Walking from one end of Bandra’s most famous promenades to another is full of fun and discovery. Photos Courtesy: File pics
Roll through
By day, Carter Road seems like an ordinary, quiet, tiled stretch meant for brisk walking or strolling. By evening, it’s full of kids zig-zagging on wheels, aunties speed-walking, and teens pretending they aren’t showing off their latest skateboards. The energy is infectious! This skateboarding park was one of the first public ones to crop up in the city, and it has seen its share of renovations and fresh coats of paint. Ample regulars and a skateboarding community spend their evenings here. You can come with skates, a board, to enquire about classes or just watch from the sidelines
Time: Open 24 hours
Cool off!
Walk down the strip, and the spot where the mangroves hug the promenade, you will spot a colourful truck parked on the road. Its exteriors scream 100 per cent natural ice cream, and one bite is all you need to know that it’s true. Self-taught ice cream maker Sayali Karle runs The Karle’s ice cream truck, but serves shakes and juices too. You can grab a scoop of vanilla, sitaphal, mango, strawberry, or chocolate ice cream that is homemade, and preservative-free. Flavours like guava chilli, sitaphal, and mango are popular—but not always available, as Karle makes fresh ice-creams with whatever fruit is available in that season. Karle’s scoops have that unimitable homemade touch that you can’t get enough of. The Karle’s has been parked at Carter Road for a year now, and is gradually gaining a following
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Price: Rs 60 onwards
Contact: 8419927907
Grab a healthy snack
No gimmicks here, just piping hot soups, crunchy roasted snacks, sandwiches that don’t skimp on filling, and juices that actually taste like fruit. Pallavi Thakkar has been parked here for 27 years now, and is basically an unofficial Carter Road mascot for healthy snacks. Thakkar runs a cottage industry of sorts, employing women to cook and pack roasted snacks including khakra, masala channa, soya sticks, chiwra, and more. Every morning and evening, she loads the back of an Omni with containers full of soups, juices, and boxes full of sandwiches. Everything is cooked fresh, locally sourced, non-fried, and sugar-free. Try the hot soup of the day, a veggie sandwich, or a jamun juice, which is a bestseller here.
Time: 7:30 – 9 am and 6 – 9 pm.
Price: R100 onwards
Contact: +91 9821252325
Jungle gymming
A welcome riot of colour and climbing frames, the Rajwani Modi Children’s Park gives kids the ideal space to burn off steam and parents who need ten minutes of peace. There are swings, slides, and enough sand to build a small castle. In a city with few parks, this little fenced area that is well-cooled thanks to the sea breeze is a happy place for that much-needed break from screens.
Time: Gated, time not stated
Dog watch away
A fenced-in slice of freedom where dogs run leash-free and humans swap names of pet groomers, Carter Road’s dog park is small, but it’s where the pets are the happiest. You will find everyone here: pugs, indies, Golden Retrievers, Huskies, and the occasional overexcited Beagle in a bowtie. They have ample room for zoomies, little obstacles to train and practice manoeuvres, and a place where they can meet and befriend fellow furry creatures. Don’t have a dog? Come anyway, it’s a joy to see and pet (with permission, of course) big and small dogs at their happiest
Time: 5 am - 11 pm
Squeeze in a workout
The kids have their jungle gym, the adults have an open-air one, too, located right across Starbucks in the little seating area. You can look at the sun rise or set as you work up a sweat—no excuses here, it’s free, breezy, and better than an enclosed studio. Regulars swear by the view, and you will spot early risers doing pull-ups and sunset joggers squeezing in a quick stretch. Even if you are not in the mood to monkey around on some bars, you could use the stepper. If there is a crowd or a queue, squat or get an ab workout in the meantime, as there is ample room to exercise with a view
Time: Open 24 hours
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