Metro to the Esplanade

The stretch of Esplanade, where the Grand Hotel stands, leading in from dalhousie and Central Avenue, is just full of really old landmark shops, like Cuthbertson's on top. Of course, right next to Cuthbertsons is the much-recent Kanpur Leather Stores, and Premankur accused me of bias in that I didn't include it in my frame here! :)

Easiest way to get there? Hop on the metro, and get off at the Esplanade stop.

Once you come out of the subterranean station and spy the Shaheed Minar (Tower of Martyrs), previously the Ochterlony Monument, standing tall to your right, against the green expanse of the Maidan, you know you've come to the right place!


For the record, Esplanade is a major 'rallying point ' (pun intended) for the city's political parties. It's like, every time a party wants to annoucne a protest or whatever, theyt all descend on Esplanade and the Maidan and declare a rally or a bandh or whatever. With the result, traffic in central Calcutta comes to a standstill. Botheration!