Go Wide or Deep ...

[IAmZon]

To go wide, or to go deep ... that is the question.

I am deliberating between WMVM and cherry picking from a wide geography, versus selecting a city that captures my curiosity and going deep - learning that city more than a simple excursion, developing interests that lead to relations. 

I wonder why this element is not discussed much?

I would like to get everyone's impressions of a city that is especially difficult to pronounce  -  D'nipropetrosck.

[groovlstk]

To go wide, or to go deep ... that is the question.

I am deliberating between WMVM and cherry picking from a wide geography, versus selecting a city that captures my curiosity and going deep - learning that city more than a simple excursion, developing interests that lead to relations. 

I wonder why this element is not discussed much?

I would like to get everyone's impressions of a city that is especially difficult to pronounce  -  D'nipropetrosck.

In your case the answer's not to go wide, nor to go deep... but simply to GO, man. Get on a friggin' plane already.

There's a point at which preparation and research bog you down, the old Steelers coach Chuck Noll had an expression for it: "paralysis through analysis."

Dnepropetrovsk has been discussed here ad nauseum by myself, Michelangelo, AJ, Kuna, and others--what specifically do you want to know? And more importantly, if this is going to be another long, analytical, meandering thread with no concrete objective, are you at least buying drinks?

[William3rd]

Not much of a city- some outstanding restaurants and nightclubs out there. One really nice hotel. It seems that you can walk from one end of the main drag to the other in about 20 minutes.

If you are planning to immerse yourself for weeks, you may want to find a larger city.

[SANDRO43]

There's a point at which preparation and research bog you down, the old Steelers coach Chuck Noll had an expression for it: "paralysis through analysis."

Aimed at those people who may be particularly ANALytical ?

[IAmZon]

First off ... what's with the hostilities.  I feel like I just walked into the wrong bar, in the wrong side of town!  Second off ... it's not like this place is currently crowded with good and meaningful discussion.

1, Groove, Drinks on me
2, Sandro, you have not found my warm fuzzy side yet

[wxman]

Rivardco,

If you are wishing to travel to get the best of both worlds, both cultural and potentially finding someone, then I would travel to a bigger city with more sites to see. If you are going to Ukraine, might as well choose Kiev, or perhaps the Crimea. Plenty to see and you can easily find a tourist guide in those areas to show you around. You're a better judge of your own comfort level in meeting women in a foreign land, so that I will leave to you. Sometimes just going for cultural reasons can open the doors for other reasons to return. 

[Simoni]

William & Wxman:  Dnipro has a population of 1.05 million.  It's the third largest city in Ukraine...and by my standards-- IS NOT SMALL.

Rivardco, you'll find Dnepropetrovsk to be a lovely city, with the prettiest girls in all of Ukraine walking the streets.

Like Groove-- my advice is simple-- Get on a plane and go!  Just do it, like Nike 

Now, to your question--Wide or deep?

Go Deep...  Go to Dnepr only, and spend a couple of weeks there.  With hundreds of thousands of beautiful girls to work with, you'll find the talent pool deep enough. 

[William3rd]

Coming from a city of over 7 million counted residents. . . .

That 1 million is awfully spread out, compadre. The city center is still an easy walk.

I stayed at the Central Hotel and later at the Grand. No comparison. Grand hands down.

[wxman]

I didn't say Dnipro was small. But my thoughts were if his first priority is culture or sightseeing, and since it may be the only time he goes to Ukraine, then one might as well go to where one will get the most out of a trip. Kiev provides all of that. Now if his first priority is to meet women, then there are many places to go. But one can do neither, until they hop on a plane and do it.

[Simoni]

Yes, Wx, I agree. If you go to Ukraine, you have to see Kiev.  And the Black Sea, too.

But first things first...find the girl.  Then travel to see the country... TOGETHER    LOL

p.s.   Riv-- having dated girls in both Kiev and Dnepr, I like the Dnepr girls better, hands down 

[Simoni]

View of Dnepropetrovsk from the river...

[IAmZon]

The surrounding cities also are frequently mentioned ...

I am from Florida, and friends around the country think that means I can go To Orlando and Miami with ease - that's NOT really the case.  What is the travel like to the immediate surrounding cities from Dnepropetrovsk?

I remember Kuna remarking that this area was full of unusually attractive women and unusually unattractive men.  Any remarks?

[Daveman]

I remember Kuna remarking that this area was full of unusually attractive women and unusually unattractive men.  Any remarks?

Not really sure how unattractive the men are, but one thing you'll notice fairly quickly in Ukraine is that most of the men do have unusually large noses.  Some chiseled like a statue and the size of an axe blade, and some bulbous like a huge potato.  Okay, so I'm joking... well maybe half joking.... 

[wxman]

Yes, Wx, I agree. If you go to Ukraine, you have to see Kiev.  And the Black Sea, too.

But first things first...find the girl.  Then travel to see the country... TOGETHER    LOL

p.s.   Riv-- having dated girls in both Kiev and Dnepr, I like the Dnepr girls better, hands down 

Yes, find the girl! Can't advise on the girls from those cities. I found mine in Lugansk. Even with the bad rep there, many wonderful women to be found there too, but the sites are lacking.

[MaxxumUSA]

One important thing to consider with going the wide route...  Travel time and arrangements.  It is difficult enough to register your passport at one hotel and deal with packing, travel, etc.  I cannot imagine how much more work it would be to travel to multiple locations.

I went the WOVO route with no backup plan.  I had no input from these forums and honestly did not even know they existed before my first trip.  I'm sort of glad in a way because they might have casted some doubt on the sincerety of the woman I found.  We started communication around new years and I have already visited twice with one month total face time.  She is deeper in russia in a town with little agencies that I know of.  Samara, Russia.

I tell you this so that you can understand my next statement:  If I were to give you advice on going wide or deep I would say base your decision on your heart and desire to meet a woman who is a good match.  I mean...  I decided to go global with my search for a soulmate.  I did not care where she was...  I just wanted to find her.  Turns out she is in Samara for me.   As I read these forums more I think I had the blessing of pure dumb luck that I found my Elena and we hit it off so well.

Basically...  Follow your heart.  But have a backup plan.  If you WMVM then plan more than a day for each woman...  then modify if there is a definite connection or not.  Be careful with that though because most RW will have difficulty getting out of work without prior notice.

[Simoni]

And there is more than girls to see...  

The city is very green and has remarkable river embankments (just restored this year), long boulevards and spacious parks. It is also the major centre of high-technology industries, education, machine-building, metallurgy and trade. There are 11 universities, academies and institutes in Dnipropetrovsk.

It was a closed city in the USSR era due to the rocket plant. The Dnerp river is very wide and is spanned by beautiful bridges.

The variety of theaters, museums, parks, restaurants and beaches make the city unique. Some of the "must see" things are the Museum of History, Diorama "Battle for the Dnieper River (WWII), Shevchenko park, and Monastyrskiy Island.

[DKMM]

You are going for the 1st time, go to more than just that one little city if you will be on the ground more than 7 days.  I'd say the best bet is a warm up in Kiev.  Look at Kuna's TR that is a good method.  If you were going to Russia I'd say do Moscow and Tver for the same reasons.

[Simoni]

The surrounding cities also are frequently mentioned ...

I am from Florida, and friends around the country think that means I can go To Orlando and Miami with ease - that's NOT really the case.  What is the travel like to the immediate surrounding cities from Dnepropetrovsk?

Zaporozhye is a city of almost a million people less that an hour away from the Dnepropetrovsk airport. It is also teaming with beautiful women!  Krivoy Rog is the other point of the triangle, and is an hour and a half drive.  So yes, there is more to Dnepro in the area....

[Simoni]

You are going for the 1st time, go to more than just that one little city if you will be on the ground more than 7 days.  I'd say the best bet is a warm up in Kiev.  Look at Kuna's TR that is a good method.  If you were going to Russia I'd say do Moscow and Tver for the same reasons.

Hmmm... I don't quite understand this "tiny" city label...

The FSU is filled with BIG cities...much more so than the USA.   Dnepr is over 1.25 million, for example, and would rank as the 7th largest city in the US, if it were here.

Top 16 Cities in the U.S. by Population in 2005
New York 8,143,197   
Los Angeles, Calif.   3,844,829   
Chicago, Ill.   2,842,518   
Houston, Tex.   2,016,582   
Philadelphia, Pa.   1,463,281   
Phoenix, Ariz.   1,461,575
San Antonio, Tex.   1,256,509   
San Diego, Calif.   1,255,540   
Dallas, Tex.   1,213,825   
San Jose, Calif.   912,332
Detroit, Mich.   886,671   
Indianapolis, Ind.   784,118   
Jacksonville, Fla.   782,623   
San Francisco, Calif.   739,426
Columbus, Ohio   730,657
Austin, Tex.   690,252   

Granted, you can't simply look at city size-- you have to look at the metro area.  Yet, if you do go to a city you go to the city center, and not the area.  Thus, Dnepro is a BIG city.

Here are my thoughts on the matter....If you are going on a cultural vacation in the FSU, do Moscow, St. Pete or Kiev.  If you are looking for girls, it does not matter--even the smaller cities will do.  For example, I once spent 10 days in "tiny" Zhitomir, and had a blast.  Dated about 15 girls, and never worried that I was not seeing enough sites or museums!!!   But you see, the purpose of my trip was to meet girls.

If you want both, go to one of the cities of one million plus people.  But if you want to meet girls, your options are numerous.  And yes, Riv--Dnepr is a great option.

p.s.  The city does come into play later--if you marry a girl from there. 

Then that city will be where grandmother lives and your family will be making lots of trips there! That's when it's nice to have a city like Kiev or Dnerpr to go home to, and not some remote village...

[catzenmouse]

Dude,

 Just go. Don't even worry about a multi city trip. You won't be able to absorb that much the first time to notice the difference unless you plan on spending months there. Just go. Throw a dart at the map and go to the closest city, go to St. Pete to absorb some of the most fantastic architecture in the world, go to Moscow, Kiev, wherever! Just Go!

Ken

P. S. Just Go!

[Kuna]

Rivardco,

I'll give some deeper impressions of Dnepropetrovsk in about 36 hours... 

Without having the benefit of my second visit yet I'd still recommend you go to Kiev and spend some time there... It's a great city and it'll give you something to compare Dnepr or other cities to...

Kuna

[Gator]

To go "deep" on your own requires understanding the language because  English is spoken very little in Dnepropetrovsk.  An easier way to go deep is to find a woman you like and who likes you.  She will immerse you in her culture. 

Meet her mama,

Have an exuberant drink of vodka with her uncle,

Let her fat cousin sit on your knee,

Pick some cherries or go to the forest and try to avoid the poisonous mushrooms,

Experience a banya (and try to feel okay when you shrivel up in the cold water - sorry, no photo allowed)

Eat 7 different recipes for salo and feel your arteries clog,

Go to a local fair/celebration,

Interact with street musicians,

Observe older woman begging for money to feed her medal-winning show dogs,

Watch your woman have her fortune told by a gypsy and believe what she says,

Let her somehow find a place to lie on the rocky beach with people swarming everywhere,

Decline a ride on an aqua ultralight,

Send your women for a piva when you get thirsty,

Buy some hanging meat from the market and then go cook it,

Marvel at how they can cook a delicious meal in a kitchen one step above camping out,

Photos (pre-digital) from my 2002 trip.  Experiencing the country frequently took precedence over meeting women.  I became hooked and have made over 12 trips since.

[Jazzyclassy]

Yeah really Rivaldochka

more actions , less talks and bla bla bla

if you really wanna go you would go without empty talks:))by now already , where is your plane?

well no matter where you go in  Russia or in Ukraine it will  be an experience for you for sure , I hope wonderful one and with nice impressions:)

[MaxxumUSA]

To go "deep" on your own requires understanding the language because  English is spoken very little in Dnepropetrovsk.  An easier way to go deep is to find a woman you like and who likes you.  She will immerse you in her culture. 

Oops...  I posted "follow your heart, but have a backup plan."  I forgot about the language barrier when posting that.

Ahem...  This is very important.  I'm lucky because my Elena speaks good enough english to be my translator and protector.  If your lady doesn't speak english you may need to hire a translator.  Either way consider this and consider it carefully.  I felt many times like an infant that needed help because of this.

My first trip I had been dillusional to think that there would be at least some english speaking people everywhere.  Not true even in Samara, Russia area which is about 1.5 million people.

But...  like others have said...  just do it.  I talked with my Elena for only 5 days before I had made plans for my first visit.  Was seeking a partner abroad for only a week or so before I started to write with her.  Total seek time before first landing in Russia:  5 weeks.  Hehe...  to be honest I would have been there two weeks earlier but Elena had to cover at work for a co-worker who was on vacation.

FWIW

[Voyageur]

Dnepropetrovsk is one of the best cities I visited in Ukraine. The women are quite beautiful and friendly. I was able to walk all over the place without getting lost  .

My impressions after last being there three years ago -

1. Karl Marx street is a packed with activity and sight-seeing opportunities 
2. The central park has allot of amusement rides and is a great walk
3. The Dniper river is one of the widest rivers I ever saw - like the Mississippi
4. The tree-lined river walk is great in the fall
5. Large, above ground pipes snake through the city.
6. People seem friendly and helpful to foreigners.