Your Favorite FSU City

[jinx13]

For those who have made the journey, what has been your favorite place to visit? Whether it be the place you met your special someone, or just the place you had the time of your life 

 Personally I chose Kiev, although I never had any real romance there I still had a great time, and really enjoyed the look and feel of this city. I felt comfortable and relaxed, and yet also excited and alive with the possibilities there. A great and beautiful city in my opinion.

 My second choice is Volgograd, because it was my first Russian experience, so it has sentimental value to me, but also because of it's location on the Volga River, and the many things to do and see there.

 So what's your choice? Write in a city not listed and tell why it's your favorite.

[groovlstk]

You might want to add Crimea, my favorite place in Ukraine is a small town near Yalta, Simeiz.

It's funny, I instantly selected Moscow as my favorite FSU destination, and (not incidently) my fiancee lives there.

I noticed that my appreciation for an FSU city ran in perfect parallel with how well my trip was going. In Dnepropetrovsk, for instance, when things went well I loved the place, wanted to move there and live there. When things went to pot in Dnepr, suddenly I noticed the sewar pipes lining the sidewalks, the nasty mosquitos, the pollution, etc. Same thing happened to me last year in St. Petersburg 

[BillyB]

Tashkent for me is the only place to be.

[Michelangelo]

I'll vote for Dnepropetrovsk, the city of cranes and the city where I found my fiancee.

I like the spirit of Dnepropetrovsk and the boom it's experiencing now.

I feel more at home in Dnepropetrovsk than  I do some US cities.

[Rvrwind]

And why isn't Tver on the list!!!

[Turboguy]

There is only one city in the FSU I would want to go to and it is not Dnepropetrovsk.    However Dnepropetrovsk would win my vote as the city I thought was the nicest.   Kiev would be my second choice.  Of course as far as the city I could never get tired of being in it is Barnaul, but not for the city. 

[jinx13]

 Added Crimea groovlstk, I had it there but must have removed it on accident. I liked Yalta, but the crowds in summer were a little too much, some of the scenery is nice, but some not so nice 

[jinx13]

 I encourage you to submit photo's of your favorite cities too, makes it more fun with visuals 

 Here are some of mine, first from Kiev....

[jinx13]

 and from Volgograd...oops, just realized I don't have my Volgograd pics on this computer, more later.

[Vaughn]

  At a quarter million strong, Yoshkar-Ola is my wife's
hometown - and I've become quite fond of it, watched
it grow and bustle while retaining its charm. There are
a few other locales I've visited with which I was impressed
despite their smaller size: Cheboksary and Zhelenodolsk -
both front the Volga. Zhelenodolsk is split into two distinct
neighborhoods: the old and the new, and boasts many tiny
island beaches near the river's edge - perfect for summer
picnics and fishing. Its topography reminded me of interior
Oregon and Pennsylvania.

  But these are small cities in comparison. Missing from the
list (and I know Jet will notice) is Nizhni Novgorod (the
old city of Gorky), yet another Volga city where I spent
three joyous days and nights in 2001.

  Billy, Tashkent - can you tell us more? Always thought about
a Tashkent visit....not to mention Izhevsk and Ekaterinburg.

[Rvrwind]

You can veiw pics of Tver Here: http://www.tverangels.com/tver.htm
I have a heck of a time uploading them in here for some reason. Sorry they are mostly winter pics & with all the new changes you probably wouldn't recognize the place.
I will get some new pics of the same places next spring just to show the contrast.

[jinx13]

 Sorry if your favorite city isn't listed, I thought about putting more, but then it could become a VERY long list. Please continue to write in your favorites, and tell what you like about them.

 Vaughn, thanks for describing your favorites so well, I got the visual even without photo's  

 

[BillyB]

 
  Billy, Tashkent - can you tell us more? Always thought about
a Tashkent visit....not to mention Izhevsk and Ekaterinburg.

Yeah Vaughn, Tashkent is the 4th most populated city in the FSU behind Moscow, St.Pete, and Kiev. It has everything a big FSU city has but much cheaper. I went to see the Nutcracker Suite ballet for a few bucks. Getting a taxi can cost you around 50 cents to $3 to anywhere in town. Sometimes my fiancee would walk me a few more blocks down the street away from tourist areas to get a cheaper taxi and save me 25-50 cents. I know a guy who rents western style apartments for as low as $15 per night. Tashkent's got a circus, a mini-Disneyland, aquapark, bazaars, squares, museums and a space needle type television tower with a rotating restaurant inside. Lots of Koreans in Tashkent courtesy of Stalin's need for slave labor during WW2. You could eat dog in Korean cafes and horse in Uzbeks cafes. The infrastructure is crumbling and is in need of repair but there are many modern buildings such as new high rise hotels which would cost you $100+ a night. Most people seem friendly and Uzbeks look like a mix of Asian and Arab people.

There's also one Catholic church and a few Orthodox churches but Mosques dominate but people aren't very religious compared to next door neighbor Afghanistan.

 A few pics of me and my fiancee in Tashkent here:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=1303.0

[SANDRO43]

And why isn't Tver on the list!!!

Frequent street shoot-outs and miscellaneous mayhem between rival MOB agency gangs, maybe ?

[philb]

Frequent street shoot-outs and miscellaneous mayhem between rival MOB agency gangs, maybe ?

rotflmao

[Jet]

  Missing from the
list (and I know Jet will notice) is Nizhni Novgorod (the
old city of Gorky), yet another Volga city where I spent
three joyous days and nights in 2001.

Yep, arguably Russia's third largest city with over 1.5 million inhabitants, I love this town. Dating back over 1000 yrs it is rich in history and culture, and also being Russia's version of Detroit, poeple enjoy a standard of living rivaling Moscovites.

Some fantastic professional photos can be found here(click the text tabs at the top to change pages)

[mark H]

rostov on don , and surrounding area

[Bruce]

The best - Why Moscow, of course !

[Albert]

I voted for Kyiv and St. Petersburg.  Just fabulous cities for my cultural tastes.

A city that probably not many have heard of that I like very much is Kaunas, Lithuania.  Second largest city there.  The thing I liked was the main street of town which is now closed to traffic and is a pedestrian mall.  A mile or so with planters in the center for trees, flowers, etc., and hundreds of restaurants and shops of all types lining both sides of the street.  Lots of benches to sit and people watch.

[jinx13]

 About Moscow.... going back to what groovlstk said about your luck with a woman influencing your attititude about a city, I had this happen to me in Moscow.

 I met with my first Russian g/f there and had a miserable time, so naturally I just had a bad feeling about Moscow too. Too much traffic, too many miltary guys, not to mention police fleecing you for money (this happened to me), and in general the buildings seemed grey, the people not so friendly, etc, etc.

 Then I went there with another girl, and had a great time. She was very easy going, great conversation and fun to be with. We saw all the sights including the Kremlin Tour, we took a boat ride on the Moscow River, had a romantic dinner in a nice restaurant....Moscow seemed much nicer to me    So I guess it's best to judge a city seperately than your experience with a woman you met there, maybe my expectations from my first trip is what ruined it for me. Keep an open mind is the best advice I think.

 Here are some pics from my Moscow trips...the girl with black hair was the one from the "bad trip" you can just tell she is trouble right?  
The girl in the 3rd photo made my next trip much better, and changed my attitude about Moscow, you can see in the other pics I look happy to be there. Last pic is on Tverskaya Ul. during Moscow birthday celebrations
 

[Rvrwind]

Frequent street shoot-outs and miscellaneous mayhem between rival MOB agency gangs, maybe ?

Just gotta learn to duck & cover & hope there isn't too much colateral damage.

Back on topic St. Petersburg is my second favorite city. The sights, the sounds, the history & because my buddy Phil & his wife live there!!

[jinx13]

St. Petersburg is the next Russian city I wanted to visit. I imagine many beautiful churches, interesting architecture, high culture, and waterways, kinda like a frozen Venice. Is that an accurate basic description?

[Turboguy]

Yes, frozen, very frozen, like ice in the river in May.   You are also right about the beauty and it has to be one of the best cities to visit.   I think in trying to pick a favorite city there is a difference in the things we look for.   A city that we enjoy visiting might not be one we would choose to live in.  Petersburg is a great city to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there because of the weather.  I have always enjoyed Moscow but I think part is because I have been there so many times I feel comfortable.  Rostov is a very nice city that is modern and progressive.  N. Novgorod is very charming and their Kremlin adds a lot of character.  There are lots of good things there.  There are so many great cities it is hard to pick one. 

The only time I have been to a city in the FSU and found myself saying, I would love to live here was Dneper. 

[Gator]

Of the Big Three, it is difficult to not choose St. Piter because of its architecture and the Hermitage.  Moscow has many more good museums, and while some are outstanding, none equal the Hermitage.  However, Moscow offers many more activities, and some architectural icons of Russia.  Kiev has few museums, its activities do not match Moscow and its architecture falls short of St.  Piter.  Yet, I choose KIEV because it feels more “human”.  The scale is “human”, the hills inviting, and the people friendly.  Besides, I dislike the St. Piter weather, and Moscow’s 21st C juggernaut pace (traffic, ugly construction, greed, surly people, etc.) is so disconcerting. 

Having chosen Kiev, I would next choose a smaller city.  Sevastopol and Poltava come to mind.  But I wish to go smaller.  So I choose OTHER - a VILLAGE, almost any village. When in a village one can grasp the sweep of the true Russian soul that withstood Napoleon, Hitler and the annual assault of bitter winter.  Observe these people milk their goats, smile at you from their log homes, sell unpackaged honey and wild berries on the street, cook shash lik, gather in happy family parties, connect to the farmland, etc.

I have thought about having a summer place in a little village that looked like Suzdahl (you should not miss this place if you go to Moscow).  I have not found that village nor the RW who would be happy there.  The RW I know are smart enough to choose Tuscany, and after two weeks in such a Russian village I would be thinking the same. 

[jinx13]

I choose KIEV because it feels more “human”.  The scale is “human”, the hills inviting, and the people friendly.

 Agree with you on this Gator, something about Kiev is just inviting and friendly. I like the Trees and benches on Kreshatik, and also the beer stands  Nothing better than kicking back with a beer in hand on a summer day in Independence square and just people watching, or girl watching I should say    Looks like Jack Bragg has been doing this a lot, and with camera in hand. Nice pics, must be a telephoto lens, none of them seem to be aware they are being photographed.

 Kiev is leading in the poll for a reason, I think most American's and Europeans feel comfortable there. It may not have the museums or high culture of Moscow and St. Pete, but like Gator said, it feels more human. I think I could actualy live there if I didn't worry so much about freezing my ass off in winter. I'm a California boy, I can't help it.