How livable/unlivable is Russia outside of St Pete, Moscow, and Sochi (places, pay)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
RE: the bolded, it depends. Those built during the Khrushchev era are notoriously spartan, with small rooms, low ceilings, very minimalist, you could call them. I've never been in one, but I've heard about them. All the Russian apartments I've been in, no matter the city, are very spacious and light with high ceilings, compared to a lot of average American apartment buildings. They're also very quiet, because of the pre-fab concrete-unit construction. There's no need to refurbish anything.
Some even have a built-in closet that's an actual room with a normal-sized window. That's a real innovation in Soviet architecture: a built-in closet or storage room. I don't know what era those were built in. A friend of mine who had one of those apartments, which counted as a 1-bedroom apt. not counting the closet room, used the closet/storeroom as her bedroom, while her son occupied the main bedroom. It got her privacy, whereas normally, the living room would have served as her bedroom, as is typical.
The other thing I like about apartments in Russia is, that they have a dedicated kitchen, i.e. it's a separate room, unlike newer apartments in the West, including the US, that relegate the kitchen to a small corner of a combination living/dining room. The kitchens are large enough for a table, for informal breakfasting/dining, while for formal dinners, people turn the spacious living room into a dining room. Oh, and another favorite aspect: they all have big claw-foot tubs! HEAVEN! I love to soak in a big tub! And the tub has its own dedicated room. The toilet is separate.
Ruth, a long time friend, a local gal here asked me recently to show her what Russian apartments look like inside.
I explained to her that they are all different - there are at least three-four different varieties I am aware of.
So when I have a chance, I'll find the realtors videos, that will give a better idea ( including the ones I showed to her.)
All these breath-taking views of North America have a price to pay.
We have breathtaking views in Europe too by the way.....but, as you mentioned as well, with less wild climate events.
I showed this picture to someone without revealing the locations and they said it was Canada...not that is the Trentino region in Italy
I grew up in a city in Sicily where you have white sandy beaches, palm trees and turquoise broth-like warm water to swim in winter rivaling the Caribbean....
...and less than 100 km away in winter you can do this
Or skiing down Mount Etna overlooking beautiful Taormina where in the summer you can bob on 25+ degree Celsius water....
Taormina Isola Bella
Taormina riviera in summer
You see, I grew up spoiled....when people from Seattle or Vancouver tell me that they think they live in the most beautiful place on earth I have hard time not laughing....
I think Sochi in Russia can get close to this diversity within such short distance.
RE: the bolded, it depends. Those built during the Khrushchev era are notoriously spartan, with small rooms, low ceilings, very minimalist, you could call them. I've never been in one, but I've heard about them. All the Russian apartments I've been in, no matter the city, are very spacious and light with high ceilings, compared to a lot of average American apartment buildings. They're also very quiet, because of the pre-fab concrete-unit construction. There's no need to refurbish anything.
If you have money, you can even make a dream apartment out of the any khrushchevka. It even happens that the repair in the apartment exceeds the cost of the apartment itself.
The other thing I like about apartments in Russia is, that they have a dedicated kitchen, i.e. it's a separate room, unlike newer apartments in the West, including the US, that relegate the kitchen to a small corner of a combination living/dining room. The kitchens are large enough for a table, for informal breakfasting/dining, while for formal dinners, people turn the spacious living room into a dining room. Oh, and another favorite aspect: they all have big claw-foot tubs! HEAVEN! I love to soak in a big tub! And the tub has its own dedicated room. The toilet is separate.
For me, on the contrary, I like the kitchens combined with the living room. I have this in my apartment. In my opinion, it is much more convenient than a separate kitchen, especially during any holidays or feasts. No need to constantly run down the corridor from the room to the kitchen and back when you are cooking something in the process.
And in general, to be honest, I really like the plans of American homes. They are well thought out, a separate bathroom in master bedroom, there are many utility rooms for storage: in the kitchen for all sorts of pots, pans etc., a separate laundry room, various storage rooms,and especially cloackrooms in each room! This is just super. I also really like the kitchen combined with the living room, with an island. If I suddenly save up money and build myself a house where I will live in retirement, I will build it according to the American plan.
We have breathtaking views in Europe too by the way.....but, as you mentioned as well, with less wild climate events.
I know, I know, I saw some of those breathtaking views in Italy, ( plus Caucasian Mountains + Black Sea,) so it was one of the reasons why I was sorta unimpressed by California Coast.
When I've said "breathtaking views" in US, I meant more like those canyons/national parks and yes- Pacific Northwest ( it reminded me of the Lake Baikal and surroundings somewhat.)
Quote:
I showed this picture to someone without revealing the locations and they said it was Canada...not that is the Trentino region in Italy
No to Canada in my book right away - that sky color is typical for warm climate/Southern parts of the world only.
Quote:
I grew up in a city in Sicily where you have white sandy beaches, palm trees and turquoise broth-like warm water to swim in winter rivaling the Caribbean....
...and less than 100 km away in winter you can do this
Or skiing down Mount Etna overlooking beautiful Taormina where in the summer you can bob on 25+ degree Celsius water....
Taormina Isola Bella
Taormina riviera in summer
You see, I grew up spoiled....when people from Seattle or Vancouver tell me that they think they live in the most beautiful place on earth I have hard time not laughing....
I don't want to even look at the rest of your pics, because it makes me so homesick for European continent, lol.
Quote:
I think Sochi in Russia can get close to this diversity within such short distance.
I think of Sochi as part of the Caucasus already.
Not "Russia proper."
Russians are the Northerners)))
If you have money, you can even make a dream apartment out of the any khrushchevka. It even happens that the repair in the apartment exceeds the cost of the apartment itself.
Since when?
This building is made of bricks, is it not?
"Khrushevka" HAS to be a cheap panel building by definition.
That was the whole idea behind "Khrushevkas" - during the mass resettling/mass movement of people from the country side to cities back in the 60ies, with the shortage of housing for the newcomers.
And that's where those block panel buildings came from; they were cheap to make and they were fast to build, according to the growing demand in housing.
And that's why the quality was sacrificed in the process so greatly.
The house in YOUR video looks more like something that was built back in Stalin's times, or may be a bit later. ( I am not sure how the houses/apartments in your area stack against Moscow, because the climate makes difference, so may be the standards even back in Soviet times were different? )
But anyways, back to Khrushevkas and "Stalinkas" as they refer to them now in Moscow.
To me the old apartments built in Stalin's times are the ultimate "it."
The quality, the design, the spaciousness, the high ceilings, the separate bathrooms/lavatories, huge bath tubs - with other words everything that Ruth described above - that's the apartments in the buildings constructed during Stalin's times ( or even before the revolution I guess, but remodeled during Stalin's times.)
For example something like this run-down beauty in stone building put up for sale now, built back in 1955 ( so still around Stalin's times.) ( Watch it till the very end to get a better idea.)
For me personally this apartment has a lot of character and history, so I'd simply restore it as close to its original shape and form as I could, but modern Moscovites with designers flair restore them into something like this; ( she is saying that they fixed the apartment themselves - she and her husband I assume.)
Stalinka's really were the best. Of course they all came in different classes but the Stalin nomenklatura apartments were also the most often equipped with the lovely wood parquet floors. I stayed in some nice ones, the best ever was in Yalta off Karla Marksa.
For me, on the contrary, I like the kitchens combined with the living room. I have this in my apartment. In my opinion, it is much more convenient than a separate kitchen, especially during any holidays or feasts. No need to constantly run down the corridor from the room to the kitchen and back when you are cooking something in the process.
And in general, to be honest, I really like the plans of American homes. They are well thought out, a separate bathroom in master bedroom, there are many utility rooms for storage: in the kitchen for all sorts of pots, pans etc., a separate laundry room, various storage rooms,and especially cloackrooms in each room! This is just super. I also really like the kitchen combined with the living room, with an island. If I suddenly save up money and build myself a house where I will live in retirement, I will build it according to the American plan.
(That "separate kitchen" though was a staple feature of Russian culture back in Soviet days, because that's where all the informal visits were made ( that were plenty throughout the day,) close to the stove top, to boil the tea during the conversations, behind the closed doors in order to not to disturb the rest of the family ( children, husbands and so on.)
And that's why those "separate kitchens" were indispensable to keep that closeness between people going ( i.e. dropping by unannounced, or on a very short notice.)
You know, hypothetically speaking you might be right, it's just back in my day the contemptuous referral to "khrushevka" was usually made exclusively to those block buildings ( and apartments in them.) They were the ones having particularly bad rap.
They were sort of like what you see in this video ( some old footage in "before and after" the renovation.)
A really tiny apartments with very low ceilings.
Stalinka's really were the best. Of course they all came in different classes but the Stalin nomenklatura apartments were also the most often equipped with the lovely wood parquet floors. I stayed in some nice ones, the best ever was in Yalta off Karla Marksa.
I personally haven't seen a single apartment in those "Stalin's buildings" that wouldn't have those wood parquet floors.
It was a common thing in Moscow.
(Don't know about other cities.)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It even happens that the repair in the apartment exceeds the cost of the apartment itself.
