I love Saint Petersburg, the city where I live. There are many rivers (the main river is Neva, Malaya and Bolshaya Nevka, Fontanka, Moyka etc)) and canals (Griboedov, Kryukov etc.) here. Part of the city is placed on islands (Vasilevskiy, Zajachiy Kamenyi, Krestovskiy, Elagin etc). I live in the northeast of this Russian city. There are no famous or historical places.
My house is located near the Neva River and there is a beautiful view, especially at sunset. Near my house is the Bolshoy Obukhovskiy Bridge (also called Vantoviy Bridge). Every Neva bridge is a drawbridge, except this one. The opening of Bridges is a great romantic show every summer night. Look up the schedule, then come to the opposite side by Vantovyi Bridge only. You should take a taxi because the way is about 34 km.
The way around the city
More than 5 million people live in my city. This is the official data but I think there live more. Traffic is quite big. Many people use the subway to avoid any traffic jams. It’s easy and not so expensive.
We have many parks and public gardens. Townspeople like walking there, especially in the summer. Every morning, I wake up early to car sounds. A typical breakfast in our part of the world is continental food: porridge, eggs, cheese, chocolate or other sweets, coffee or tea. I don’t eat any meat but other people can have some bacon, sausages or something else.
I love to take a stroll but I haven’t quite enough time in the morning. For this reason, I use my car. It takes me about 30 minutes or more by car to reach my workplace, depending on traffic jams. The office is near Ladogskii Railway Station. I work as a manager in a small private trade company.
I think my beloved Saint Petersberg city is never asleep. One of the reasons is big tourist traffic during the year. When some people wake up, others have just come back home after work or a party. It looks like waves: in the early morning, metro and other transport workers, then sellers and bakers, then office managers and city government officials, students…Midday is for artists and musicians, employees of museums and galleries, restaurants. In the evening, it’s time for nightclubs and other entertainment venues.
Summertime at Saint Petersburg
During summer Saint Petersburg city looks like Babylon: there are a lot of people from different countries. You can hear many languages on the streets. Tourists like our theatres and museums. You can see the beautiful Russian ballet or great operas in Mariinskyi, Alexandrinskyi, and Mikhaylovskyi theatres; enjoy the beautiful pictures at the Russian Museum or vintage jewellery, weapons, and artefacts of the Russian tsars in Hermitage (The Winter Palace). Many old, historical and beautiful places you can see in the centre of the city. There are many beautiful suburbs: Tsarskoe Selo, Pavlovsk, Gatchina, Oranienbaum, Kronshtadt…
I work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. I make sports after work every day: swimming, running or cycling. These three are my favourites because I want to make Ironman once.
How to indulge like a local?
We have many cosy corners for going out with friends. I mean many cafes, bars, pubs, and restaurants. My favourite places in the city are as follows:
Best pizza: Mama Roma (they have many outlets. You can pick any, really)
Best local cuisine: fried smelt, pancakes with caviar
Best bakery: British Bakery (Grecheskiy prospect 25)
My city has a great choice of restaurants, pubs and bars; you can choose any, but just avoid visiting rough sleeping areas at night (for example Murino, Devjatkino, Shushary etc.)
My city looks beautiful always really: in any season, at any time during the day, in any weather. One special thing that we have is the White Nights (from June to July) and the Scarlet Sails show (the end of June, it’s the Holiday for school graduates).
When I am unhappy and need some peace, my city comforts me with the best places in the city: the Summer Garden, Tavricheskiy, Mikhailovskiy, Ostrovkogo and Alexandrovskiy. I also like the beautiful quiet corners of the city, its embankments and canals.
The loveliest streets in St. Petersburg are Nevskiy Prospect, Italianskaya, Marata, Rubinshteyna, Malaya Morskaya, Universitetskaya Naberegnaya and many many others. There have the architecture and atmosphere of an old European city. For bargain shopping, I would recommend big and small souvenir shops along Nevsky Prospect and the small streets near Nevsky.
On summer evenings, the centre of Saint Petersburg city fills with music and smells of delicious food and expensive perfume. There are many well-dressed people and a funny young generation, walking in the street, sitting in street cafes and bars, singing and dancing together.
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