Bangalore Grew On Me

I’ll be honest, I absolutely hated it when I moved here 4 years ago.  With a passion.  And I still wouldn’t really put it as places to visit for tourists because when people come to visit, it’s hard for me to say what they should do. 

But I love the small daily routines that I have here.  I have a favorite brunch place, but maybe it’s my favorite because it’s so happy and there’s a 80% chance I’ll meet someone I know and we can hang out/catch up, which is lovely.

Bangalore has much more character and history than where I grew up.  I love America as a concept, as a dream, as an infrastructural masterpiece.  I grew up in a place that was optimized for commuting to work.  Bangalore, for better or worse, is not optimized for that.  There’s so much traffic you want to CRY.  And when it rains, it literally FLOODS.  But as far as history and culture goes, Bangalore has my hometown beat.  I’m still discovering new types of food every day, that I didn’t even know existed! WHOLE CUISINES that I’m uncovering.  It’s nuts.  And street food.  Oh man.  Streetfood.  SO GOOD.

I love the tiny rituals that I get to participate in.  I love chai and filter coffee. It’s the thing I miss most when I leave India.  Bangalore filter coffee specifically.  And Idli and Vada and Sambar. So delicious.

But most of all, I love the people.  So many intersections of sub cultures it’s insane.  From artists to tech startups to restauranteurs to activists, they’re here.  But mostly I love it because you get the sense that everyone thinks that anything is possible. It’s quite motivating and wonderful to be around.

And that’s why I’m currently crushing on Bangalore.