Bandra: the Queen of Suburbs

Bandra is a western suburban area in Bombay (Mumbai city) and is nicknamed as the 'Queen of Suburbs'.  I studied in a Bandra college so I have practically lived in this place for the last three years of my life . But, as I have graduated now I miss the place badly.

Shopping:

Bandra provides a plethora of options when it comes to shopping. From street- side shopping at Linking Road and Hill road where you can save a great deal of money and at the same time also get an entire new wardrobe, to high-end stores on Khar-Bandra Linking road where you can find the best of brands. There are also some export-surplus shops in the by-lanes of Hill Road and on Bandra reclamation where you can buy branded clothes without burning a hole in your pocket. Also there are designer boutiques all around Bandra, where you can get some exclusive stuff.

Food:

When it comes to food, you are spoilt for choice. You get the best of food, no matter what your budget. As students we always loved to go to Candies at Pali Hill (they also have a branch at Bandra Reclamation, but the Pali Hill one is bigger and better) at any time of the day and breakfast at Candies just made our day perfect. If not at Candies, we were found at JATC (Just Around The Corner) which is a cosy little place and they have the best Pistachio Cookies which me and Himani always gorged on. The Banana Bar is another interesting place and their Cheesy Nachos are just yumm. Andoras opposite Andrews College is the place to go for the best Chicken Croissants. Elco is the best place for Chaat and I already miss having the Pani-Puri basket with Zeba. Thoebroma which has recently opened on Linking Road opposite KFC is  well known for their desserts. Plus there are also the usual joints like Mc Donald's, KFC, Subway, Shiv Sagar, Cafe Coffee Day, Barista and many more.

We (especially Anisha) swore by the Cheese Chilly Toast made by the sandwitchwalla outside TSEC (Thadomal Shahani Engineering College)  and the idliwalla outside MMK College makes the best Idlis and Medu wadas. My friend Roopa was crazy about Ravi's, a small chinese joint outside TSEC that served rice and noodles.

Places to visit:

The places worth a visit in Bandra are: Bandra fort from where you can see the bandra- Worli Sea Link. Bandstand and Carters are the best places to head to, to watch the sun set. They are also great places to go for a leisurely walk in the morning or evening. The reclamation is a good place to go for a drive, it connects to the Bandra- Worli Sea Link. The Mount mary Church in Bandra is a Roman Catholic Church situated near Bandstand. It houses the miraculous statue of Mother Mary and celebrates the Bandra fair annually around mid-September when thousands of devotees visit the church. There are also rides set up at Reclamation and stalls all around the area.  Bandra also has a lot of other old churches like St Andrew's, St Anne's, St Theresas to name a few.

To watch a movie, the most budget option is to visit G7, also known as Gaiety-Galaxy which is a 7 screen cinema hall (Gaiety, Galaxy, Gem, Glamour, Gossip, Gemini and Grace) and the most famous in Bandra where you can watch a movie for as cheap as Rs. 55/-. Other options include Globus and Movie Time Suburbia.

The best thing about Bandra is that, it has a completely different feel to it and also culture of its own. There is a lot to do in Bandra and there is something for everyone, so much you can never run out of things to do. It is one of the sought-after locations in Mumbai with the best of restaurants, nightclubs and shopping arcades and home to many from the film fraternity.