My friends from outside of Lucknow always ask me why I am so passionate about my City? it is obvious that everyone rates their hometown, or the place they have been living for years, number one.
I was born in Lucknow but lived in different parts of India before finally settling down in Lucknow in 2011. I took the decision after a lot of thought.
Coming from Delhi was little tough in the beginning, but after a few months, or shall I say weeks, It felt like home. Nothing beats the pace of this wonderful city.
Fast enough to never get bored, slow enough to stop and look back at the day spent. It’s a wonderfully balanced city with the perks of a metropolitan city and carefreeness of the small town.
The Old & the New
Like Delhi, which has a New Delhi and an Old Delhi, Lucknow has an Old Lucknow and a Lucknow that’s Posh, well organized and modern.
On one side we have vibrant Aminabad, which is women’s favorite destination for shopping, there is Chowk, Imambara and so many peoples from the Mughal Regime.
And on the other side, we have Gomtinagar, a well organized, well-structured part of Lucknow with Shopping Malls filled with International Brands, and Cafes and Lounges that are equally popular among the millennials.
A Bit of Nostalgia
If you come to Lucknow via train, the Charbagh Station will be the first thing you will see in Lucknow, according to me it is the most beautiful Railway station in India, it’s a heritage in its own.
Back in the 90s (or even in early 2000s), there were more Cycles Rikshaws then Autos and Cabs, and exploring the city was more joyful in the Rikshaw.
One thing that bothers me is, the traffic, which is not managed properly, it’s the City is a chaos between 5 PM to 7 PM when the office hours are done and people rush to their homes. I guess it’s the same for every City in the Country.
If you manage to avoid this time or make peace with it, there is nothing you are going to hate about the city.
Views of Few Lucknowites
I was looking to learn views of other people regarding the life in Lucknow, and I found a Quora thread discussing exactly the same thing.
The answers are written by people who have lived here and know a lot of things about Lucknow.
Like, Zehra Alvi talks about TUNDEY KABAB and RAHEEM’S KULCHE NAHARI which I guess are her favorite places to eat.
She also talks about the old heritages like Gol Darwaza, the Roomi Darwaza, and the Imambara.
The Craft of Chikankari is one of the things Lucknow is famous for. I can feel the excitement in Zehra must be having while writing these words for our favorite city.
And the good things is that every Lucknowite can relate to what she has shared.
Divya Sharma has more to add to the list, she lists the famous parks of Lucknow, there are plenty, so much that I am afraid I’ll miss a few even if I list a dozen here, Nimbu Park, Hathi Park, Globe park, Lohia Park, Ambedkar Park, Buddha Park are to name a few.
Friends from outside of Lucknow have Ambedkar Park on the list of places to visit first when they visit me in Lucknow.
Divya talks about Lucknow Mohotsav, the Lucknow Zoo, and the Marine Drive, none of which you can afford to miss visiting if you are in the City.
It’s been just a few years I am living in the city but it feels like I have been here for ages, and there still so much to explore the city, which I am surely going to do in coming years, and will probably document it on LucknowTips as well.
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