Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
275
Russian Clothing Sizes
For help selecting the right sizes when you're shopping for clothes or shoes, see
the “Clothing Size Conversions” section in chapter 2, which compares American,
European, British, and Russian sizes.
With Nevsky so saturated, the area around Chernyshevskaya metro station is emerging
as a calmer, less expensive shopping alternative. Several antiques shops have opened here,
along with an increasing number of hotels and cafes centered around Ulitsa Pestelya, in
this neighborhood north of Lower Nevsky.
Russians do most of their shopping at
farmers' markets
and
open-air bazaars,
most
of which are outside the center of town. These lively and pungent markets offer a fun if
intense way of experiencing the real Russia, and quickly make you forget those Gor-
bachev-era images of bread lines and shortages. In the food markets, pomegranates and
kiwis spill from fruit stands, rows of lamb carcasses line the meat stalls, and familiar
American coffees and candies rise high in the dry goods section. In the nonfood markets
(which Russians call the “things” market, or
veshchevoi rynok
) you can find fur coats,
Turkish leather jackets, 20¢ Russian-made underwear, Chinese-made plastic chess sets,
and just about anything else, at prices below what shops charge. Two food markets near
the center worth checking out are
Vladimirsky Rynok
(Kuznechny Pereulok, just out-
side Vladimirskaya metro station) and
Maltevsky Rynok
(Ulitsa Nekrasova, not far from
Chernyshevskaya metro station). Both are cleaner and slightly more expensive than aver-
age. The main “things market” downtown is
Apraksin Dvor
(Sadovaya Ulitsa, south of
Nevsky Prospekt and near Gostiny Dvor metro station), with throngs of shoppers morn-
ing to night, 7 days a week. Pickpocketing is common, so keep one eye on your wallet.
15
3
SHOPPING CENTERS
St. Petersburg's premier shopping center since the 1760s has been
Gostiny Dvor (Guest
Courtyard),
a triangular arcade of shops on two floors on Nevsky Prospekt. In the Soviet
era the long, doorless corridors were flanked by shop after shop carrying the same limited
selection of gray suits, uncomfortable shoes, and two-ring binders. Today the shopping
center holds just about everything, though most of it is priced beyond the means of the
average Russian. Boutiques selling 25,000 ruble dresses abut shops with Italian briefcases
and French fountain pens. At the back edge of the arcade, facing Ulitsa Lomonosova, are
a few cheaper shops that are your best bet for clothing in the heart of town. Souvenir
shops are sprinkled throughout the center, as are several little cafes that offer very cheap
Russian-style open-faced sandwiches and savory pies for an energy boost and a chance to
rest your feet.
St. Petersburg's other shopping centers fall into two categories. The
passazh,
an
enclosed row of shops leading back from a main street, is a concept left over from the
pre-revolutionary years when they were usually reserved for the aristocracy. Today some
have been beautifully restored and house designer boutiques and posh beauty salons. The
main row of shops to check out is
Passage
(48 Nevsky Prospekt); the view of inside and
