1. Grocery stores within walking distance. It seems that no matter where you live in St. Petersburg, there’s a grocery store either in your building or in the one next door. Our house had at least two, and I learned to use them as my personal fridge. The prices were not that much higher than in large grocery stores like Okey and Lenta but the convenience of not having to buy milk and yogurt for a week was priceless. It was also great for those evening cravings… Most are open at least till 10 pm.  

2. Mobile tech. Your phone is the center of your universe? In St. Petersburg, it never seems to leave people’s hands, and for a good reason. People use it to pay for everything from groceries to gas - it seems like this method of payment is preferred to credit cards and rivals cash.

Apps are also used for all sorts of things: you look up suburban train schedule with tutu.ru, skip the line at Burger King and of course, hail a ride with Yandex.Taxi. 

3. Really good restaurants and really horrible ones, at about the same price. With our offices close to Rubinshteina Street, the local culinary hub, it was too tempting not to explore the fares on offer. I intentionally picked places that looked “decent” with the price range of between 500 and 800 rubles for an entree (some had a great view).

To my surprise, the ambiance and the price tag were not indicative of the chef’s skills. There were times when I felt like it was their first time in the kitchen. Ginza Project restaurants were a consistently safe pick. 

4. Lines in bookstores. When’s the last time you were behind five people stocking up on things to read? The first time it happened to me at a bookstore on Nevsky Prospect, I thought it was just tourists. But then it happened again in Podpisnie Izdania, and at Bukvoed way on the outskirts.

People here like to read. While some read on their devices, plain old paperbacks, especially the classics, are still getting lots of love. (We scouted some cool bookstores and libraries).

5. Good coffee, and lots of it. That depends on your definition of good coffee, of course, but even my mom, who doesn’t drink anything other than ristretto, found her new favorite at a hole-in-the-wall near the metro. You can get the usual, as in espresso, latte or cappuccino, or you can try raf - a local creation, which is close to a latte but with cream instead of milk. It often comes in a variety of flavors.

If you drink drip coffee, here it will be called Americano. Word of caution - don’t expect a milk/cream/sugar station. Ask for coffee with milk.

Thinking about spending some time here in St. Petersburg? Here’s how to rock it like a pro expat.