Some Insights ( St. Petersburg, Russia)
Dec 1st, 2005, 06:25 PM
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Some Insights ( St. Petersburg, Russia)
Hello there,
A bit about myself and why I think my proposal might be of insterest
and mutually benefitial.
1) I'm a native of St. Petersburg.
2) 10 years of the living experience in the West (USA)
3) Way overpriced, underdeveloped and corrupt tourist sector of this
city ( and all Russia in general, I guess ).
4) The lack of the personal, customer-oriented service.
5) My own experience as an employee of the two well-known, major hotels in
St. Petersburg.
This is about three years as I got back to my motherland and all these
years I wonder if it was a right decision. Unfortunately, my family situation
( and other concerns ), didn't leave me another choice.
We will start right at the beginning. The transfer from Sheremetevo I to
Sheremetevo II. ( I needed one, because Airflot didn't offer direct
New York -- St. Petersburg flight ). This was supposed to be a free
transfer, but to make use of it, one has to find it first. You will be
surrounded by ten or more " taxi drivers ". Mind you, you will never
ever find any legal, metered taxies near airports and major hotels.
In fact, they are prohibited to stay there by who ... do you think ?
The answer is simple -- mafia. ( And somebody on this board or other
argued that such thing exists ). It is. You won't be robbed ( at this
point, sorry, more on this later on ) in a classical meaning of this
word, but you will pay anything from $50 to $100 one way to the city.
In comparision, the public transportation will get you anywhere in the
city limits for $0.5 to $1.5. I have used to pay $25 from Manhattan
to JFK and a LIMO would arrive from Brooklyn.
More likely, you will be travelling with a luggage and tired. At this
point, it would be practical to consider a " real " taxi or a private
driver. To hire a private driver from an airport to the hotel and vice
versa is your best bet, because the car arrival depends on the " local
drivers ", see above ), where a private ( unmarked as a taxi ) car will
always get there. In the hotels, ask the concierge to book a metered
taxi for you ( sometimes they're reluctant to do so, hotels have their
own fleet with the intent you use it ). Insist. Hotel's cars ( usually
luxurous makes of Volvos, Mercedes and BWMs ) are good and safe option
for those not on a tight budget. Expect to pay from $15 - 20 for a no-
more-than-a-mile ride. If anything, walk out your hotel and move one
or two blocks away. First, you will need to know how legal taxis look
like. These are black ( with some sort of a taxi sign on the roof, you'll
figure one out ), grey or yellow ( similar to NYC cabs ). All taxies
have to be Russian make called " Volga ". If it isn't , it's not legal
( even if it has a taxi sign on it ). I consider them reasonably priced,
though definitely not cheap.
Hotels.
In the post Soviet era, all decent hotels were "privatized". This means
that SOME people, employed by the hotels could get their shares in the
hotel's revenues. Once viewed by many as a good idea to work harder and
make more money, in reality turned out to be yet another opportunity
for communist leaders and their children to live even better. After getting
rid of all " politically incorrect " stock holders, they became monopolistic
dictators of those hotels. You can only imagine what type of service to
expect. In the author's view -- none. In short, if you plan to visit
St. Petersburg and stay in major, four - five star hotels, do so off season,
January through an April. Otherwise, be prepared to spend your vacation at
the Grand Central Terminal-like environment. I did, with the only difference
I was paid doing this. In your particular case, this excitement will be
catered to you as low as $100 - 400 per night. The managers, who are almost
always the relatives of the owners, negotiate the large group deals for the
hotels up to %70 off the regular price; and owners could care less since
this would be the same amount as if hotel was occupied by people actually
paying the advertised fee. How big are those groups? The five buses at
once, for instance. ( I think, I saw less on Grand Central, so probably
this analogy isn't best ). In addition, if you're wondering why the
car's alarm down your window performed oratories all night long and why
no action was taken to stop it even after calling reception desk, know,
the local sewing factory was throwing a party in the hotel's restaurant.
Every inch of an unoccupied square meter has to be rented, especially
when you got this meter for free.
What does it leave us with ? Many people opted for the home stays.
I can't say for everyone, but if I go on vacation, I'd like to have
my very own accomodations. I would want to enjoy a peace it provides
or where I can take an advantage of its privacy. Luckily, such
opportunity exists. Recently, a friend of mine called and asked if I
could find an inexpensive place for him to stay. He wanted it to be
near the center and nicely renovated. ( They call it here Euro-
renovation; and indeed, these places usually look neat, modern and
with a good lighting ). I have picked a couple of local newspapers
with a real estate listings and started to call. After about fourth
try, I have scheduled an appointment to see the actual appartment,
which was conveniently located near the center, overlooking the
famous the Peter and Paul's fortress. For only $50 per night, my friend
enjoyed the clean and sunny studio with kitchen and ... jaccuzzi.
We've been told that for $100, we could have a one bedroom apartment
with the swimming pool. ( This was declined, as my friend suspected
he'd get into the trouble of making his girlfriend out ).
Safety.
Unfortunately, I must admit that all that had been said about Russia's
high crime rate is true. Working in the hotel, this was one of my
responsibilities, to help victims. There wasn't a single day without
the incident of pickpocketting or a robbery, but strangly enough,
the people to whom those unpleasant things happened were very alike.
For instance, there are certain bus routes where pickpocketers operate.
These are mostly near large hotels and train stations. Knowing from
my personal experience which buses to avoid and being aware of that
some hotel's guests wanted to take this bus to the city center, this
was adviced to them to not do this with the explaination of the situation.
This was often ignored. ( " We've already took this bus yesturday, all
was fine " ). Or, directing some lonely visitor to a nearest subway station,
( metro ) and advising to take a bit longer route to it when alone
( he was told that there was a very straightforward way ), resulted in
the robbery. I'd consider to avoid public transportation by the visitors
except for metro and the minibuses called " marshrutkas ". The last is
optimal for the people on the limited budget. The official taxis is the
best way to get around for a middle class people. ( BTW, the tips are
expected, no matter what your tour operator says or what I or you think
about it ). Do not give less than a $1 to a taxi driver for a regular ,
in the city limits ride, or , give nothing. Any tip less than a $1 will
offend the person. In hotels, anything from $2 - 5 to bellmen, maids is
very reasonable. These people's monthly income is about $150. In rubles,
100 -200 will give you a VERY nice day. If you hire a car for longer
periods of time and price seems right to you, consider a $5 as a good
starting point.
The phone and the internet.
To bring your own cell phone into the country is a MUST, otherwise
you will pay about $1/min. for domestic calls, $5/min. for international
calls and all in between for former USSR republics. If you're traveling
from US, get yourself one of those " dual - band " gsm phones. The
frequencies switch will allow you to use it. Regular gsm phones sold
in US will not work here. You either have to check with your local
company if you'll be able to call from Russia or get prepaid SIM card
in St. Petersburg and use one of the international prepaid cards which
also can be found here. All of this will cost you about $20 ( SIM +
prepaid international card ) and will give you approximately one hour +
of international airtime. Once again, buy one of those " dual - band "
phones in States; in Russia, the phone will cost you minimum $200
( and yes, for Russians too ). I would suggest on using your cell phone
plus laptop, pocketPC for internet connection if you're savvy, if not,
very few hotels have free WI-FI spots. Others will charge you up to
$50/hr.. Using the hotel's business center computer or one of the
city's internet cafe for the internet access are the viable options
also, but still expensive or unconvenient. I think that using your
domestic phone operator is the best option.
The food.
The food is great in St. Petersburg. Along with luxurious, the Imperial
style restaurants serving traditional Russian dishes, where one can get
a nostalgic taste of the noble past, you may notice quite a few McDonalds,
Sbarros, Pizzas and even Chinese restaurants. Expect to pay the same amount
as in your home country.
The Culture.
The Russian culture is monolitic. I have to remind you, there wasn't
any single day of democracy, ever. As a result, the Soviet Union lives
its virtual life, straight off the people's minds, with the exception
of some younger people. Many of them succeeded only because of realizing
that they're on their own. Others ( and their parents ) are still waiting
when utterly corrupted government bestow a better life upon them. You
have a much better chance to find something in common ( despite the fact
you might be much older ) with a person in his/her 30th..
What to see.
This will depend on who you are and what is of interest to you. If you're
into the palaces, Marble, Menshikov, Konstantinovsky, Stroganoff might
be a good starting point. Do you travel with kids? Then the Artillery
museum, Aurora ( the legendary battleship ), Zoo, Circus, Fairy - Tale
Puppet Theater are on our list. I would tailor your visit to St. Petersburg
according to your needs and finances.
With your questions, comments, criticism, suggestions, please
address your e-mail to [email protected]
( Remove " NOSPAM " from e-mail address ), or post on the board.
Best regards,
German.
A bit about myself and why I think my proposal might be of insterest
and mutually benefitial.
1) I'm a native of St. Petersburg.
2) 10 years of the living experience in the West (USA)
3) Way overpriced, underdeveloped and corrupt tourist sector of this
city ( and all Russia in general, I guess ).
4) The lack of the personal, customer-oriented service.
5) My own experience as an employee of the two well-known, major hotels in
St. Petersburg.
This is about three years as I got back to my motherland and all these
years I wonder if it was a right decision. Unfortunately, my family situation
( and other concerns ), didn't leave me another choice.
We will start right at the beginning. The transfer from Sheremetevo I to
Sheremetevo II. ( I needed one, because Airflot didn't offer direct
New York -- St. Petersburg flight ). This was supposed to be a free
transfer, but to make use of it, one has to find it first. You will be
surrounded by ten or more " taxi drivers ". Mind you, you will never
ever find any legal, metered taxies near airports and major hotels.
In fact, they are prohibited to stay there by who ... do you think ?
The answer is simple -- mafia. ( And somebody on this board or other
argued that such thing exists ). It is. You won't be robbed ( at this
point, sorry, more on this later on ) in a classical meaning of this
word, but you will pay anything from $50 to $100 one way to the city.
In comparision, the public transportation will get you anywhere in the
city limits for $0.5 to $1.5. I have used to pay $25 from Manhattan
to JFK and a LIMO would arrive from Brooklyn.
More likely, you will be travelling with a luggage and tired. At this
point, it would be practical to consider a " real " taxi or a private
driver. To hire a private driver from an airport to the hotel and vice
versa is your best bet, because the car arrival depends on the " local
drivers ", see above ), where a private ( unmarked as a taxi ) car will
always get there. In the hotels, ask the concierge to book a metered
taxi for you ( sometimes they're reluctant to do so, hotels have their
own fleet with the intent you use it ). Insist. Hotel's cars ( usually
luxurous makes of Volvos, Mercedes and BWMs ) are good and safe option
for those not on a tight budget. Expect to pay from $15 - 20 for a no-
more-than-a-mile ride. If anything, walk out your hotel and move one
or two blocks away. First, you will need to know how legal taxis look
like. These are black ( with some sort of a taxi sign on the roof, you'll
figure one out ), grey or yellow ( similar to NYC cabs ). All taxies
have to be Russian make called " Volga ". If it isn't , it's not legal
( even if it has a taxi sign on it ). I consider them reasonably priced,
though definitely not cheap.
Hotels.
In the post Soviet era, all decent hotels were "privatized". This means
that SOME people, employed by the hotels could get their shares in the
hotel's revenues. Once viewed by many as a good idea to work harder and
make more money, in reality turned out to be yet another opportunity
for communist leaders and their children to live even better. After getting
rid of all " politically incorrect " stock holders, they became monopolistic
dictators of those hotels. You can only imagine what type of service to
expect. In the author's view -- none. In short, if you plan to visit
St. Petersburg and stay in major, four - five star hotels, do so off season,
January through an April. Otherwise, be prepared to spend your vacation at
the Grand Central Terminal-like environment. I did, with the only difference
I was paid doing this. In your particular case, this excitement will be
catered to you as low as $100 - 400 per night. The managers, who are almost
always the relatives of the owners, negotiate the large group deals for the
hotels up to %70 off the regular price; and owners could care less since
this would be the same amount as if hotel was occupied by people actually
paying the advertised fee. How big are those groups? The five buses at
once, for instance. ( I think, I saw less on Grand Central, so probably
this analogy isn't best ). In addition, if you're wondering why the
car's alarm down your window performed oratories all night long and why
no action was taken to stop it even after calling reception desk, know,
the local sewing factory was throwing a party in the hotel's restaurant.
Every inch of an unoccupied square meter has to be rented, especially
when you got this meter for free.
What does it leave us with ? Many people opted for the home stays.
I can't say for everyone, but if I go on vacation, I'd like to have
my very own accomodations. I would want to enjoy a peace it provides
or where I can take an advantage of its privacy. Luckily, such
opportunity exists. Recently, a friend of mine called and asked if I
could find an inexpensive place for him to stay. He wanted it to be
near the center and nicely renovated. ( They call it here Euro-
renovation; and indeed, these places usually look neat, modern and
with a good lighting ). I have picked a couple of local newspapers
with a real estate listings and started to call. After about fourth
try, I have scheduled an appointment to see the actual appartment,
which was conveniently located near the center, overlooking the
famous the Peter and Paul's fortress. For only $50 per night, my friend
enjoyed the clean and sunny studio with kitchen and ... jaccuzzi.
We've been told that for $100, we could have a one bedroom apartment
with the swimming pool. ( This was declined, as my friend suspected
he'd get into the trouble of making his girlfriend out ).
Safety.
Unfortunately, I must admit that all that had been said about Russia's
high crime rate is true. Working in the hotel, this was one of my
responsibilities, to help victims. There wasn't a single day without
the incident of pickpocketting or a robbery, but strangly enough,
the people to whom those unpleasant things happened were very alike.
For instance, there are certain bus routes where pickpocketers operate.
These are mostly near large hotels and train stations. Knowing from
my personal experience which buses to avoid and being aware of that
some hotel's guests wanted to take this bus to the city center, this
was adviced to them to not do this with the explaination of the situation.
This was often ignored. ( " We've already took this bus yesturday, all
was fine " ). Or, directing some lonely visitor to a nearest subway station,
( metro ) and advising to take a bit longer route to it when alone
( he was told that there was a very straightforward way ), resulted in
the robbery. I'd consider to avoid public transportation by the visitors
except for metro and the minibuses called " marshrutkas ". The last is
optimal for the people on the limited budget. The official taxis is the
best way to get around for a middle class people. ( BTW, the tips are
expected, no matter what your tour operator says or what I or you think
about it ). Do not give less than a $1 to a taxi driver for a regular ,
in the city limits ride, or , give nothing. Any tip less than a $1 will
offend the person. In hotels, anything from $2 - 5 to bellmen, maids is
very reasonable. These people's monthly income is about $150. In rubles,
100 -200 will give you a VERY nice day. If you hire a car for longer
periods of time and price seems right to you, consider a $5 as a good
starting point.
The phone and the internet.
To bring your own cell phone into the country is a MUST, otherwise
you will pay about $1/min. for domestic calls, $5/min. for international
calls and all in between for former USSR republics. If you're traveling
from US, get yourself one of those " dual - band " gsm phones. The
frequencies switch will allow you to use it. Regular gsm phones sold
in US will not work here. You either have to check with your local
company if you'll be able to call from Russia or get prepaid SIM card
in St. Petersburg and use one of the international prepaid cards which
also can be found here. All of this will cost you about $20 ( SIM +
prepaid international card ) and will give you approximately one hour +
of international airtime. Once again, buy one of those " dual - band "
phones in States; in Russia, the phone will cost you minimum $200
( and yes, for Russians too ). I would suggest on using your cell phone
plus laptop, pocketPC for internet connection if you're savvy, if not,
very few hotels have free WI-FI spots. Others will charge you up to
$50/hr.. Using the hotel's business center computer or one of the
city's internet cafe for the internet access are the viable options
also, but still expensive or unconvenient. I think that using your
domestic phone operator is the best option.
The food.
The food is great in St. Petersburg. Along with luxurious, the Imperial
style restaurants serving traditional Russian dishes, where one can get
a nostalgic taste of the noble past, you may notice quite a few McDonalds,
Sbarros, Pizzas and even Chinese restaurants. Expect to pay the same amount
as in your home country.
The Culture.
The Russian culture is monolitic. I have to remind you, there wasn't
any single day of democracy, ever. As a result, the Soviet Union lives
its virtual life, straight off the people's minds, with the exception
of some younger people. Many of them succeeded only because of realizing
that they're on their own. Others ( and their parents ) are still waiting
when utterly corrupted government bestow a better life upon them. You
have a much better chance to find something in common ( despite the fact
you might be much older ) with a person in his/her 30th..
What to see.
This will depend on who you are and what is of interest to you. If you're
into the palaces, Marble, Menshikov, Konstantinovsky, Stroganoff might
be a good starting point. Do you travel with kids? Then the Artillery
museum, Aurora ( the legendary battleship ), Zoo, Circus, Fairy - Tale
Puppet Theater are on our list. I would tailor your visit to St. Petersburg
according to your needs and finances.
With your questions, comments, criticism, suggestions, please
address your e-mail to [email protected]
( Remove " NOSPAM " from e-mail address ), or post on the board.
Best regards,
German.
Dec 1st, 2005, 06:56 PM
#2
Wow! What a lot of helpful information. Thank you for taking the time to post.
I visited St. Petersburg in 1968 in all its Communist glory (?). I'd love to return and compare memories. It sounds like an entirely different place.
I visited St. Petersburg in 1968 in all its Communist glory (?). I'd love to return and compare memories. It sounds like an entirely different place.
Dec 1st, 2005, 08:10 PM
#3
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This was the year I was born there, so I don't have that much of the memories. However, somewhere around 1976, I was almost gloriously kicked out of school just because in a break between the lessons, my mate teared down my red pioneer tie and I coudn't get a better
idea to throw it in the garbage. The teachers explained that I had to bring it home and keep it for the rest of my life. The change is obvious, I don't have to wear it now.
The city looks much better now, but for
some reason very Italian to me. I mean,
after comming back home from New York.
No real surprise, it was built by Italians.
What I am trying to say, you're welcome
to visit!
idea to throw it in the garbage. The teachers explained that I had to bring it home and keep it for the rest of my life. The change is obvious, I don't have to wear it now.
The city looks much better now, but for
some reason very Italian to me. I mean,
after comming back home from New York.
No real surprise, it was built by Italians.
What I am trying to say, you're welcome
to visit!
Dec 2nd, 2005, 04:31 PM
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German- kak vam ne stidno.
I feel safer in St Petersburg than I ever have in say... Brighton Beach? (am I on the right track?)
Piter is a glorious place! In need of some cheaper hotels, I agree. And food is pricey, compared to average incomes. Given.
But man, to miss this incredible place?!? That would be a real shame- for a person who considers herself "well-traveled"... you have to see Piter.
I feel safer in St Petersburg than I ever have in say... Brighton Beach? (am I on the right track?)
Piter is a glorious place! In need of some cheaper hotels, I agree. And food is pricey, compared to average incomes. Given.
But man, to miss this incredible place?!? That would be a real shame- for a person who considers herself "well-traveled"... you have to see Piter.
Dec 2nd, 2005, 05:29 PM
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My apologies to the group since the following will be in Russian (almost). I'd apparently move it off the list if I have
a chance to contact the poster directly.
Utro dobroe, Katya. Proshu prozhenie za
transliterated text, odnako ne imeu vozmozhnosti ( i ne umeu ) pisat' kak bi
to nebilo po drugomu.
Vi znaete, ne raz ya hodil po nochnomu
Garlemu ( ispanskomu, odnako ), i nikogda ne imeel nichego pohozhevo dazhe na namek nedrozhelubnosti.
Na nevskom zhe, ya ochen' chasto nabludal, sredi bela dnya, zhlobskie,
deshovie, ya da zge ne znau kakimi slovami i opisat' etih debilov, vihodki voriya( pri ispolnenii ih tak skazat' obyazannostey).
Ya nikogda ne zhil na Brightone. Ezdil
inogda tuda kupit' kolbaski, hlebushka,
fil'mov, muziki i pozhaluy vse.
Ya ne so vsem ponyal bashi poslednie
slova, no dlya utochneniya, ya rodilsya,
zhil, i seychas opyat' zhivu v Pitere.
I Piter etot, deystvitel'no great, pobol'she bi deneg ( eh kak banal'no)
ozshutit' vsu ego greatness.
Esli li u vas address ( e-mail ) ?
Vsego horoshego.
German.
a chance to contact the poster directly.
Utro dobroe, Katya. Proshu prozhenie za
transliterated text, odnako ne imeu vozmozhnosti ( i ne umeu ) pisat' kak bi
to nebilo po drugomu.
Vi znaete, ne raz ya hodil po nochnomu
Garlemu ( ispanskomu, odnako ), i nikogda ne imeel nichego pohozhevo dazhe na namek nedrozhelubnosti.
Na nevskom zhe, ya ochen' chasto nabludal, sredi bela dnya, zhlobskie,
deshovie, ya da zge ne znau kakimi slovami i opisat' etih debilov, vihodki voriya( pri ispolnenii ih tak skazat' obyazannostey).
Ya nikogda ne zhil na Brightone. Ezdil
inogda tuda kupit' kolbaski, hlebushka,
fil'mov, muziki i pozhaluy vse.
Ya ne so vsem ponyal bashi poslednie
slova, no dlya utochneniya, ya rodilsya,
zhil, i seychas opyat' zhivu v Pitere.
I Piter etot, deystvitel'no great, pobol'she bi deneg ( eh kak banal'no)
ozshutit' vsu ego greatness.
Esli li u vas address ( e-mail ) ?
Vsego horoshego.
German.
Dec 4th, 2005, 03:55 PM
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Yes, Cyrillic makes everything so "cool" (according to my kiddies).
If only I could type here in it... ïîïðîáó&th orn;...nope I probably can't.
<b>German-</b> spasibo bolshoe za vashie slova- ya ponimayu shto mnogo haroshego i plokhovo k sozhaleniyu est v Pitere, i vsegda boius kogda ya slishu plokhie novosti ot Pitera.
Sama ya amerikanka, no chuvstvyu sebya kak russkyim kogda ya mezhdu druz'yami v Pitere. Ya ochen liublu etot gorod
(Moskva takzhe liublu.)
Samoe glavnoe dlya menya, eto shto liudi ponimayut shto "corruption" est vsedye v mire, ne tolko v Rossii. Mne prosto bolno kogda liudi plokhno govoryat o Rossii... Rossiya sevodnya kak "novii dikii vostok" v mire- vsyo shto tam budet poka ne izvestno... no vosmozhnosti est ulechit....
Mozhno sprosit- v kakoi gostinitse vy rabotaete? Tolko potomu shto moya podruga Vera rabotaet v Astorii...
esli hotite, mozhete pisat mne po emailu - [email protected]
If only I could type here in it... ïîïðîáó&th orn;...nope I probably can't.
<b>German-</b> spasibo bolshoe za vashie slova- ya ponimayu shto mnogo haroshego i plokhovo k sozhaleniyu est v Pitere, i vsegda boius kogda ya slishu plokhie novosti ot Pitera.
Sama ya amerikanka, no chuvstvyu sebya kak russkyim kogda ya mezhdu druz'yami v Pitere. Ya ochen liublu etot gorod
(Moskva takzhe liublu.)
Samoe glavnoe dlya menya, eto shto liudi ponimayut shto "corruption" est vsedye v mire, ne tolko v Rossii. Mne prosto bolno kogda liudi plokhno govoryat o Rossii... Rossiya sevodnya kak "novii dikii vostok" v mire- vsyo shto tam budet poka ne izvestno... no vosmozhnosti est ulechit....
Mozhno sprosit- v kakoi gostinitse vy rabotaete? Tolko potomu shto moya podruga Vera rabotaet v Astorii...
esli hotite, mozhete pisat mne po emailu - [email protected]
Jan 6th, 2006, 09:08 PM
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hey german or anybody else,
i'm planning a trip to russia for the first time this summer. i travel alone. for my first russian trip, i'm thinking about a river tour from moscow to st. petersburgh and exiting russia into helsinki or tallin. any suggestions about companies i should try or trust for a river cruise? safety precautions? i'll probably be separting from london, not the us. any advise is appreciated.
peri girl
i'm planning a trip to russia for the first time this summer. i travel alone. for my first russian trip, i'm thinking about a river tour from moscow to st. petersburgh and exiting russia into helsinki or tallin. any suggestions about companies i should try or trust for a river cruise? safety precautions? i'll probably be separting from london, not the us. any advise is appreciated.
peri girl
