The Kalka-Shimla railway
Never mind the broad-as-a-blue-whale's-back Kalka-Shimla road. Shimla without the 1903 vintage railroad is like Kailash Mansarovar sans the trek. The more-than-five-hour journey may not be the most comfortable or picturesque in the world (the former a possibility if you `drive' up in the cosy little rail car), but your Shimla experience is incomplete if you haven't hung out from the narrow-gauged chugger as it screeches around a bend. Or breathed the soot of a hundred years as it plunges the darkness of dank tunnels. The best time to trundle up is by the early morning shuttle whereby you can breakfast on omelettes and tea amid potted geraniums and sunlight at the end of the kilometre long Barog tunnel.

The Mall
In Shimla, time Malled away is time unavoidably spent. Quite simply, life begins and ends on the Mall. It is the inevitable, irresistible groove of the town's laidback flow and you aren't worth your tweeds if you haven't promenaded back and forth at least a couple of times in the day. Sun-pinked Shimlaites, well-dressed tenderfoot, bent-over coolies, fat furred simians, all jostle for space on the hill station's throbbing thoroughfare. Shops are open till after dark and (human) traffic peaks about an hour before dusk when its shoulder to shoulder with no overtaking. It's amazing how light the wallet becomes, how full the stomach feels and how many bags of shopping dangle from the fingers after an aimless stroll on the Mall.

The lifts
The fast route to upward mobility, from the blue-collar taxi stand on Cart Road to the Mall's middle class melee, structured in two stages, linked with long corridors offering unstupendous views of the town, a ride in the cramped lifts is a welcome convenience though hardly an uplifting experience. For small mercies, cultivate an acquaintanceship with the lift-man or plead small-note bankruptcy. In which case he will probably condescend to waive off the one-way fare. Luggage is supposedly banned, but there are obvious loopholes in the policy.

The Trishul Bakery
Shimla's answer to Fleury's, Trishul, is busy as a hive almost throughout the day. The tiny deli's success lies in simple, honest, unpretentious taste rolled in soft flaky pastry. For once, don't be a tourist-stay away from the chicken burgers and the pineapple pastries. Instead, start with a steaming hot patty, follow up with an airily light cream roll or eclair and take home some cheese straws, lemon rolls and a loaf of fresh bread for high tea later. If you really are in a mood to binge, pack in the mille feuille as well.

The Ridge
All roads lead to the Ridge. There is nothing more sinfully luxurious than spending hours on the stands around the Ridge on a sunny day soaking in lazy, loitering Shimla. Old men gossiping on benches, photographers, shawl-sellers, pony drivers, tourist guides and agents luring customers, honeymooners posing with distant snow peaks, snack vendors, idlers, people passing through-the humming buzz of totally unhurried activity is utterly therapeutic. Be sure to keep your back to the large digital readout of time and temperature for additional insulation from life's realities, but do mosey up behind the display for some tasty chaat. The old, yellow Christ Church, dating back to 1857, looks impassively locked, but you can request the vicar living behind to allow you a look inside. And if you have bothered to stretch yourself to such limits, you might as well dawdle through the very sarkari library next door and complete the circuit.

Tibetan Market
Down the lane from the very unscandalous Scandal Point, much of the row of raised khokhas on one side of a narrow paved walk is womanned by pretty Tibetan lasses, ably aided by young Tibetan dudes. The fare on offer is the usual potpourri of `genuine fake' imported goods-jeans, jackets, T-shirts, bags, caps, umbrellas, etc. Behind the ubiquitous glass case are finer knick-knacks like cigarette-shaped cigarette lighters, musical hair brushes, libido and performance enhancers, Korean nail cutters and cellular phones that are actually transistors. Bargain like hell.

Aunty's
First you have to find it. Step off the Mall next to Beljees and walk down to the Middle Bazaar and then a few yards on a small lane to the right. Now you have to ignore the nondescript cramped interior and look hard for a place amongst the four and a half tables. Then forget the grimy fingers of the little waiter boy and order. It may sound hard, but Aunty's stamp-sized kitchen serves the best Chinese food in Shimla. And it doesn't make you sick later.

The halwai bylane
Bang opposite Trishul, this is the right place to breakfast on poori aloo or channa bhaturas, or snack on bread pakoras, samosas, chaat and jalebis on a Mall-ing halt. Divinely sweet drassas, prepared only in July/September, are a special favourite. Descend lower into the bustle for a good tawa chicken dinner at the New Plaza Restaurant. Mind the steps, they are usually slippery.

The Maria brothers
Dimly lit, as all quintessential antique shops should be, this one deals in books and prints. Its mouth-watering stock of hardbound first editions is suitably untidily stacked on shelves and tables. Unfortunately, Shimla lacks dust or a thin coating would have complemented the scene nicely. Monty Sood, the owner, murmurs the prices only if asked. No doubt his soft rendition without the batting of an eyelid helps to take the sting out of high four and five figure tags. This is truly an Alladin's cave for well-heeled bibliophiles. Poorer ones, browse with your heart in your mouth or try Minerva Book Store further up the street for reprints, 12th editions onward.

Indian Coffee House
The Mall's mobile centres of gossip shift here during late afternoon for overhot or cold coffee as the season may be. As vibrant, cheap, spacious and speedy of service as a coffee home worth its percolator should be. Also serves the best south Indian fare on the Mall.

Lakkad Bazaar
An exhibition of the versatility of wood as a creative medium, just below the Ridge. All kinds of toys, key-chains, walking sticks, jewellery boxes, earrings, clips, massagers, rolling pins, spoons, planters, stationery holders, sailor's wheels and many other artefacts you considered alien to the wooden realm can be rummaged for here. The perfect shopping venue for those disinclined to spend a lot of money,but saddled with a lot of people to oblige back home. A foray into LB leaves you with a nice feeling of shopped-out-without-being-had.

Diwan Chand Atma Ram
The name may sound like a wholesale pickle shop in Chawri Bazaar, but anyone who knows Shimla budgets well heads for this plush showroom. Though they sell other high-fashion clothes, including children's wear, DCAR is most famous for its spiffy woollens. One of those stores where visionaries cultivate personal rapports with the owner for future discounts. Satisfy your craving to splurge here, down on the plains, they'll ask you if you summered in Europe this year.

Gaiety Theatre and Club
Portraits of the Indian Army's erstwhile top brass escort you from the lobby to the interiors of this tie-and-black-shoes club. Though the space inside is also a trifle stuffy, the liquor is cheap and it is still a popular watering hole to drown grey weather in. Temporary memberships are available up to a maximum of three months. Don't forget a peep into the quaint gilted and pillared theatre, complete with curtained box balconies. Sadly, there are very few performances held now, but check out the low-backed bench seats. They are as comfortable as they look not to be.

Viceregal Lodge
A 40-minute slog at a fast clip from town leads you to this grand old building, far from the madding crowd. Its corridors (shut out now to the general public by a spoilsport bureaucracy) once channelled momentous modern Indian history in bulk. The sprawling, manicured lawns enclosed by wide balustrades are however open and are the preferred refuge for romantic dalliances away from the Mall's all-encompassing eyes, and for an idyllic day of sketching magnificent Gothic architecture with wind-vanes, distant white mountains or cavorting couples, take your pick. A cafe serves basic snacks and walks abound in the surrounding forests.

The Cecil
The Oberois opened their hoteliering account in Shimla many decades ago with the Clarks Hotel. But the focus of five-star luxury has shifted to the refurbished and reinvigorated Cecil, a snooty half kilometre from town. Tea in the surreally illuminated (depending on the weather outside) atrium lobby to the strains of the piano is a must. If you do choose something stronger, prices on the comprehensive bar menu start modestly high and peak dizzyingly.