St. Petersburg, Russia

Though I had read enough to know that they were completely different places, I framed a lot of my expectations for St. Petersburg on a previous trip to Moscow.  My experiences came to be defined first and foremost by the great company I enjoyed, and to a much lesser extent to the total absence of darkness (reference to continual daylight not the occult). 

There is no shortage of things to do in St. Petersburg.  It is a city that truly shines with its royal heritage.  The architecture screams of old world Europe and the myriad churches are regal in the marriage of the east and west.  The Hermitage rivals any major museum in the world.  The vodka flows freely.  And, if you go in July it never gets dark.  I personally never realized how reliant my rhythm was to the visual cues provided by the sun.  It's certainly easy to stay out late, when you have a limited concept of how late it is.

The people are St. Petersburg appear stoic as you walk down the street, but are genuinely warm in their interactions, with the possible exception of some of the cabbies.  The service is slow, but not bad.  The local food is better than the foreign restaurants. 

It's always a little challenging for me to go to a place where I lack both any understanding of the language and any familiarity with the alphabet.  That being said, I think it is a great challenge to relish on an international adventure.

On the whole, St. Petersburg is definitely worth seeing.  I had an amazing time.  It doesn't qualify as one of those places that touched my heart and I could always return, but I would certainly encourage others to experience this destination, in the summer, despite the night's absence.

Hartmann Tweed Luggage Collection-Disappointed

For quite some time I've really appreciated the Hartmann Tweed Luggage Collection.  I think it has an exceptionally sharp and timeless look.  It's no revalation that it takes a leap of faith to check a really nice piece of luggage, and I would never check any of my three pieces from this collection.

I have, however, to confess a recent disappointment.  Though, I've never had any other problems, recently the wheels on my 22' wheeled piece have begun falling apart.  I've had it for years, but rarely used it until this year and then only as a carry-on.  It has gotten some miles put on it over the last year, but at around $600 I would expect it to take those miles in stride.

Hartmann does have a total warranty guarantee for products sold after February 1, 2010, but I had purchased mine long before then.  And even so, the owner is responsible for shipping both ways.  It's a great look and generally well put together.  Nonetheless, I have to offer up some caution on the wheeled suitcases.

Corinthia Hotel, St. Petersburg (Final Impressions)

Perspective is almost always the keystone in my mind.  On the planet, there are better hotels than the Corinthia Hotel, St. Petersburg without question.  I'm not sure that I can say in St. Petersburg there are better hotels than the Corinthia.  I haven't stayed in any others, but those that I walked around in were not above the Corinthia.

Generally, it has some really positive attributes.  The staff has been both friendly and helpful.  Its location on Nevsky Prospect is in the heart of where you'd want to stay if visiting the city.  The rooms are large (very large by European standards) and very comfortable to stay in.  There were some small touches that helped as well, the towels were bath sheets and I was very fond of the summerweight duvet. 

On the negative side, the water in the bathroom does smell like the river.  That being said, I don't have any reason to suspect that the water at every establishment in the city smells like the river.  I'm not certain I can blame the hotel for that.  Any other issue I've had has been promptly addressed.  Last night I ordered champagne in the lobby, which turned out to be flat.  It was promptly replaced without question. 

I harken back to a stay at a Marriott property in Moscow a few years ago, and I would easily put the Corinthia at par or above that hotel.  Though, I don't have great basis for comparison within St. Petersburg, if you find yourself in the city, I don't think you'd go wrong staying at the Corinthia.

The Flying Dutchman - St. Petersburg, Russia

The Flying Dutchman is a restaurant, but I'm definitely labelling this post as entertainment.  The Dutchman is a moored pirate ship just past a famous drawbridge that goes up nightly in St. Petersburg.  After a typical overcharging by a cab driver, we arrived at the pirate ship to find it mostly empty.  But, it was early for St. Petersburg at 2330. 

We began with an attempt to order Bloody Mary's.  The language barrier we were trying to cross was only semi-permeable, so we ended up with several iterations of tomato juice and some vodka shots.  Ultimately, a share ceasar salad was above average.  We were able to sit outside and enjoy the the first real night seen since arriving in St. Petersburg a week ago.  Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the draw bridge and had a flee to another restaurant/ship on the other side of the river before the bridge went up. 

I can't hold its geography against it though.  Definitely stop by the Flying Dutchman, especially if your Russian is rusty to non-existent.  You're almost assured a good time to accompany the view and food.

Swan Lake at the Alexandrinsky Theater St. Petersburg

In a bygone era I dated a girl whose good friend was in the ballet.  At that time I did enough studying of the ballet to be conversant at a very very basic level.  Last night, I reached into the deep memory banks for that knowledge while attending a performance of Swan Lake at the Alexandrinsky Theater. 

This is by no means a critique of the ballet, for that I am completely unqualified.  I will say from what I can recall the dancers for the most part were technically proficient.  I thought the set was magnificent, and the orchestra played a terrific set.  In any event, though it perhaps borders on the cheeseily stereotypical to attend a ballet in Russia, I had a really fantastic time, a lot of which was definitely the great company I shared it with.  There was a nice balcony where we enjoyed drinks and a view of the park below before the show and during intermissions. 

Not sure what will be showing if you find yourself in St. Petersburg, but the venue was enjoyable and the evening perfect.  I would highly recommend you try and take it in.

Four Seasons Atlanta

It's always interesting to me to stay in a hotel in your home town.  The Four Seasons Atlanta is a few short miles from my condo, but I made plans to stay there after attending a party at the hotel.

I checked in a few hours before the party began and headed to the pool.  The pool was the low-point of my stay.  It is an indoor affair, with a small outdoor patio that has a view of only a wall and the sky.  The room was very well appointed, if a little dated.  The bathroom was both comfortable and luxurious.  The bed swallowed you up for a great night's sleep, and every staff member was welcoming and helpful. 

There were a number of small tocuhes that added to the air of luxury about the hotel.  The stationary had a deckle edge.  The amenities were l'Occitane, and the robe in the room was the plushest and most comfortable that I've ever tried on.  If you're coming to Atlanta and spending the majority of your time in midtown, I would highly recommend the Four Seasons Atlanta.

Tsar Restaurant in St. Petersburg, Russia

Address:  Sadovaya st., b. 12, St. Petersburg, Russia
Phone:  640-19-00
E-mail: tsar-manager@mail.ru 

I ate at Tsar last night with a group of friends.  Walking into the restaurant, it immeadiately became clear that the name was fitting.  Though hard to tell from the street, inside was a step back in time to the age of the Tsars.  All of the appointments had a royal opulence about them.  It was my first foray into upscale dining in St. Petersburg, and I was not disappointed.

We opened our meal with caprese salad, salmon carpaccio and veal tongue with horseradish appetizers.  The caprese was first among them, but the veal tongue is worth a try if you want to venture into Russian fare.  From there (after some ice cold vodka), I sampled the borsch (beet soup).  I don't normally choose beets, but I was pleasantly surprised by the borsch.  The portion was huge and the flavor very pleasing.  I capped my dinner off with the beef stroganoff.  I was expecting an upscale hamburger helper, but what I recieved was miles from my expecations.  The sirloin was tender, the sour cream based sauce was rich and delicious, and the noodles were absent.  While the potatos that were served alongside my entree looked like hash browns, they were perfectly salted and well-seasonsed with garlic.  Overall, the meal was amazing.

Reservations are definitely warranted.  Though the restaurant never seemed to fill up, I did see some without reservations turned away.  The price tag is steep, the service is lax by western standards, but if you find yourself in St. Petersburg it is definitely worth the stop.