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St. Petersburg, Russia Contributed by Stanj Night life in St Petersburg is about as varied as would be expected from any other world class city of 5 million people but among those variations some fit the time and activity interests of cruisers more than others. Cruisers normally arrive in the morning and depart 34 hours later so between touring, eating, sleeping and getting back and forth from the ship there is not a lot of time to waste looking for the best spots to get into the social scene in the city. My suggestions to cut the options down to a manageable number of dance clubs, jazz clubs, erotic clubs and rock/blues venues focus on the usefulness to cruisers. Note that most of the best clubs are not on the list because they have some feature that is not compatible with cruisers time and transportation options. As cruiser ship passengers there are two ways of enjoying the nightlight in St Petersburg;1 have an individual visa so you can come and go as you please and 2; booking a night life tour with an authorized tour company, and have a licensed guide with you. This latter option is the one most used because the guide knows the city and where to find what you want. I recommend contacting DenRus Ltd for reservations at any of the clubs or shore excursions: http://www.denrus.ru
Dance Clubs and Discos: For more typical cruiser ages, two choices are offered, very different from each other. Triumph and Ostov. Triumph is a pure Russian Disco, recently remodeled but still gives the impression of being a survivor of the disco era 70s-80s, it has that vibe. But it is clean, reasonable for drink and entrance prices and filled with normal everyday Russians, but not many visitors, most in the 25-45 age range dancing to the pop-dance and traditional Russian dance songs. There are two complete clubs, one of which is opened at a time depending on the day of the week and the expected size of the crowd. The Friday-Saturday nights see the large room open which features a larger dance floor and pedestals on either side of the dance floor for go-go dancers. Circling the dance floor are several tiers of comfortable booths, each with an unobstructed view of the whole club. Women get in free and men pay 250 Rubles for entrance. The crowd is fun and unpretentious but well dressed and well mannered. Triumph is located around the corner of the exit of Navska Metro station. Ostov is different. Obviously intended for higher end clientele, the attached restaurant is moderate to pricy, with beautiful interior. If you eat, the disco is free otherwise it costs $12 per person entrance and $6 for each person to have a seat at a table in the disco. When it opened all the guests dressed to the 9’s and it was a pretty fashionable crowd. The dress standards changed a lot due to changes in the dance floor. From the beginning it was a rotating metal hydraulically raised and lowed disc. But soon they added “snow” machines which generate foam bubbles that drift down on the dancers, than they added tubing on the ceiling that circled the perimeter of the dance floor fitted with water jets every 3 inches. These emit a steady stream of water which collects through grating on the floor just outside the circumference of the dance floor. I know, it sounds weird but in practice it is a blast with a super slick dance floor that is moving up and down randomly while It rotates. In minutes the dancers are splashing each other and the floor is a mess but there is something about it that makes everyone have a ball. The DJs are good, the décor is up scale and the previously uppity clientele turns out to be the most genial and fun loving of the major clubs once they get a little sloppy. This soap foam dance is the reason for the less stylish clothing. Another feature that makes Ostov a good bet is their floor show. It is one of the few G-rated floor shows which itself makes it a rarity but the real feature is that it is very good; a dance troupe of 3 girls and 4 boys with real showmanship, inventive costumes and humor that Russian is not needed to enjoy together with highly professional dance skills. Getting there and back is easy before 2:45 am when the bridges open until early in the morning. Ostrov is located just across the Lt Smidta Bridge west of the Hermitage at 37 Nab. Leytenanta Shmidta on Vasilevskiy Island (Ostrov is Russian for Island)
Jazz Clubs Another well established club is the Jimi Hendrix Blues Club. It is not really a blues club, occasionally blues is on the playbill but normally it is just about anything including Latin Jazz, rock, electric blues, acoustic delta blues, folk and more. Unlike JFC Jazz Club, it serves food, and it features local bands of various skill levels. Like JFC, it is small so again, reservations are normally required to assure getting a table. Eating dinner before the show is the norm, and the food is pretty good, with a partial Armenian cuisine. The crowd is friendly and laid back, mostly musicians who come every night. Jimi Hendrix shows start about 8 also, and end, like JFC Jazz Club, at 10:30 or so making it compatible with other shore excursion schedules. It is easy to find at 33 Liteiny Prospekt Erotic Clubs Two clubs that are real erotic clubs are the very well known Golden Dolls in the very heart of the city center on Nevsky prospekt # 60. After its remodeling and move from the 2nd to the 3rd floor, the interior is much more modern and a bit flashy. This is a classy strip club where only female dancers perform, with a cast of 50 or more dancers all who are very attractive. Entrance fee for male EU citizens is only $10 but others $25. Women accompanying men are charged $3.30 Another erotic club of note is the Zabava Bar which is located in a ship docked on the Neva River near Peter and Paul Fortress. Food is served and shows are well done stage shows with different themes. Zabava Bar is generally considered to have the best shows. Tell your guide or taxi Mitnenskaya nab. On the boat, it is hard to miss. Opens at 8:00p.m.. Ex-pat Hangouts The City Bar is somewhat famous for not only the best burgers in Russia but also for the eccentric American woman owner and cook Aileen. This is a friendly hangout sort of place where everyone speaks English despite most of the clients are Russian or foreign college students. Real barbequed ribs, and hand ground hamburgers are staples but the menu features tasty specials everyday which are a little more exotic. City Bar is located near the Hermitage at #10 Millionaya Ul. Free hi-speed Wi-Fi is offered.
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