St Petersburg
30F
Nevsky Prospekt is the main tourist attraction in St Petersburg. It is commercial and flashy, distinguished and incredibly elegant, filthy and loud, and representative of all the contradictions that one finds in this country. Although it is the primary place most visitors see, Nevsky is not what Russia is really like at all... it is no more than a facade. Nonetheless, it is such a treat to get a real hoagie from Subway or a burger from Carl Jr's.
Nevsky is like the Russian equivalent of 5th avenue. The street is lined with ultra high-end companies like Versache and D&G. Everything is ridiculously expensive. One of the major shopping hubs of the city is a huge building called Гостиный Двор (Gustiny Dvor). It was designed by master architect Francesco Bartolommeo Rastrelli (who also planned the Winter Palace and the Smolny Catherdral) and at the time of its opening was the first shopping mall in the world. Today, at more than a kilometer long, it contains more than one-hundred overpriced stores. It is amazing though, in the sense that if you need to buy something... anything... you can find it at Gustiny Dvor.
Among the other sites on Nevsky Prospekt: The Russian National Library, Kazansky Cathedral, and the Grand Europe Hotel. Also, Nevsky is one of three major arterial boulevards in St Petersburg that radiate outwards from the Admiralty Shipyards. This makes for an incredible photograph if you are daring enough to stop for a few seconds in the middle of the cross walk.
I spend a lot of time on Nevsky, but make sure to spend at least twice as much time exploring the "real" Russia. It is an amazing place to visit, especially at night when all the buildings are lit up, but while there, it is too easy to forget where you are. Perhaps this is/was why it is so popular, and why so much time and money has been spent by the government to preserve it.
30F
Nevsky Prospekt is the main tourist attraction in St Petersburg. It is commercial and flashy, distinguished and incredibly elegant, filthy and loud, and representative of all the contradictions that one finds in this country. Although it is the primary place most visitors see, Nevsky is not what Russia is really like at all... it is no more than a facade. Nonetheless, it is such a treat to get a real hoagie from Subway or a burger from Carl Jr's.
Nevsky is like the Russian equivalent of 5th avenue. The street is lined with ultra high-end companies like Versache and D&G. Everything is ridiculously expensive. One of the major shopping hubs of the city is a huge building called Гостиный Двор (Gustiny Dvor). It was designed by master architect Francesco Bartolommeo Rastrelli (who also planned the Winter Palace and the Smolny Catherdral) and at the time of its opening was the first shopping mall in the world. Today, at more than a kilometer long, it contains more than one-hundred overpriced stores. It is amazing though, in the sense that if you need to buy something... anything... you can find it at Gustiny Dvor.
Among the other sites on Nevsky Prospekt: The Russian National Library, Kazansky Cathedral, and the Grand Europe Hotel. Also, Nevsky is one of three major arterial boulevards in St Petersburg that radiate outwards from the Admiralty Shipyards. This makes for an incredible photograph if you are daring enough to stop for a few seconds in the middle of the cross walk.
I spend a lot of time on Nevsky, but make sure to spend at least twice as much time exploring the "real" Russia. It is an amazing place to visit, especially at night when all the buildings are lit up, but while there, it is too easy to forget where you are. Perhaps this is/was why it is so popular, and why so much time and money has been spent by the government to preserve it.
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