I’ve lived in Bangalore most of my life so I recognise my bias but, my goodness, do I love this city; the dogs, the chai, the lakes, the trees, the traffic, oof. I’m embarrassed to admit that there have been times when I’ve put relationships at stake in defence of this city. It’s hard for me to articulate the territorial-ness and/or the emotion this city brings out in me, so I’ve put together a list of things I love to do here. Please note that this list is born out of my interactions with and within the city, and is not a reflection of everything that Bangalore has to offer. In fact, this is NOT a ‘traveling for dummies: Bangalore edition’ or a planning framework or worth a subreddit; it’s simply a reflection, my reflection, and I hope it eat-pray-love’s you every so gently:
Lakes
Fun fact: Bangalore is home to over 100 lakes, some of which catch on fire spontaneously (woohoo! but also tch tch). Over the last few years, citizen groups have come together to revitalise these lakes, clean them up, green their surroundings, and help foster a positive equation with the pseudo-natural world lakes empower. Each lake is unique in terms of functionality: the Agara Lake is an ornithologist’s paradise whereas Kasavanahalli is where you want to take your dog, the Lalbagh Lake is wonderful to run around whereas the Sankey tank lake is what I’d recommend for sunsets; like I said, you’ve got 100 to choose from.
Bars
Fun fact: Bangalore is home to over 1000 bars (I really don’t know why I’m relying on numbers to drive my point home, apologies). Like the lakes, each bar in Bangalore has a personality of its own, and to try and cover maximum ground is painstakingly mathematical. Instead, what most of us here do is go bar hopping. The best place to do this is Koramangala, and here’s why: Church Street and MG Road are the usual spots for this but a) they’re crowded, b) they’re becoming increasingly tourist-ey, and c) I live closer to Koramangala, and well, author liberty. Word of advice, you can go bar-hopping anywhere in Bangalore; all you need to do is find bars close to you, figure out your budget, and make sure to wear comfortable clothes.
EXPRESSION
As a city, Bangalore is patient. I know that sounds oxymoronic, given Bangalore’s fast-paced identity but I say patient because the city is indulgent. It creates space for you to explore, innovate, exist, and it lets you do all this at your own discretion. For instance, HSR Layout is filled with cafes where you can network, ideate, launch start-ups, and so forth; Indiranagar is where you can go to find queer communities, book clubs, motorcycle groups, etc.; Frazer Town is where you can find underground merchandise, get budget-friendly tattoos, ad infinitum. Basically, do whatever the f*ck you want, and Bangalore will help you find a way to embrace it.
If you do decide to make the trip out, I’d avoid flying (the airport is not the most accessible, we apologise).