[heavy_foot]

1) How safe is the city?

Not sure how to rate it.. But i would say Bombay is safer.

2) For around 9k, will I get a decent 1BHK apartment in an upmarket locality?

i pay around 7k for 2 bhk in Basavangudi , which is a residential area..MG road is about 8kms maybe less.

3) How is the traffic situation? Better or worse than Mumbai?

Traffic is really bad and it gets on your nerves at rush hour. There is no respect for lanes and traffic signels .. People jump red lights like crazy right in front of the cops. God save you if you are in any kind of trouble on the road and you dont know Kannada. It takes 1hr some times more for my 18kms journey to office daily. In Bombay i can go from CBD navi mumbai to VT in south bombay in an Hrs time. Thats about 49 kms i think. In Bombay people travel larger distances daily and thats why it takes more time. The traffic scene in Bombay was really really bad long long back. But now it has improved a lot with wider road and less stopping and the average speed is more.

So traffic worse than Bombay.

4) How are the people? Are they helpful?

By large people are very helpfull.

5) What about traffic cops? Can you bribe them (it's quite important )

you can bribe them like anywhere else in India. But when there is Nakabandi for drunken driving ( mostly in the weekends ).. they are very strict.

6) Quality of life (night life, hangouts etc.)

Cant comment much.

[heavy_foot]

[quote=heavy_foot;540949]1) How safe is the city?

Not sure how to rate it.. But i would say Bombay is safer.

2) For around 9k, will I get a decent 1BHK apartment in an upmarket locality?

i pay around 7k for 2 bhk in Basavangudi , which is a residential area..MG road is about 8kms maybe less.

3) How is the traffic situation? Better or worse than Mumbai?

Traffic is really bad and it gets on your nerves at rush hour. There is no respect for lanes and traffic signels .. People jump red lights like crazy right in front of the cops. God save you if you are in any kind of trouble on the road and you dont know Kannada. It takes 1hr some times more for my 18kms journey to office daily. In Bombay i can go from CBD navi mumbai to VT in south bombay in an Hrs time. Thats about 49 kms i think. In Bombay people travel larger distances daily and thats why it takes more time. The traffic scene in Bombay was really really bad long long back. But now it has improved a lot with wider road and less stopping and the average speed is more.

So traffic worse than Bombay.

4) How are the people? Are they helpful?

By large people are very helpfull.

5) What about traffic cops? Can you bribe them (it's quite important )

you can bribe them like anywhere else in India. But when there is Nakabandi for drunken driving ( mostly in the weekends ).. they are very strict.

6) Quality of life (night life, hangouts etc.)

Cant comment much.

7) If you are in the IT industry this is the place to be.

I would move back to Bombay as soon as i gather some expertise in the work i am doing, maybe 1 yr more.

[anainar]

Hmm! Mumbai guy becoming a Bangy one! Welcome to Bangalore.

Safety??? depends on what location you are in. In my tenure of seven eight years, never had a mishaps. But I do keep some safety equipments in my car all the time. If you are anywhere inside the city limits, you should be ok.

For 9k, an apartment in MG Road? One is no way! Second is even if I were given a choice, will not choose that. Too chaotic, too much traffic, crowd. I live in Koramangala, around 6-7 kms from MG Road. 15-20 mins drive. 1BHK is not that famous in Blore. The place where I stay, a 2 bhk apt with car park costs around 15-18k.

Quality of life?? Pretty good, if you have deep pockets. A dinner for two in some nice restaurant will set you back by 2000-3000. There are many pubs/discos if you are into that. Only issue being they all close down by 11:30 PM. I guess the story is the same in Mumbai as well.

Helpful people? You should be sampling it here. Very very helpful.

Dont ask about traffic. No different than any other place. Personally I found it better than Pune/Chennai. Never spent enough time in Mumbai to compare.

All said and done, it is a good place to be. You will not regret your move at all.

Cheers, and welcome to Bangalore

[adman77]

Originally Posted by anainar

Only issue being they all close down by 11:30 PM. I guess the story is the same in Mumbai as well.

No way man. Out here, most of the pubs and lounges are open till the wee hours of morning (at least 3-4am). even most of the Baristas and Cafe coffee days are open till 1am

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by adman77

# 25, 'Poornima', State Bank of India Road, Bangalore - 560 001

This is my Bangalore office address. Which will be a good area to stay nearby?

I suppose you're with Mudra. Look for a place in Cook Town/Cox town areas or places others have mentioned. Distance would not be that much and one needs to drive around 10km max from these areas. Traffic is bad and get ready for that.

You won't spend that much time in your office anyway. It's Bangalore and work load is very different from Bombay.

I'm not obviously counting pitch situations.

[adman77]

Yes Rudra, I'm with Mudra. the shifting is still a long way to go. One of the reasons was about the work load cause lesser the work, more the time I get to spend with my ride. By the way, are you from advertising too?

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by adman77

Yes Rudra, I'm with Mudra. the shifting is still a long way to go. One of the reasons was about the work load cause lesser the work, more the time I get to spend with my ride.

Not a bad idea after all. But you really need to go out of city area to do that. Bangalore has some excellent spots all over.

By the way, are you from advertising too?

Well, yes.

[IronWolf]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

I suppose you're with Mudra. Look for a place in Cook Town/Cox town areas or places others have mentioned. Distance would not be that much and one needs to drive around 10km max from these areas. Traffic is bad and get ready for that.

You won't spend that much time in your office anyway. It's Bangalore and work load is very different from Bombay.

I'm not obviously counting pitch situations.

adman77 - I was going to mention these same locations. Cooke town / Cox town / Frazer town is about 3-4 km from MG road. My friend got a place recently close to my place for 12k. I am guessing for 9k you should be able to get a 1 bedroom. Not sure about the car park though.

Or a little further away in in kamanahalli or banswadi (6-7km from MG road) you could get what your looking for.

And about night life. if you call 11pm night then yeah there is a night life.


Rudra ji do you stay in cooke / cox town?

[benbsb29]

adman, I moved into Bangy a year back, and i shall try and answer these questions based on what i felt upon relocation. In my case, the shift was from Hyderabad, and so i may compare the scene here with Hyd.

DISCLAIMER : Guys, these are my personal views, and perceptions differ from person to person. While i am open to discussion on my views, i may not entirely agree.

1) How safe is the city?

Newspapers paint a rather gory picture of Bangalore, with robberies and such being the norm, according to them. While they arent entirely wrong, dont take them at face value. I have heard of cases where people's mobiles were stolen from them while they were using them, and our fellow member theMAG is also an example in case. Be careful, dont flaunt your stuff and you should be safe.

2) For around 9k, will I get a decent 1BHK apartment in an upmarket locality?

I would leave this to other fellow members who have lived here for a longer period, and so ..pass. IMO, you should be able to get, but not exactly near MG Road.

3) How is the traffic situation? Better or worse than Mumbai?

Since i dont know about Mumbai, am comparing to Hyd. Roads here arent all that wide, and where they are, you would find people parking on the roads, with no care at all, and thus blanking out an entire lane. In the main city areas, traffic literally crawls, and that explains the poor mileage which owners report from their rides. If you love your car, be prepared for some heartbreaks, in the form of some cabbie scraping past your car, and also rash driving.

4) How are the people? Are they helpful?

IMO, knowing Kannada is really important for people to actually help out. Other languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Hindi along with English should also help survive, but when you get into some issue somewhere, and need support, you would get the same ONLY if you speak Kannada. This is based upon my experiences here. Please keep Bangy TBHP members numbers handy, you never know when you would need them. Also, do attend the meets.

5) What about traffic cops? Can you bribe them

Yes, although they are quite strict on enforcing the no-drunken driving rule. I dont indulge in the same, and so no issues. Having a 2 wheeler from another state is like asking the cops to actually stop you, and ask for your papers. Cars are better off.

6) Quality of life (night life, hangouts etc.)

I would let the others answer this, although i stand by what Sam has said.
For late night food, you would need to visit Empire restaurant on Church street.

Hope these help.

[megger]

But I do keep some safety equipments in my car all the time. - Anainar
This is COOL and warrants a fresh thread on the topic of what safety equipment to keep in car!!

[deepakvrao]

I shifted from Bombay [cant get used to Mumbai], to Bangalore 15 yrs ago and have never regretted the decision. That said - Bangalore in those days was much much nicer with less traffic, noise, better weather etc.

Now regarding safety - Mumbai [there I said it] is far safer IMO for women at least. My wife has been pawed here on the main roads of Indiranagar at 6:30 pm while in Mumbai [again], she would travel late at night by train/bus etc. I have friends who have had the same experience too.

My friend got mugged at 7pm just outside his house and had is hand slashed. This in Indiranagar - supposedly an upmarket locality to live in.

That said - like any other big city in the world if you are reasonably careful you should be fine.

Traffic is HORRIBLE.

Cops are HORRIBLE - they have NO IDEA of traffic management and if you are stuck in a big mess, the chances are that a cop would have caused it.

Night life? Non existent beyond 10:30 pm. I'm not talking about wild nights - even getting a decent restaurant [except 5 stars] is impossible after this time.

Work culture is BAAAD. If a guy promises you delivery in a day, be happy if you get it in 10.

In Mumbai you can pay say an electrician extra and get your work done extra fast - here the guy will not even be bothered to work extra in spite of any extra payment.

When I visit Mumbai [very rarely] I find the people far more helpful there than here. I'm talking about the average guy on the street. I guess my friends here are as great as the friends that I had in Mumbai.

Flats - you have a lot of answers already.

So why do I love Bangalore? No idea but I would NEVER shift back to Mumbai.

[nos_nitrous]

one BIG advantage of bangalore is its weather..youll love it coming from bbay..

[avkurian]

Hi, my views would be a bit jaded considering BLR was home for 25 yrs of my life, and have only been away for 5.

BLR, as with any other city, has its share of media coverage for safety, but the people are much more incredulous about it because they remember the days when it was practically nonexistent. When growing up, it was never a question of which road to take late at night, or whether to go to a particular area at all. Yes, after 8pm, women would not take an auto anywhere, so that still stands.

Rents am not really sure, although no one I know actually rents a 1 bedroom. I would assume that a 2 bedroom in most parts of the city would be accessible at and around this budget. A flat in our building in Indiranagar Defence Colony (3 bedroom on the same road as S_hit Valley) rents for around 20k.

Traffic again is most mourned by those who remember the old BLR. Yes, it is chaotic, but personally I think it makes a little more sense than, say, Chennai. Watch out for Autos, any Sumo/Qualis (except those with T-BHP stickers, of course), and buses, and you should be good to go. Drive around a few hours, and you'll get into the groove. Same as with driving first time in any new city.

People are extremely helpful, and its not without reason that the city is so full of people from different parts of the country, and the world. Some situations you may face if you speak excessive Hindi, but those are few and far between. Make the effort of few words in Kannada, at least greetings, and that will set you apart.

Can most definitely bribe the cops, although have come across many with a genuine dedication to what they do. These are mostly the inspector levels, and most constables are open to commercial activity. Drunken driving is a different ball game, and expect to have vehicle siezed for the day/night, even if you have the money for the fine on you.

Hang-outs and night life are defined totally differently from most other parts of India. Yes, there are restrictions on the hours that watering holes remain open, but the flip side is the commonplace occurence of house parties. These, understandably, have no curfews until the neighbours call the cops, and the advantage is that if you split around 2 or so, there are no cops anywhere. Checking remains from pub-closing time for an hour or so, and effectively by 1am, all the cops go home. Considering your industry, and your active participation on this forum, am sure you'll have no dearth of people to hang out with.

Also consider dhaba drives way out of town, and choose seating right out back, so that even if cops stop by, the guys just need to switch off the lights, and its business as usual.

Friends in other cities found one thing unique about BLR and thats the ease with which friends can meet up at short notice. Distances aren't much, compared to the big Metros, and you can always find a place to chill out, whatever the size of the crowd. Am sure you will feel that difference from Mumbai.

Enjoy Bangalore, its an lifestyle choice, and it grows on you.

[Wheeliej]

Originally Posted by adman77

# 25, 'Poornima', State Bank of India Road, Bangalore - 560 001

This is my Bangalore office address. Which will be a good area to stay nearby?

I would suggest Langford Road/Town, Richmond Town, but may be a bit expensive - there are some older buildings there where you may be able to get a bombay style apartment (feel @ home) for a lower price. I would settle for Shantinagar; you should be able to get a 2 bhk in an independent house (1st or 2nd floor) in that area for that price. There are also some apartments in that area. It is close to Lalbagh (for your morning walks) and close enough to the office while avoiding most of the traffic bottlenecks.

You could also consider Austin Town (higher traffic density trying to get across Richmond Town) or if you want to go a bit further, Wilson Garden - after Shanti Nagar.

1 bhk is rarely available in bangalore, 2 bhk is more common.

Bangalore is safe - you have to be alert, as in any other city - and dont be flashy. keep your laptop in the boot of the car. I drive on ring roads at all hours of day and night and have never faced a problem. Keep your car well serviced and fuelled.

All the best with your decision.

[benbsb29]

I agree wholeheartedly with the weather part. Dont know how i missed mentioning that. Lovely weather.