Putin' it down in St. Petersburg

Uncle Sam let me go just in time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. With a ticket to the third place match in St. Petersburg that also acted as my VISA it was a no-brainer I would be hopping on a flight to the event. I arrived in St Pete a few days early, enough time to make some memories and escape the country alive. Below lists all that I got myself into:

Transportation:

We've all seen videos of Russian men/woman climbing absurd heights and doing handstands/pull-ups off skinny metal beams thousands of feet in the air. These videos surfaced and gave evidence to support the suspicion that Russians are crazy, and my run-in with a fake taxi driver confirmed that fact not even an hour in-country. I commonly read blogs that say "Do not get into unmarked cabs" and then I say to myself "ya who would do that?" Well its me, I did that, in Russia of all places. In my defense the man had a lanyard on that said "Taxi" and I took that as a pretty legit reason to believe that this man was a taxi driver... well I was wrong. We got into his vehicle outside the airport to head to my downtown hostel and he sped right from the start! I hurried to put my seat belt on and he began to laugh at me saying "you don't need that" as he weaved in and out of vehicles. I sometimes pray on planes when turbulence starts, or in situations like this when my life flashes before my eyes. Thankfully we made it to my destination but I then got stuck with a pretty hefty bill. After a few curse words were exchanged through google translator and some money angrily thrown down  I  walked off flipping the American bird to this "taxi" driver.
** Moral of the story: DO NOT GET INTO AN UNMARKED CAB... especially in Russia!
- Uber is active here, so if you have service this is a reliable source in the city.
- Walking is possible (not from airport), but it is a VERY large city so give yourself ample time to get to places.
- Download the app Galileo, you don't need service and it tracks your location and you can pre-download country maps that show all monuments/restaurants/hotels/hospitals etc. **

Hostel:

I booked my hostel in advance which I suggest you do too. Hostels aren't openly displayed here so its not a place you can walk in from off the street and book with ease. I went with Chick a deee hostel and it has to this day been the best hostel I have ever stayed in. The decorations were so unique and gorgeous. This hostel had a nice vibe and was even fitted with a grand piano that our mate would use to serenade us with during morning complimentary breakfast. Very central to the city center and not too expensive.
Chickadee Hostel, St Petersburg

Things to do:
This is a big one here. Saint Petersburg is a very large city with lots to do. Most of the things I did I walked to and stumbled upon. Listed below are a few things to partake in:

The State Hermitage Museum: The second largest art museum in the world is located in the heart of Saint Petersburg. You could honestly spend days in this place, and each room got better than the last with the pure architecture of the museum being a huge focal point. I strongly suggest you check it out and make sure you wear an instagram worthy outfit while you are at it because there will be lots of photo opportunities in this beaut.
** Suggest buying a ticket on line, the ticket line can be a long wait **

Mariinsky Theatre: Catching a night ballet/opera at the Mariinsky theatre is also a must. The theatre is one of the 6 best ballet and opera houses in the world so don't make a stop here without catching a show! Tickets can be purchased online. I would also suggest you catch a ballet instead of an opera unless you are fluent in Russian and can understand what is happening in an opera show.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood: Though the most iconic church in my opinion is located in Moscow, St Petersburg is home to a well-known bubble-domed church as well. The church was built under Alexander IIIs reign in memorial of his father Alexander II, who was assassinated at the location of the current church back in 1881. 

C189 Soviet Submarine: Being prior military I had to check out the war museum. This was a fun attraction to witness because you saw how they represented their military during WW1/WW2 era. I also made my way to an old Russian C189 submarine which was almost the pinnacle attraction of my trip. I used to work at a submarine command so getting to step onboard something I used to study... its a very fulfilling feeling.

Food:
I was only in St Petersburg for two days so I didn't really focus on food because I had so much I wanted to see while here. Although I do remember stopping at a restaurant I saw a lot of locals going into. It was the layout of a buffet/cafeteria where you grab a tray and load it up and loop around until you make it to the end and pay. The food wasn't bad, very salty but extremely cheap so win-win.

I also stumbled upon a local honey shop. If you know me, you know I love bees. The woman working and I couldn't understand one another, but our common interest for honey showed. If you run into this store, load up! Ive never seen so many types of natural honey before and I made sure to bring some home because of it.

Nightlife: 

St Petersburg doesn't sleep. This might be because during the summer months there are minimal hours of darkness and the nights are known as "white nights" due to it. Im not sure what club I went to, but it was mostly electronic music. My night was concluded with getting matching tats with my hostel mates that our uber driver drew. 

In conclusion:

I went to St Petersburg with not much planned other than to attend the World Cup, which I did, but it truly became a city you can explore so easily! If you find yourself in the city just walk in any direction, you are bound to find something. Enjoy!