of the eye. They serve amazing icecreams and grilled sandwiches. Their speciality is the Green Chilli icecream. It starts with the sweet divine taste of icecream and within no time there'll be a sudden burning sensation in your throat like you just bit a green chilli...
12) A walk through Ballard Estates, Fort Area
Places to eat/visit:
- Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir
Green Chilli Icecream at Bachelorrs, Chowpatty SeafaceBritannia & Co Restaurent- ( A Parsi restaurant since the 1920s)- Theobroma - Food of the Gods, amazing tarts and pasteries
Mad Over Donuts - crispy creamy donuts that just melt in your mouth. They have a kiosk in the airport too!Jumbo vada pav- you get this in 3 flavors - butter, masala and schezwanMahesh Sea food Home- A must must must eatout for seafood lovers. They serve amazing grilled fish and prawns biryani.Sandwiches at Nariman Point- The Leopold's - The perfect beer place to wind up after a nice shopping trip at Colaba Causeway
- Basilico, Bandra - famous for salads & pastas
- Piccadilly - great Lebanese food I heard
- Bade Miyan Kababs
- The Vie lounge
- Crawford Market
Shopping at Bandra/ Lokhandwala/ Link Road
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