Gypsy Cab or Metro? I'll take the Metro

There are a few types of transportation available in St. Petersburg. There are trams (which are public busses that have a set schedule and itinerary though there is no schedule EVER available to look at online or at the stops). There are cabs and gypsy cabs (gypsy cabs are basically bored men who drive around the city in beat up cars offering cheap rides to people).  There also are marshrutkas, which are minivans that have specific routes. There are no signs saying “marshrutkas stop here”. You just need to know. However, I don’t know these things yet so I am sticking with the metro. Thankfully, according to my host mom, it is the fastest transportation option for me, and there are three metro lines about a minute walk from my apartment. 

In New York City, the metros are filthy, poorly lit, and never on time. They always have water dripping from the ceiling and graffiti on the walls. It’s so different in Russia. The underground stations are well-lit, beautiful, and safe. Unlike America, they are extremely prompt. My host brother took me to school on the first day to show me the way. We barely missed the first train, so I asked him how frequently they run. He looked at me like I had six heads for asking that question and about one minute later another one arrived! At every line, there is a huge board listing what stations have passed and which are next so it is virtually impossible to get lost (YAY!). 

There are some definite downsides to riding metro. Because it is so prompt, the doors are open for a very short period of time. People pile off and pile on and shove and push violently in the process. In the mornings especially, it is so busy that there is a good chance you won’t get on or off if you do not strategically place yourself by the entrance/exit (today my arm got stuck in the door!). I know this is true in NYC and DC as well but it is ridiculous in St. Pete’s. Today, someone shoved me so hard my shoe fell off! It was hanging over the edge between the ground and the train. I barely grabbed it before it fell off. Since it is so crowded, it is a common place to be pickpocketed so I am always very paranoid about my belongings.

Since the trains must travel below the canals, they are far underground. At almost every metro station, there is a three minute, yes three minute, escalator ride to the trains. Here is a picture of the ride up that I took very sneakily one day.

In the mornings, I get off at Chernishevskaya, a very popular station. Since the escalators are the only way to get in and out of the metro, the crowds of people who line up seem to me like herded cattle stuck in a raging mosh pit. I stood back and took a picture of the crowd this morning. All those people are trying to get on the two tiny escalators! I had to take pictures very subtly because not only does that target me as a tourist ready to be pickpocketed but also it is illegal to take pictures on the metros in Russia!

Yesterday, a woman at the metro made my day! Usually on the streets and in public situations, people never ever, ever, ever smile, and I have learned to put on a “metro face” in public. Yesterday, I tried buying a metro pass for the month. I was trying so hard to remember how to decline the number with the right noun etc etc and was miserably failing. I was about to give up when the woman started smiling and giggling because I was trying so hard. I was SHOCKED. She was then extremely helpful and made useful hand motions and spoke very slowly. I was so excited that someone smiled! I was so happy that it didn’t even bother me last night that the drunk man was singing on his balalaika again outside my window on the canal all night.