Ben Lehrer (Author), Kevin Penrose (Editor), Tatyana Park/Roman Savichev (Illustrator)

Includes index.

St. Petersburg is a city of deep contradictions. It is both beautiful and filthy, progressive and stagnant, Eastern and Western; it is utterly confusing and in the process of such rapid and al-encompassing transformation that it sometimes seems like nobody really knows exactly what is going on. There is more to St. Petersburg than meets the eye; despite its European appearance (the center being mostly designed and built by leading European architects) it is most definitely not a Western city. For behind the European facades and Europeano-style waterways, lies a deeply wracked yet resilient Russian soul that sets the city apart from any other place in the world. You've never seen a guide like this book, but you've probably never been in a city like this