[pramod]

When I first heard about a movie called “Mumbai Meri Jaan”, I wondered what is it that made a city so fascinating that it deserves movies, books, trying to bring out the essence of it. What is it that it has, which other Indian cities doesn’t.

Mumbaikars that I have met have a deep connect to the city and speak about it proudly. Well, one may argue that every city dweller swear by their respective city proudly, including yours faithfully, as a Bangalorean. But there was always something more to the way Mumbaikars shared their stories and tales of their city.

It all comes down to the people who make the city what it is. I have had multiple conversations with a close friend of mine about her connect with Mumbai and her tales of the marine drive walks, about the Khao Gullies and everything else from food to the people and the “Vibes”. I wondered more.

The past 12 or more years, the end of the year meant, my team and myself taking care of the Global Mobile networks for the peak traffic season. But then, for once i am in a state where, end of year could mean a good road trip and more. So here we go!

I decided to use the end of the year holidays to drive up north to Mumbai and experience it like a local for a week. Below is a more of a guide based on my experience of how to experience Mumbai for a week, exploring the city , its architecture, the fancy sub-urbs, the street food stalls and the likes.

Most websites and travel guides I went through during the trip planning wasn’t wholesome wrt what this city actually offers. The experience of Mumbai eventually ended up being a food + Architecture tour. And that needs a guide of its own. Mind you, no 2 guides can be the same and no guide can be considered Golden. To each his own. Here is mine.

We drove till Pune and stayed for the night, with a Ginger hotel booking for 4000 INR with the highway right infront of us in Wakad in Pimpri area. I had seen Pune way back in 2010 and i was astonished to see the development i saw on either side of the elevated road! Day 2: We took the Expressway to reach Bandra West Mumbai.

Exploration Of South Mumbai:
1. South Mumbai has the fanciest and breathtaking architectures wrt the buildings that stand today.
2. Once you are in the fort area walking along the Art Deco, Gothic and Victorian Architecture buildings, you are sure to think that, Pondi is “Chillar”, from a heritage perspective. There are a very Indo-Sarcenic buildings too.
3. Essence of NYC, the big apple is sure to be noticed in many corners. The building architecture, the walls extending all the way to the pavements, unlike in Bangalore, where every building has to have free space around the building with Iron caging acting as "compound".
4. The Taj hotel, Gate way of India and Madam Cama road exploration
5. The walk from Gate way of India all the way to the Radio club at the end.
6. The Marine drive starting from the Pizza by the bay, all the way to Chowpatty.
7. The Worli sea facing bunglow spotting. See the name of the house and google search it to understand who owns the place! Quite a few finds.
8. The Bandra Worli Sea link drives – Fantastic Architecture in itself. Its true value will be seen once the coastal roads are completed for the city.
9. Siddivinayak temple, and the bylanes of Dadar to explore Vada pav and tea near Keerthi College (Ashok Vada pav)
10. The Gandhi Mani bhavan and the old bunglows in those lanes in South Mumbai. I must say, the houses in this community are exquisite. Atleast 100 yr old.
11. The old Mumbai lanes with “chickpet” feel in Colaba causeway area to try Pancham Pooriwala’s Royal Thali.
12. Shivaji Maharaj Vasthusangrahalaya, National Museum of Modern Art, Jehangir Art gallery, Kala Goda Open air Art gallery, the book stalls on the pavements of Kalagoda, the CSMT Terminal, BMC building, the Oriental building, the Bombay High court, the Clock tower infront of Oval Maidan are all brilliant architectural wonders of Mumbai and has something for every keen tourist eye and especially for an architectural eye.
13. The Silk and fabric arts of wonder in Modern art museum is exquisite which most Indians are prolly not aware of and is a must visit.
14. Kala goda street side book stalls had every book that you can think of.
15. The Kala Goda open art gallery has local artisits who sell their paintings and sketches and are stationed there year round, unlike in Bangalore where artists congregate once a year at Chitra santhe. I did end up buying a charcoal sketch of Oriental building for 3000 INR from one of the artists here.
16. The Asiatic society library is a Gothic/Roman architecture building on the lines of bangalore’s townhall. And the buildings infront of this area.
17. The Rusthom's was not that great but i had to try for the sake of a tick. But i could easily sense the parsi gathering inside the shop, with the 50ish Parsi Gentleman explaining us the flavours on offer and in parallel having a conversation with a 80ish Aunty seated as the cashier, in parsi. Ofcourse there had to be another 50ish Aunty adding some conversational blend to all that is happening. Yes, the ice cream did melt into the waffer and the tissue and its remains can be seen on the Marine drive promenade
18. The Malabar hill drive spotting brilliant residences and the vegatation, including a visit to the boot house at Kamla Nehru park and the view point beside that, overlooking the Queen's necklace.
19. Drive through Altamount Road, to check out Antellia. Kids were awe-inspired to look at the scale of security that is posted there. There are Tea shops around which can survive the business just on the Security personnel buying tea and smokes itself.
20. A visit to Bandra Promenande, the Fort, the view of the Sealink.
21. A drive through BKC and spotting the banks.
22. Ram and Shyam chats across the Linking Road, north of Khar in a up-scale neighbourhood.
23. Raju Sandwich stall in South Mumbai very close to the Oval maidan.
The subs sandwiches here were quite good i must admit.
24. Tasting Sardar Pav Bhaji at 250 INR a plate with dollops of Amul Butter was an experience for sure. Maruti Pav Bhaji was disappointing for sure.
25. Mani Cafe breakfasts from Mathunga were very good
26. I did spend some time sitting on a bench watching the cricket happening on the Shivaji Maidan, thinking of all the stalwarts who had played on this ground and all the stories of Shivaji Park that we have heard for so many decades.
27. Every 3rd private car was a Merc. I frankly found it hard to see lower grade private cars at all. Economic might of Mumbai was very evident that way.
28. Elco restaurant on Hill Road in Bandra west got multiple visits from us, since we stayed very close to this place for the 5 nights that i did.
29. The drivers, taxiwalas, were never seen frustrated or angry even though the Hill road- Linking road junctions were always jammed through the day.
30. People in this city donot bother about what is happening around and mind their own business. And that attitude comes from the fact that, people from all over the country stay here searching for their dream.

We drove back to Bangalore through Mumbai - Panvel - Pune - Baramati - Solapur - Bijapur - Hospet - Chitradurga - Tumkur.

We divided the drive of 1050 kms into 2 days, halting at Bijapur to cover the Gol Gumbaz which i hadnt visited all these years, even though i had driven mulitple times on this route from Bangalore but ended up restricting myself till either Kudalasangama or till Alamatti.

A 2400 kms road trip to Mumbai from Bangalore was a worthy effort and i can now say, i do understand what makes Mumbaikars what they are.

A Photo log below with a small description:

The Kala goda area in South Mumbai has all the museums and art galleries. And the most exciting part has to be the open air art gallery.




Gandhi Mani Bhavan. This is the home where Gandhi used to stay on his Bombay trips. From the museum point of view, it is definitely worth a visit. The setting is peaceful with beautiful architecture and balconies.



Some Ancient stone carvings of Bharat at Shivaji Maharaj Vasthusangrahalaya




BMC building at the VT junction


Taj through my lens


Navy buildings infront of Jehangir Art Gallery


One of the main characters of this city. Love this age old bus design.


ArtDeco


Indo Sarcenic Architecture of Vasthusangrahalaya


Sardar pavbhaji time!




Bandra Worli Sealink is a monument for our country. It functions wells aswell. It is tolled as of today. And once the coastal road projects completes, its real value can be felt.




The Evolution of Buses in Mumbai Metropolitan


Shivaji Park cricket mornings


Rushtom's ice cream parlor




Ashok Vada pav turned out to be the best one we tried this week.
The chutneys and the chooras made my morning after a visit to the Siddivinayak temple before that.


The queues start quite early, well before the first batch comes out of the oil.


The floral fountain in the fort area in South Mumbai


The BW Sealink view as seen from the Bandra fort/Bandstand area.


Street art on Bandra promenande sea front.


Auto drivers r insane!


Book stores on the pavement were more expensive than i expected them to be. Infront of the Bombay high court area.


The clock tower next to Bombay high court as seen from the oval maidan at night.


The best pav bhaji was at Aaram Vada pav restaurant dead infront of VT/CSMT.

[pramod]

The overall trip plan and details are as below:


22-Dec Day 0 Bangalore - Davangere

23-Dec Day 1 Davanagere- Pune (Wakad) Ginger Stay - Wakad
Dinner at Kakke Da Dhaba, Sudhamache Pohe - Wakad, Pune,

24-Dec Day 2 Pune - Mumbai Bandra West. Drive through Panvel - Vashi - Eastern ExpressWay - BKC - Bandra West, Bandra Promenade, SRK house, John and Rekha home, BW Sealink view point - Bandra fort Elco - Chats, Chinese Bhel, Sbarro pizza, Bandra promenade bombay sandwich, chats, Street Falooda.

25-Dec Day 3 Mumbai city exploration - Sealink drive, Siddivinayak temple, Shivaji park, Bombay high court, Flora fountain, Cathedral visit, Book stalls, Oval Maidan, Cuff parade, causeway drive. Daytime marine drive, Toysaurus breakfast: Ashok Vada pav, Lunch: Sandwich at Floral fountain, Evening: Sardar pavbhaji, Night: Ram/Shyam chats"

26-Dec Day 4 Mumbai city exploration - Sealink, Rushtom's , Marine drive, VasthuSangrahalaya, Kala goda art festival, CSMT, BMC, Gateway of India, Marine drive, Taj Hotel lounge, Clock tower at night, Antellia, Kamla nehru park, viw point, Malabar hill drive breakfast: Mani café, Lunch: Aaram Vada pav, Pav bhaji, Poori bhaji, Dinner: Raju sandwich - Subs, maggie"

27-Dec Day 5 Mumbai city exploration - "Gandhi Mani bhavan, Asiatic society & library, Jehangir Art Gallery, National Museum of modern art, Jio world drive, Antellia." "bf: Cafe Madras, Lunch: Pancham poonavala, Dinner: Raju Sandwich"

28-Dec Day 6 Mumbai city exploration - Juhu drive, Andheri Area exploration

29-Dec Day 7 Mumbai to Bijapur through BKC, Pune ring road, Solapur, Bijapur
"Veena - breakfast past Pune, Lunch: Shere Punjab Family dhaba - Bijapur"

30-Dec Day 8 Bijapur Bangalore Gol Gumbaz, TB dam view
"bf: Uppittu Bijapur
Lunch: Chitradurga highway junction"

The defining photo of Mumbai for me.


A Pohe hotel in Wakad Pune on the way to Mumbai


Sev puri at Elco, Bandra West


Bandra Promenade


A typical bombay sandwich on the streets with grated cheese which somehow never melts!


An old house near Siddivinayak temple in Dadar


One more old bunglow


Old oriental buildings are being converted to premium shopping stores from big brands. old building refurbishment is a lesson most other cities in Bharat should learn.



Pizza by the bay infront of Marine drive - I believe a legendary place on the corner


A plate of poori bhaji at Aaram vada pav hotel




An evening at Marine drives. The building in the foreground is the AirIndia HQ. And the one behind that is the Trident hotel.


Balconies of Gandhi Mani bhavan Museum


Gandhi Mani bhavan library


Customary Gateway of India


More Sculptures in Vasthu sangrahalaya




City of Srinagar weaved on a cloth by local Artisans from Baramulla (Varahamoola)


Jehangir Art gallery


Return drive after Pune towards Solapur


A dhaba before bijapur


Gol Gumbaz - Largest dome without support in the world is what i learnt.




The overall drive in winter turned out to be the best weather to do this drive. But i would be tempted to try it out in Monsoon when the drive itself will be more eventful with brilliant greens of Maharastra. But then, Mumbai in Monsoon may turn to be too difficult to handle? There is another time for everything. Cheers for now.

Pramod - Bangalore.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[Dippy]

What a wonderful thread Pramod.

Even though I live in Mumbai, it was so awesome to see my city through your lens. Nice to see you got a chance to explore the city and try most of its famous delicacies. The food pics were amazing.

While I feel the Sardar pav bhaji can cause a heart attack, next time do try and visit the south Indian joints in Matunga and the pav bhaji and masala pav at Classic Fast food right opposite Don Bosco School in Matunga itself. I grew up on those since I was a student of that school.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link bridge (MTHL) should be another attraction for you the next time you come since it is being inaugurated on Jan 12th 2024.

[Hayek]

Wonderful thread. Those of us who live in Bombay somehow never see the beauty of this city - so it is very nice to see it through the lens of a visitor. Of course you made it to all the legendary eating places of the city. Ashok Vada Pav brings back fond memories - I used to live just around the corner and have had numerous evening sessions eating far too much. Thanks for posting and sharing the beauty of our city with us.

[pramod]

Originally Posted by Dippy

What a wonderful thread Pramod.

Even though I live in Mumbai, it was so awesome to see my city through your lens. Nice to see you got a chance to explore the city and try most of its famous delicacies. The food pics were amazing.

While I feel the Sardar pav bhaji can cause a heart attack, next time do try and visit the south Indian joints in Matunga and the pav bhaji and masala pav at Classic Fast food right opposite Don Bosco School in Matunga itself. I grew up on those since I was a student of that school.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link bridge (MTHL) should be another attraction for you the next time you come since it is being inaugurated on Jan 12th 2024.

I missed covering Yazdhani bakery for its must eats. Heard it's quite a legendary place.

[ex-innova-guy]

Looks like your mission of Mumbai Street food is completed.

Ashok Vada Pav was my dad's favourite vada pav and lunch place(if anyone disagrees, please have 2 vada pavs there). Living in western suburbs, I still go there maybe once in 2 months or so.

[sanjayrozario]

Wow Pramod. I never thought my city could look so beautiful. Thanks for bringing it out. You've rightly captured at the start that every resident thinks his/her city is the best, but there's some vibe / character to Mumbai that lingers on.

[Mustang Sammy]

Nice review and pics. Made the city come alive.
Also inspired me to see more of the place where I am living for the past 4 years.

[vinya_jag]

Thanks Pramod. Loved your viewpoint. Will use this as a guide for our next trip. I was in Mumbai in 2005 for a couple of months, and before then, when I was a kid. Each visit was eye opening. I am sure I will be in for surprises next time around too.

Recently we were in Hyderabad and we share the same feeling as you. Possibly all Bangaloreans who visit these cities would feel the same. We seem to have stuck in time, with snail-est pace of infra development.

[Chillout]

It's almost 3 decades since my last visit to Mumbai and huge crowds were a complete turn off for me. However today Chennai has become equally crowded , i think I am accustomed to the crowds now and need to make another visit and checkout the legendary places in Mumbai and your travelogue is very helpful. Also any moderate budget recommendations for stay.

[PGNarain]

A lovely short and to the point travelogue Pramod. Also agree on the photo of the Mumbai CST with the double decker bus as a defining photo for Mumbai, beautifully timed click.

Originally Posted by pramod

29-Dec Day 7 Mumbai to Bijapur through BKC, Pune ring road, Solapur, Bijapur
"Veena - breakfast past Pune, Lunch: Shere Punjab Family dhaba - Bijapur"

We are planning a trip over the long Republic Day weekend to Bijapur and can you share details on what time did you start from Mumbai (and from where), the time taken to reach Bijapur, number of breaks taken etc and the road conditions?

[gurminder_81]

Thank You for sharing the insights. What a timing as well. My spouse is travelling to Mumbai for the first time to attend the Kala Ghoda Art Festival happening from Jan 20th onwards. She has been planning for more than a week, but a single thread of yours gave more insights. Cheers.

[pramod]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

A lovely short and to the point travelogue Pramod. Also agree on the photo of the Mumbai CST with the double decker bus as a defining photo for Mumbai, beautifully timed click.




We are planning a trip over the long Republic Day weekend to Bijapur and can you share details on what time did you start from Mumbai (and from where), the time taken to reach Bijapur, number of breaks taken etc and the road conditions?

We started from Bandra west Mumbai at 7 am. I am attaching the drive time and the avg speed we could manage, considering we passed through Khandala ghat with trucks blocking the lanes and also i found MH drivers not as enthusiatic to overtake or take the right lanes when needed. They would overtake a car and then reduce speed and block the lane again. In my experience there is a major difference in the style of driving of KA/KL on one side of the spectrum and MH on the other extreme end. We drove through Pune ring road and i passed through it between 9-10 am with decent amount of traffic. So leaving Mumbai at 6 am will make sure, you reach Bijapur in 7 hours straight. Nothing more, Nothing less. The road quality between Solapur and Bijapur is probably the best i have ever driven on (Chitradurga to Davanagere is prolly the top spot for now in south of Bharat ).
stay at Bijpaur was at "Hotel Milan". A very big room for 3k.

Drive details


Drive through BKC early in the morning at 7:15 am..


Panvel or so

Originally Posted by gurminder_81

Thank You for sharing the insights. What a timing as well. My spouse is travelling to Mumbai for the first time to attend the Kala Ghoda Art Festival happening from Jan 20th onwards. She has been planning for more than a week, but a single thread of yours gave more insights. Cheers.

I am assuming she is displaying her art at the stalls there ? Do share snaps from the same !

[am1m]

Usually end up visiting Mumbai a couple of times a year. One new visitor option I've noticed over the past couple of years is the number of 'walking-tours' that are being offered. Went on a couple and was very impressed. In particular there was one that took visitors inside the upper levels of CST and inside the BMC building. Both very impressive structures on the outside, but even more impressive inside, especially those areas that the public usually doesn't get to see. There are a couple of companies that organize these tours, google for them. The scale and the money that went into these buildings gives you a very good idea of the wealth that the shipping (and opium) trade generated back then and why Mumbai is still the financial capital of the country.

(On the downside, the air pollution has certainly worsened, very visible now. Very shocking for a coastal city.)