2 Days in Bangalore (Beyond MG Road)

I love this picture of St. Mark’s Cathedral from Cubbon Park, it really gives a sense of how large the park was once upon a time.

Kalindi’s arrival has brought many good things into our lives, including dear friends who had lost touch over the years.  I guess the arrival of new life is about hope and optimism, something that everyone can relate to.

I’m in touch with some of my earliest yoga students.  Recently Louise and her daughters visited us in Bangalore.  I used to teach Louise in Wellington, and reading this blog that she wrote about my classes back then made me nostalgic.  It’s been about 12 years since we last met!

What do you do with friends who’re coming to Bangalore for the first time?  I mean there’s only so much coffee you can drink as you marvel at the great weather.  I’ve lived in Bangalore since 2005, and pride myself in knowing a bit more about the city than the average resident.  So I took it on as a challenge and asked myself how I can showcase my city beyond MG Road.

So we had one of those slow weekends, the kind where you can slow down and fall in love with Bangalore all over again.  This is how you can make the most of 2 days in Bangalore…

Cubbon Park

Cubbon Park is 300 acres of gorgeous flora and fauna and you shouldn’t miss it.  There was a time I used to go to the park to run almost every weekend, but post Covid I’ve been less regular.  The park has been given a facelift.  It’s cleaner and greener than I remember.  There are signs everywhere so you don’t get lost, and also so you know where the dustbins are and don’t litter.

We walked around and enjoyed the park.  Once we even stopped to give Kalindi some milk.  The girls bought a bubble maker (which  unfortunately broke before we even left the park).  There were cyclists, runners, families on picnic and even some rollerbladers.  I’ve been to parks in other cities, but Cubbon Park is by far the most pleasant one – for its history, its birds and of course the people.

Did you know Cubbon Park is officially called Sri Chamarajpet Udyanavana?

The 13th Floor

The Barton Center was set up in 1861 by Thomas Barton, who came to namma Bengaluru from England and settled here.  He set up a silver shop here, which became famous and which catered to the needs of the British – from the silver medals and epaulettes the officers needed to the jewellery that the ladies could flaunt.

It’s also one of the tallest landmarks of the city – with restaurants on the 13th floor.  We often take visitors for a sundowner at the 13th Floor Bar, but since children are not allowed, we decided to eat at the ASEAN.   You get amazing views of the city and good food, so it’s a great choice if you’re dining with children.  I often wonder why more people don’t visit this place.  It’s a great way to end a day of exploring Bangalore.

Hard Rock Cafe

Housed in a beautiful old colonial building, this is probably the quaintest HRC in India.  This building was actually home to the Bible Society and Reading Room for Christian publications.  So British troops could gather here to read and socialise and those of the more religious bent could also discuss theology.  I’ve spent many afternoons catching up with friends at the Hard Rock Cafe.  I love their high ceilings and the walls decorated with musical memorabilia.  These also shield you from the hot afternoons Bangalore ha been having recently.  I’ve attended Ladies’ Nights here as well as a New Year’s Eve where the drinks were free and the vomit flowed copiously on the floor.

If you’re looking for a place with good food and cocktails, where you can enjoy the music but still talk to your friends – this is the place to be.  I love their calm and quiet vibe.

Bookstores on Church Street

Contrary to what people think, there is actually a church on Church Street – except it’s on one end of the street and is called St. Mark’s Cathedral.  I’ve spent hours in the bookshops on Church Street, hunting for and often finding books I still treasure.  I’ve spent time in the India Coffee House, sipping their terrible coffee and trying to learn Kannada.  At some point the apathy of the waiters got to me and I switched allegiance to Third Wave Coffee.

Now I usually just send our guests out to browse the bookshops unhurriedly, at their own pace.  I love how Blossoms now has bookstalls on the sidewalk, next to the cobblestone road.  With Third Wave Coffee, Starbucks, Chai Point and various pubs on Church Street – an afternoon here is a book lovers’ heaven.

Mahesh Jewellers on Commercial Street

Commercial street is one of the busiest shopping destinations in Bangalore, arguably as famous as MG Road.  It was developed during colonial times as a one stop shop for all your shopping needs.  In the 21st century it continues to be so.  However, usually the crowds are a big deterrent for me.

After years of going to commercial street to visit Eloor libraries, Woody’s and the Mysore Silk Udyog, I decided I wanted to know more about the area and went on a walking tour of commercial street.  Because of that I was able to point out the Tamilian influences in the streets we walked through, as well as anything else I could remember from that walk.

A surprise find for me has been Mahesh Jewellers on Jeweller’s Street.  About 10 years ago a friend of mine took me to this shop.  I was looking for some pretty earrings for a friend’s daughter.  Years later I walked into the store again and found some great earrings for myself.  Recently they’ve started stocking up on silver jewellery too.  I’ve been back several times – most recently for a silver puja thali.

 

Maverick and Farmers

Bangalore is as much about its coffee as it is about its beer.  I love that at any given point in time you can walk into a coffee shop and see people discussing potential startup ideas, kids doing their homework, a couple on a date, someone trying to meet a deadline, someone reading…coffee shops are like a snapshot of Bangalore.

The Maverick and Farmer coffee shop is tucked away next to the South United Football Club and is cozy and cute.  You can sip your coffee and watch kids practicing soccer.  The soccer field is expansive, so you feel like you’re holed up in a coffee shop.  Bangalore has upped its coffee house game.  Gone are the days when we had coffee inside nondescript restaurants that served burgers, fries and other fast food.  Now the location has to be as exclusive as the blend.

(On our walk from Commercial Street to our coffee destination we crossed Cinnamon where I showed Louise and her girls the foundation stone (laid in 1892 by the Marques of Landsdowne, the Viceroy and Governor General of India).)

Seven Rivers Brewing Co.

And finally, if you’re in Bangalore you have to go to a brewery.  According to their website the Seven Rivers Brewing Co. has been nominated as one of the best brewpubs in the country.  I’m not surprised.  Their beer is good and they have poolside seating.  What works for us is that there’s a lot of space to park a stroller.  We go here all the time.  The beer is good, and the food is really good too!

I love to tell friends about how when I first moved to Bangalore it was known for its nightlife.  Friends from Delhi and Bombay would be incredulous.  While they partied into the early morning hours, Bangalore pubs shut down at 10 pm.  And yet, it was the Bangalore nightlife that people were curious about.  When I think about myself as a young software engineer, trying to find her bearings in a new city, making new friends and taking steps to discover herself, I realise that it’s the people of the city who make it what it is.  You find them in the pubs and you find them in the coffee shops.  Today, those of us who went clubbing religiously every Tuesday for Bollywood Night and then again on Friday for Ladies’ Night and then again over the weekend, sit back and enjoy our full bodied dark roasts and appreciate how far we and our city have come.