Bangalore Trip Part II: And then there was the time when I went to a city with friendly people, great weather and sidewalks

After a trip to Bangalore and Mysore last weekend with my friend Nina, I’ve spent the past week or so thinking about how my “India experience” would have been different if I had lived outside of Delhi. Just to review, my excursions thus far have consisted of mostly tourist destinations: Mussoorie (a hill station), Kerala (“God’s Own Country”), Goa (ahhhhhhhh the beach), the Taj, and of course the rural villages when I go on field visits for work.

The Bangalore trip however was partly touristy with some city exploration (and of course the overnight excursion to Mysore in Part I) and partly just hanging out in a city similar to a weekend trip from Chicago to New York to visit friends back in the US. My goal was always to convince the New Yorkers (namely the trio of Stein, Lipton and Fernandes) to come to Chicago and vice versa.

I can say hands-down, undoubtedly, absolutely no question, I would have loved to live in Bangalore as part of my time in India. Not only is Bangalore a cleaner, more livable city than Delhi but the people are just generally more friendly. In terms of friendliness and levels of greenery, it’s kind of like Chicago vs. NYC; sorry homies but no question it’s true. Now, let’s be clear: Bangalore still suffers from paralyzing traffic, seemingly ubiquitous road construction and some level of pollution. However, you don’t walk outside every day and feel like your surrendering your lungs to the devil. And another thing, Bangalore has SIDEWALKS. Yes I know, it’s truly a novel concept. Unobstructed walkways that allow you to get safely from place to place without using any form of transportation. These so called “sidewalks” are actually present in neighborhoods as well. Sure Delhi has many beautiful, tree-lined colonies including New Friends Colony, Defense Colony, Jor Bagh, GK, etc. but ultimately, they don’t compare to what I experienced in Bangalore.

Then there is the moderate climate. Temperatures range from lows in the 60′s to high’s in the low 90′s. I compare this climate to Delhi’s winter with 40 degree temps and no legitimate forms of heating and Delhi’s summer with ludicrous temperatures consistently between 105-110 degrees. Bangalore also has a waste management system whereby trucks stop by people’s homes everyday to pick up trash. This compares to the burning of waste everywhere and anywhere in Delhi.

Basically, I could go on and on glorifying Bangalore in comparison to Delhi. Maybe I’ve just become too cynical and/or maybe with Delhi as a benchmark, all other places in India must be placed in comparison. Yet without a doubt, spending a weekend in Bangalore has more or less confirmed what I kind of city I prefer: one with green spaces, fresh air, friendly people, abundant food options, and culture. Ideal climate and waste management systems are nice too.