Transportation in this city is always an adventure. This is my second time in St. Pete and I'm just getting the hang of it now. It probably helps that I am forced to use many forms of transport every day because of my job. I am a traveling English teacher. Luckily I live in the center, which is pretty convenient, but still about an hour from most places I work. Some days I travel on as many as 5 forms of transportation. Lets take Monday for example. I get picked up for my first lesson in an automobile which takes me to the north west corner of the city. After this lesson, I must take a bus to the nearest metro. I take the metro to the north central part of the city for my next lesson. After this lesson I take the metro to the South central part of the city ( a place many Russians warn me about being the ghetto... and its true..) where I have to catch a marshrutka that takes me about 15 minutes to get to my final destination. I teach a few lessons here at an after school program and then have to take the hour long bus ride home. I am lucky that I found a bus that goes directly from the middle of nowhere where I work, almost all the way home. Only a ten minute walk from the bus stop! At the end of the day, I just want to eat dinner and go to bed. I think traveling is the most tiring part of my job. But I am getting to know the city very well.
Now let me explain each of these methods of transportation. They may sound familiar, but everything in Russia seems to have a special twist to it.
Avtomobili (cars):
Most of us have ridden in a car before, but let me tell you. The SPb driving experience is something a little different than what I'm used to back in Minnesota. In many places, there are no lines on the roads. People just drive where they fit. Even if there are lines, if there is enough space between two cars, another car will join and fill in the gap. When in the car, I could usually roll down my window and touch the person in the car next to me. We're that close. Turn signals are almost never used, never. Drivers do use their hazard lights to thank one another after being let in, or maybe cutting someone off. Ok, left turns. I hate them in general. In America they cause me anxiety, but in Russia, they are something else all together. There may be one left turn lane, but really, even if you are in the far right lane of a 3 lane road, why not make a left hand turn. Even busses will make these crazy left turns. The first time I road in a car here, I was quite frightened, and I've gotten less afraid, but I still don't think I would ever be able to drive a car here.
Avtobusi (busses)
Busses are a bit easier to understand. I don't have much experience with American busses other than school busses, so I haven't got much to compare it to. Sometimes the busses are so full you literally can't move your arms. The conductor comes to scan your card but you cant even get it out. Last week I was on a bus and the conductor couldn't even move. He just gave up and everyone road for free for a few stops until enough people got off. When the doors open people fall out. It is the worst when you are standing next to the door because when it is closed you have space, but as soon as it starts to open, it needs to open to where you are standing, and this can cause some pain if you can't move. I've been squished by a few bus doors so far. On the way home, the bus is usually pretty empty so I can just sit and read, but during the day its a crazy house. One day there was a crazy man shouting for the whole hour bus ride, and a big fluffy dog. Lots of interesting conversations on that bus.
Marshrutki (taxi busses)
Marshrutki are special. They are unlike anything I have experienced. They are vans, sometimes mini busses that are more like taxis. It costs 30rubles and you have to tell the driver when to stop. They follow certain paths, so it wont go wherever you want, but it will stop whenever you say. This is the challenging part for me because you have to shout it so he can hear you, and I dont like speaking Russian loudly around lots of strangers. I always hope that someone else will be getting off at my stop. It usually happens that someone gets off there, if not I just walk a little from the next stop)) The drivers are a bit crazy, but I've not seen an accident yet.
Metro/Metropolitan (Subway):
Ok, this one is the easiest to understand of all. We have 5 metro lines. I live on the Red and Green lines. The metro is really deep, so I always end up spending 3-5 minutes going up or down the escalator. it moves pretty fast, but it goes forever! I like riding the metro. Its a great place to people watch. Always interesting people there!
The city is really cool. Each region is so different from the others, I love traveling around. Historic regions, industrial regions, stalin apartment regions, treeee regions, soviet regions. Sometimes when you get off the metro you think you went back in time 50 years. Other times you think you are in NY. Its fantastic!
Now let me explain each of these methods of transportation. They may sound familiar, but everything in Russia seems to have a special twist to it.
Avtomobili (cars):
Most of us have ridden in a car before, but let me tell you. The SPb driving experience is something a little different than what I'm used to back in Minnesota. In many places, there are no lines on the roads. People just drive where they fit. Even if there are lines, if there is enough space between two cars, another car will join and fill in the gap. When in the car, I could usually roll down my window and touch the person in the car next to me. We're that close. Turn signals are almost never used, never. Drivers do use their hazard lights to thank one another after being let in, or maybe cutting someone off. Ok, left turns. I hate them in general. In America they cause me anxiety, but in Russia, they are something else all together. There may be one left turn lane, but really, even if you are in the far right lane of a 3 lane road, why not make a left hand turn. Even busses will make these crazy left turns. The first time I road in a car here, I was quite frightened, and I've gotten less afraid, but I still don't think I would ever be able to drive a car here.
Avtobusi (busses)
Busses are a bit easier to understand. I don't have much experience with American busses other than school busses, so I haven't got much to compare it to. Sometimes the busses are so full you literally can't move your arms. The conductor comes to scan your card but you cant even get it out. Last week I was on a bus and the conductor couldn't even move. He just gave up and everyone road for free for a few stops until enough people got off. When the doors open people fall out. It is the worst when you are standing next to the door because when it is closed you have space, but as soon as it starts to open, it needs to open to where you are standing, and this can cause some pain if you can't move. I've been squished by a few bus doors so far. On the way home, the bus is usually pretty empty so I can just sit and read, but during the day its a crazy house. One day there was a crazy man shouting for the whole hour bus ride, and a big fluffy dog. Lots of interesting conversations on that bus.
Marshrutki (taxi busses)
Metro/Metropolitan (Subway):
Ok, this one is the easiest to understand of all. We have 5 metro lines. I live on the Red and Green lines. The metro is really deep, so I always end up spending 3-5 minutes going up or down the escalator. it moves pretty fast, but it goes forever! I like riding the metro. Its a great place to people watch. Always interesting people there!
The city is really cool. Each region is so different from the others, I love traveling around. Historic regions, industrial regions, stalin apartment regions, treeee regions, soviet regions. Sometimes when you get off the metro you think you went back in time 50 years. Other times you think you are in NY. Its fantastic!
