THE NAMO GRAND CENTRAL PARK, KOLSHET ROAD, THANE, MAHARASHTRA

Photo Travelogue :


Its been a year since The Grand Central Park was innaugurated. Its built on similar lines of the famous Central Park ( of F.R.I.E.N.D.S series fame ) in New York city. It is located in Kolshet area of Thane. I was planning to visit it because of its mega-hype, but, somehow kept missing it. One Monday, I finally reached it only to be informed that it remains closed on Mondays. @Duh! Anyways, another day while returning from some place else, I decided to drop in as it was on the way. It was a Sunday and I was aware that being a holiday, it'd be crowded, but I took my chances. It was almost evening and there was barely any sun light left, I tried to make the most of it. However, the ticket queue was so long, I almost gave up and returned. But something told me, since I came so long...lets just hang on a bit longer. Finally, I got my ticket and went quickly in. There's heavy security in place and no eatables or plastic bottles are allowed. One can buy water inside ( get half refund if you return the bottle ) and there's also a restaurant coming up. The area is big and divided into different sections - Kids play zone that was the busiest and noisiest, themed gardens, artificial water falls, lake with a bridge and beautiful fountains, plenty of open spaces to sit and well manicured landscapes. I loved the place but hated the crowds. People everywhere...touching everything with guards whistling and trying to stop them from touching things. Phew! And yea, the place had lots of interesting selfie points, but one could hardly click a selfie without someone coming into the frame. I guess early morning visit would be best to avoid crowds and also not on holidays. Anyways, I just went from one spot to another taking it all in. The park is surrounded on all sides by tall residential towers. I think park view from the top would be WOW!


thats the ticket line...all waiting to get in...


welcome to namo grand central park...different ticket rates for different people and on holidays it costs extra...


walking in...


the park has lots of greeney and cozy corners...


also, has proper directions to each attraction...


childrens play area...all types of games imaginable...





come, lets sit...shall we?


loved the artificial waterfall...


the famous two way bridge...


the beautiful lake with fountains...


lovely area to chill and relax...


and then, comes the themed gardens...




mughal gardens...






moroccan gardens...






chinese and japanese gardens...


random fountain...sowwy for the grainy pics...it was getting dark :| my phone goes blind after dark :s


pretty luminated flora trellis ...there are two of these...







and it had gotten dark...


evening lights make the place even more beautiful...

After spending almost an hour, I decided to head back home as it finally got really dark. Would I visit again? Well, no...its pretty no doubt and currently, a novelty, but, I guess its more meant for the locals to enjoy. The entrance road to the park is also good and serene with plenty of benches to sit and a nice fountain greeting you. Its quite far from the Railway station so unless you have your own vehicle, its not worth the trouble to get there. There's however the Iskcon temple nearby, so, one can make a duo-trip and cover both. As it was late, I skipped it. I wished it was closer to my home then I'd have definately made it a point to visit regularly. It has special monthly passes for locals.


Namo Grand Central Park is an urban public park located on Kolshet Road in Thane, India. The 20.5-acre project includes themed parks, a three-acre lake with landscaped promenade, bridge for selfies and various other facilities like a 400m jogging track, amphitheater and an open gymnasium among others ( wiki ). Linking to Skywatch & MyWorldThruMyCameraLens
Address : Kalptaru Parkcity Grand Central Park, Kolshet Rd, Kolshet Industrial Area, Thane West, Thane, Maharashtra 400607
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BEAUTIFUL PARSIK HILL DURING MONSOONS

Photo Travelogue :


If you are a hill lover, but donot want to go away from the city, then Bombay has two beautifull hills ranges that it offers. One is Yeoor Hills and the other, Parsik hill. They are just on the edge of the city and doable within an hour each. While Yeoor is on the buffer zone of the SGNP, the Parsik on the other hand runs off the eastern part - from thane to navi mumbai. Its quite massive, around 15 sq kms, and height reaching around 2000ft at certain points. The hills turn magical during monsoons.


one can spot the hills from far distance...in this case, while arriving from Kalyan side...


the hills faces the huge expanse of mangroves below that houses rare and exotic migratory birds...


clouds looming above the wetlands...


civilisation always mars natural beauty...a necessary evil? but sadly, with many illegal encroachments...


perched on top of 780 steps and 1500 feet height is the famous mumbra devi temple...


close up view...there's a unique flattened vertical rock that stands out immediately, even from a distance...







the hills turn blue green with several waterfalls during monsoons...


there are couple of reserve forests in the entire range...


trekkers and rock climbers delight...




bewitching hills that always calls out...


stunning nature...


the massive parsik hill at the backdrop of a lake...





Parsik Hill is a hill in the Mumbai metropolitan area, in the Thane district of Maharashtra, India. It has a rail tunnel called Parsik tunnel. It is one of the longest and oldest tunnels in India and Asia ( wiki ).
Address : Parsik Hill, Maharashtra, India.
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