Whether you're from Mumbai or just visiting the city, here's a list of ten interesting things to do in the heart of South Bombay (Mumbai) - guaranteed to make you fall in love (madly and irrevocably) with the legend that is South Bombay.
If you love this post, you will probably love reading my book on Mumbai titled 'Cutting Chai and Maska Pao: The Way It Is Said In Mumbai Only' published by Harper Collins India.
1. Ride a double-decker BEST bus. This yea (2103) Mumbai's double-decker buses completed 75 years on the roads. Today, they are a dying breed as only a few ply on select routes - but even so, Mumbai is one of the few cities where they are still in service. Sit on the upper deck in the front seat and enjoy the view!
2. Eat your heart out at an Irani Cafe - Britannia at Ballard Estate (open only for lunch, you must try the famous berry pulao), Military Cafe (Fort, near the stock exchange). Soak in the wonderful old world charm created by the high ceilings, heavily mirrored walls, marble-topped tables and typical black wooden chairs.
3. A restaurant? A bus? Tuck into some typical missal pav in a BEST bus-turned-restaurant at Fort (Opposite the High Court). Wash it down with some pineapple Energee from a familiar street-side booth.
4. Wander into Esplanade Mansion (formerly the Watsons Hotel) and piece together fragments of history. Built in 1871, the hotel was once a majestic structure ahead of its time that served as the grandest hotel in Mumbai – then Bombay. As popular folklore suggests, Jamsetji Tata, was refused entry to Watson's one evening due to the hotel's 'Europeans only' policy. Humiliated and angered, Tata built the Taj Mahal Hotel down the road.
5. Grab a beer at Café Leopold (Claim to fame: Shantaram and 26/11) or Café Mondegar (Claim to fame: The giant Mario Miranda mural)
6. Watch the sun set on the Marine Drive skyline amid a light drizzle. Admire out the art-deco buildings that line the road - Interestingly, this is the second-largest number of art-deco buildings in the world after Miami, US.
7. Feast on the best brownies in town: Theobroma! Located on Colaba Causeway at Cushrow Baug.
8. Ride in the historic elevators of Fort—some dating to more than back a century. Check out the grand old elevators at Kodak House (on DN Road), Ripon Club (Cuffe Parade), Mumbai GPO, Army & Navy Building (Kala Ghoda) for a ride back into time.
9. Bring out your arty side! Explore the numerous art galleries that dot Rampart Row or have your portrait painted by an artist outside Jehangir Art gallery
10. Visit the Knesseth Eliyahoo Synagogue at Kala Ghoda. Built in 1885, the synagogue is now nearly 130 years old. This beautiful powder blue building is tucked away in a bylane off Kala Ghoda (near Rhythm House).
If you love this post, you will probably love reading my book on Mumbai titled 'Cutting Chai and Maska Pao: The Way It Is Said In Mumbai Only' published by Harper Collins India.
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| The iconic Marine Drive, South Mumbai |
1. Ride a double-decker BEST bus. This yea (2103) Mumbai's double-decker buses completed 75 years on the roads. Today, they are a dying breed as only a few ply on select routes - but even so, Mumbai is one of the few cities where they are still in service. Sit on the upper deck in the front seat and enjoy the view!
2. Eat your heart out at an Irani Cafe - Britannia at Ballard Estate (open only for lunch, you must try the famous berry pulao), Military Cafe (Fort, near the stock exchange). Soak in the wonderful old world charm created by the high ceilings, heavily mirrored walls, marble-topped tables and typical black wooden chairs.
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| Military Cafe, Fort. Image courtesy maddy06.blogspot.in |
3. A restaurant? A bus? Tuck into some typical missal pav in a BEST bus-turned-restaurant at Fort (Opposite the High Court). Wash it down with some pineapple Energee from a familiar street-side booth.
4. Wander into Esplanade Mansion (formerly the Watsons Hotel) and piece together fragments of history. Built in 1871, the hotel was once a majestic structure ahead of its time that served as the grandest hotel in Mumbai – then Bombay. As popular folklore suggests, Jamsetji Tata, was refused entry to Watson's one evening due to the hotel's 'Europeans only' policy. Humiliated and angered, Tata built the Taj Mahal Hotel down the road.
 |
| The Esplanade Mansion. Photo courtesy The Telegaph. |
5. Grab a beer at Café Leopold (Claim to fame: Shantaram and 26/11) or Café Mondegar (Claim to fame: The giant Mario Miranda mural)
7. Feast on the best brownies in town: Theobroma! Located on Colaba Causeway at Cushrow Baug.
8. Ride in the historic elevators of Fort—some dating to more than back a century. Check out the grand old elevators at Kodak House (on DN Road), Ripon Club (Cuffe Parade), Mumbai GPO, Army & Navy Building (Kala Ghoda) for a ride back into time.
9. Bring out your arty side! Explore the numerous art galleries that dot Rampart Row or have your portrait painted by an artist outside Jehangir Art gallery
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| The portrait artists of Kala Ghoda. Image courtesy Mid-Day |
10. Visit the Knesseth Eliyahoo Synagogue at Kala Ghoda. Built in 1885, the synagogue is now nearly 130 years old. This beautiful powder blue building is tucked away in a bylane off Kala Ghoda (near Rhythm House).
Very informative! A good read!
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