The clothes are beautiful -- if you're a woman, be sure to buy some outfits right away. Men often wear western clothes, but women don't. So you'll feel more comfortable dressed like everyone else, and you'll love what they wear. Comfortable, flexible outfits in beautiful bright colors with block prints or beads or even glitter. You look like a princess! Then you can add bangles, elaborate necklaces, silk scarves, comfortable beaded flat shoes -- and not only will you fit right in, but you'll have all this great stuff to bring back with you after your trip.
It's a crowded, poor city, but safe enough to walk around, as long as you're reasonably street-smart. And people are nice to tourists (Maybe a little too nice! They'll try to sell you things or beg from you everywhere you go. You'll have to learn how to say "no" -- it's hard at first.) It doesn't look like a western city. There are no skyscrapers, but there are beautiful parks, plenty of temples and old moghul buildings, and little narrow back streets where incense bubbles from pots into the road, and everything you buy -- handbags and silks and whatnot -- comes home smelling like incense.
There are stray monkeys and stray dogs and stray cows everywhere! They're part of the city -- just regular residents. If you stay in a neighborhood hotel instead of an isolated, ritzy one, then when you sleep at night, you can hear people talking and dogs barking -- it's always busy outside, but in a kind of pleasant way.
The cars are playing dodge cars all the time -- the driving looks insane. But you don't have to drive. Just ask your hotel to get you an all-day driver for a very low price, or you can always flag-down a tut-tut (a cute little motorized ...thingy) that'll take you wherever you want to go. Or you can walk.
India is cheap for westerners -- cheaper than you'll guess from the hotel prices. So enjoy the shopping! In Delhi, I recommend the Cottage Emporium.
The food throughout Delhi is spicy, delicious, and it's easy to eat as a vegetarian there. In fact, a lot of restaurants are labeled either "veg" or "non-veg" -- because vegetarianism is so common.
