Walking in Mumbai

My favorite memories of London, Paris, New York, and Berlin are from walking. I think walking around town is a quintessential part of a metropolitan experience (and why LA will never be real city). Perhaps, this is why Bombay is often referred to as a "failed metropolis" by the literary types: you can't walk in South Bombay (take a look below)*

1) There are no sidewalks; the few that exist are under construction or falling apart

2) Air Pollution is so extreme that walking in Bombay is "injurious to your health" (typical warning on cigarette packs here)

3) The traffic is so overflowing (human, animal and 2/3/4-wheeled vehicle) that you feel like you are constantly in danger of being hit

4) Most annoying of all is that if you're walking, you never know what you'll step in. In New York, the dangers are occasional chewing gum or undisposed dog waste. In Bombay, land of true choice, you get your pick of at least 3 kinds of shit (dog, cow, and horse) and an infinite number of sticky filthy things a person could dream of.

I heard Bandra (remember, the Williamsburg of South Mumbai's Manhattan) has some nice sidewalks. I need to go there during the day one of these days.


* To you nay-sayers, Marine Drive doesn't count. It's not like walking in the city. It's more like walking on the side-walk on the West Side Hwy in NYC.