Posted Jun 15, 2000; updated Oct 06, 2004
Article and Research by our Indian Correspondent.

How to Get There

The U.S. Consulate at Chennai is at the very heart of the city - 220, Anna Salai (still popularly referred to by its old, Anglicised name of Mount Road) at the Gemini Circle adjacent to the well-known Anna Salai (aka Mount Road) flyover (Tel no. 91.44.2811.2060 and 91.44.2811.2000). This is about 12 kms from the Chennai Airport, about 4 kms from the Central Railway Junction (also where private bus transport services to other states and cities are available), and 8 kms from the State Transport Bus Terminus.

A Word of Advice on the Modes of Transportation Available

Unless you are familiar with the buses, which are generally overcrowded, you may be left to the mercies of unscrupulous auto rickshaw drivers. Most meters are doctored (set to simmer in local parlance) and should you be offered a metered ride you may end up shelling out a great deal more than the cost of the trip should actually be. You therefore will have to bargain before you find someone who will agree to a cost of about 10 rupees per kilometer (though a distance of about 4kms can be arranged - depending on your skills and ability to keep cool - for about 30 rupees which is still far more than any of the honest rickshaw-wallah in Mumbai will charge).  

From the airport there is the Prepaid Taxi service (at a counter near the exit). Here, one pays a fixed fare (avoiding the hassle of haggling, but perhaps paying more than the fair rate), as per the tariff card maintained by the taxi counter. These are the typical black-and-yellow cabs. Private cabs (no standard colour) are also available a couple of counters away. Though a  little more expensive, these vehicles are better maintained. There are also "call taxis." These are reasonably priced and convenient; some are air-conditioned and others are not. Just call to request one - even at midnight. They do cost more from 10pm to 6am, however, they are prompt and reliable with numerous operators available. Some of the well-known operators are Fast Track (91.44.2473.2020) and Bharathi Call Taxi (91.44.2814.223). There is also the State Transport running a bus service (comfortable seats with ample luggage space) from the airport to the Central and Egmore railway stations, which passes via the American Consulate as well. For a flat fare of Rs.50, you are allowed to disembark wherever you wish, just tell the driver; or seek assistance from the driver to let you off at, say, the Consulate.

The State Transport long-haul bus services originate and terminate from the Thiruvalluvar bus station at Koyambedu - about 9 kms from the Consulate. For those looking for other means of traveling besides train or plane to and from the city, this is the place to look. The buses here are strictly functional in terms of comfort and the charges are nicely subsidised. For deluxe air suspension buses (ambitiously described as "airbuses") there are private transport operators with a bus terminus adjacent to the Koyambedu State Transport Bus Terminus. Comfortable, air-conditioned buses are available for most destinations. For a higher price, depending upon your destination, you get to travel the longer, overnight journeys in smooth comfort. Two well-known, private operators are KPN Travels and Sharma Travels.

If you are in a good hotel, their travel desk will assist you. From the Central Railway Station, call taxis are available at a separate booth. Otherwise, to reach the Embassy you will have to go with the auto man's demands to a certain extent and of course, caveat emptor for the rest.

Where to Stay

There is a range of options, all within a ten minute drive of the Consulate.

The Park 5 Star : diagonally opposite the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. Located at 601, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 006, the telephone number is 91.44.2827.4911. This hotel can be confused with the Park Sheraton on TTK Road, so provide specific instructions to your transport operator.

The Taj Connemara 5 Star : Offering either the room-only or executive option, which includes breakfast and airport transfers. There is a 24-hour multi-cuisine coffee shop, a Continental grill, a Chettinad cuisine speciality restaurant, a swimming pool, health club and other amenities. This fine hotel is about 2kms away from the Consulate. They can be reached at 91.44.2852.0123.

The Chola Sheraton 5 Star : With the usual swimming pool, health club, 24-hour coffee shop, and speciality restaurants, this hotel is less than a kilometer from the Consulate on the Radhakrishnan Salai (it frequently goes by its older, still colloquially-used name of Cathedral Road). They can be reached at 91.44.2811.0101 or via eMail fom.chola@welcomgroup.com.

The Taj Coromandel 5 Star : This very lovely hotel on the Nungambakkam High Road, less than a kilometer from the Embassy, is of the most blue-blooded hue even in this exclusive stratosphere of fine hospitality. It has everything and more in terms of a certain luxury and style. They offer what they call their Superior room or the lesser Luxury room. Call them at 91.44.2827.2827.

The Residency Towers - Category unknown : Located at 115 Thyagaraya Road, T Nagar, Chennai - 600 017, the telephone number is 91.44.2815.6363. Noted as a great value, offering the latest in technology, and good food.

The Tulip Aruna (formerly, Quality Inn Aruna) - 4 Star : Just a ten-minute drive from the Consulate on the Sterling Road end of the same part of the town. This hotel includes breakfast in the cost of the room and, in addition to the coffee shop, restaurants, pool, florists, and bookshop, they have a disco. They can be reached at 91.44.2825.9090.

The New Woodlands - 3 Star : This star rating is a claim which doesn't quite match up to the general facade of the hotel. Still, this is one of the oldest players in the hospitality industry here, with a certain sense of space so lacking in the matchbox high-rise style of congested, more modern construction. They have tariff choices ranging from a double AC room or the Deluxe AC version, or else the single non-AC room - all with TV and (chargeable) phone connection while a swimming pool is available, as well. Just 1½ kms from the Consulate on the Radhakrishnan Salai (Salai just means road in Tamil, the official language of the State of Tamil) this is recommended for its modest charges, reputation, and good location. Their number is 91.44.2811.0717.

The Palmgrove - 2 Star : Only a double room option is available (no single rooms) and the cottages of this hotel, which is a five-minute distance from the Consulate. There is no swimming pool but a TV is in every room and there are 2 vegetarian restaurants. Reach them at 91.44.2827.1881.

If all you need is a room somewhere in the general 2 km radius around the Consulate, you also have the Nirmala Dakshin (91.44.2852.0545) near the LIC building on Anna Salai, or the Savera (91.44.2811.4700) on the Radhakrishnan Salai, or even the 4-Star President on the Kodambakkam High Road (91.44.2847.2211).

[Editor's Note : This list is the result of a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, survey.]

Services You will Need

Photocopying of Documents : Diagonally across the road from the Consulate, on the other side of the Gemini flyover (officially the Anna Salai flyover), are the commercial office buildings of the Parsn Manere and the Parsn Commercial complexes, housing every conceivable service shop likely to be needed by anyone on official business. Kwality Xerox on the ground floor of the Parsn Commercial Complex (Phone 91.44.2827.5027) is available for multi-colour photocopying of any size, laser printing, and bulk photocopying and binding. You could also opt for Karthik Graphics (91.44.2827.4480) on the 1st floor at the Parsn Manere, offering options of AO and A3 sizes, tracing paper and OHP film. Mostly, however, basic purpose photocopying is what is needed and it is easily accomplished in this location with such shops competing, keeping the prices low and the service uniformly reliable. The area falls totally silent on Sundays, with most shops downing shutters weekly. Otherwise, you can find one or the other open from 9am to 9pm.

Passport-Size Photograph : Leaving behind the smaller shops, one could opt for the reliable, brightly-laid-out and well-equipped Konica Colour Lab on Nungambakkam High Road (at 50 meters from the Parsn complexes, opposite Indian Oil Bhavan on the first floor of the Apex Plaza, right above the Landmark bookstore). Phone : 91.44.2827.5878 and 91.44.2826.4562. Frontal snap and side profile, passport size (12 copies each) are reasonably priced and delivered in 2 hours. They also have the Photo-in-one-hour facility, but the difference in quality is stark and the time differential is so negligible, one should plan to opt for the regular version. They are open Sundays, 9am to 5:30pm and on all other days between 8:30am and 8pm. Very similar and equally recommended is the Fuji outlet opposite the Parsn complex.

Where to Eat : Hardly a five-minute walk from the U.S. Consulate is a new shopping complex, called Ispahani Center, located at 123/124 nangambakkam High Road (opposite Landmark Bookstore), Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600 034. It is great for a quick bite, coffee, or dessert at Marry Brown, Coffee Day, or Sweet Chariot, respectively.

There are some very popular restaurants available close at hand. The Palimar at the Parsn complex maintains its long-standing reputation of good food at a good price - their a la carte as well as buffet fare is a reliable bet. Just next door, on the Kodambakkam High Road, is the Komala Vilas  - basically South Indian fast food presented very hygienically and pleasantly. Of much the same category and equally tasty is the fast food chain outlet of the Saravana Bhavan on Peters Road (about 200 meters away from the Consulate, very near the Thousand Lights Mosque). The Drive in Woodlands is an oasis of pleasing greenery (its only and perhaps singular charm - the food is just passable) in the heart of the metro - about 100 meters away from the Embassy on the Radhakrishnan Salai. Quite coincidentally, all these restaurants are vegetarian but for sheer convenience and quality, they remain the best options. For just a quick bite you have the long established Bosotto Brothers bakery on the Nungambakkam High Road or you could opt for the equally nice and nearby Cakes n Bakes.

Time to pass and everywhere to go : So there you are, waiting and waiting and, well, waiting... . If you want to get your mind off the stress of the situation, you are certainly in the right part of the city. Check out the Landmark Bookstore (directions in the paragraph above) - a veritable treasure trove of books, CDs, audio tapes, cards, and gifts, just a 3-minute walk from the Embassy. You could walk (5 mins) over to the Cottage Industries Exposition, opposite the Taj Coromandel Hotel on the Nungambakkam High Road and have a look at the breathtaking Indian arts and crafts. A ten-minute drive and you could be at the old-fashioned, high-ceiling, spaced-out Higginbothams Booksellers or the exquisite,  sometimes even affordable, Tamil Nadu Government crafts outlet Poompuhar on the main Anna Salai itself. Nungambakkam High Road has Swarowski crystal, among other such exclusive names. Khader Nawaz Khan Road has various private stores selling the very best in Indian handwork and textiles - carpets, cushions, and curios uncommon. Or try Radhakrishnan Salai