Thread by @Chris_arnade

Hello, from Kyiv

The subway stations have Style, as does the subway, and it is 33 cents

Could take a thousand more pics. But there is a bar here called “just beer” and I need to find it

Bar kinda sucked. But the pet store next door rocked

Pedestrians be moving in Kiev

They have wonderful hack busses here (hack busses are perfect marriage of urbanist & libertarian me), that you pay by tossing coins on a shag carpet

In every county I go to I find a regular breakfast treat. Here it is this. Which is some poppy seed thing that is kinda similar to what I found in Istanbul. Doing a breakfast treat zoology

Like I am sure you can trace a line to each other from these three (Kyiv, Bucharest, Istanbul)

Could take millions of pics, but it is 8 degrees out and my hands are cold

Still loving the fast moving laidback pedestrian, but curious what the looking version with extra arm is supposed to tell me

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Coffee is indeed to-going

Anthropomorphized coffee cups seems to be a thing

After a day In Kyiv, I don’t have any insights into tensions with Russia, but I do know Ukrainians like Chonks

Awwwww. Someone made a tiny snow duck

This building is 👍

Love the hack van/busses.

Postcard-y pic. Well, for a certain type of aesthetic

Lots of 70s vibe going on here

Posted this already, but perhaps my fav pic of last two years. I literally LOL everytime I see it

“For good people only”

Old school flame war going on

I am Decidedly team Foxtrot

It really does serve both burgers and sushi. On point

gonna try some authentic Chicken Kyiv

Love this tag

Is this Chicken Kyiv?

Lol

That Wilco album, but in Ukrainian

Found the Soviet era apartment complexes hood

Since I got a live interview in a few hours (Megyn Kelly show) figure I should prepare

More from this great hood

This mall is like a massive yellow ship in the middle of the street

Libertarians (L) vs Neo-Libs (R)

I ❤️ Kyiv

Love this tag.

Awwww. I am academic pizza slice. You?

The mall ice skating rink photo tree is 👍

Seen lots of this fellow. Not sure who they are, but like.

Sad!

Gonna pass, but

Every culture has Hot Pockets. They just call it something else

Final pic for today from a Kyiv underpass.

Got a 16 mile walk for tomorrow. Goodnight

You: I want to go on the Pokémon plane
Me: I want to go on salami Tram

Punching the time card down at the ol jewelry factory

I am team Bee

Money Lamb makes me giggle

This area was interesting, but damn slippery

Crossing rail yards

So much going on here
1) pedestrian mall in traffic circle
2) “supply chain specialist” truck
3) Gudetama knockoff billboard

He wants his pizza

Soviet era housing complex vibe

Found the most amazing hood. Cannot begin to capture how massive it is.

It is absolutely amazing. Old Soviet era complexes. Remarkably relaxing despite its size

Love the underpasses that also function as markets

I find this area un-ironically deeply beautiful. The colors. The styles. The overall layout. The way people interact with the environment

Stay off grass? Cause lady bugs gonna get hurt?

Good benches

I ❤️ something or other

Study in yellow

This building.

Inside a Ukrainian Traffic circle

They do like coffee in Ukraine

Empty shelves. Thanks Biden

Great smoking break table

Mom mom. Baker fluffy! Baaaaaaaker fluuuuuuufy! Pleeeeeeeease

Took coming to Ukraine to Finally get a coaster.

Admire the hack bus drivers. Shifting gears, managing stops, and making change for passengers, all while weaving in pretty intense traffic

Climbing the stairs from scorpion to Bon Jovi

1/2 liter draft for $1.33. So many options. Take that Williamsburg

Jaded tiny bird with extreme shoes

On the plus side, busses here are really clean.

The design ethos in this hood is very distinct. Is it 70s-ish?”

They do like there sushi here. Really rolls

Today (& tomorrow’s) walking goals

So distinct. This area goes on for miles and miles. Clearly a planned addition to city built in 70s

I mean. Just look at this

What is different from the Bucharest Soviet era housing developments, is here there are tons of tiny shops scattered throughout. Selling everything. Meat stores. Cheese stores. And tons of coffee shops

What is it like to grow up in the middle of something like this? I mean, I guess you have to viscerally know there is a lot of people in the world

Man oh man

They just call coffee places random English words I think

They really like coffee in Kyiv

Subtle name for Italian restaurant

Ok. It is 11:30 am here. And I got a long way to walk. But a bar with fish can’t be passed by. It really is beer and fish. Like lots of fish and lots of beer.

Sadly only take out because Covid. I think. But here is some context of location and pic of cool bus stop

Ok. Best named coffee kiosk so far in Kyiv.

View from hack bus in Troieshchyna (sorry. shaky.)

Kids playing on old military equipment in park while ignoring adjacent playground

Reminds me of when I was a kid In 1975 we went “behind the iron curtain” for 6 months and they confiscated my toy soldiers because “communism didn’t believe in military-ism”

Park life

Mr Cash looks an Ukrainian knockoff brad Pitt. And is that an anthropomorphized sponge?

Reading this in an absolutely packed (families mostly) Kyiv mall is 🧐

Two seconds before this Pic there was a group of 13 yr old boys literally looking through the key hole & giggling & who then ran off

Love the subway aesthetics. Especially the trains themselves

This seems like a low key subtle place

Found a really sweet bar

Railyard at night is 🥰.

Posting for my youngest daughter who absolutely loves snails & lurks here on Twitter

Just a little Kyiv scene. Nothing special. Just to give you idea of how it looks in motion

Just spending a quiet day in Troieshchyna

The stance of a drunk old man — feet spread a tad wide, arms on waist, swaying dangerously back and forth, toes raised & lowered to stop a fall, periodically staggering forward or back a few feet — is it seems, a universal!

Zhiguli?

I said to this young man, “Hey, cool backpack” and he looked at me and said with a stern voice. “I am concerned about your nations stance towards NATO & the impending Russian provocation.”

Noooo. He just looked at me quizzically & then hopped off buss

Like how the tiny store in the housing complex nest sales chess sets

Peloton big here also

Getting fed

Nice ashtray

Cool design for strollers, bikes, luggage. Don’t think I have seen anyplace else

Love the homemade bird feeders

The aesthetic care given to everything, despite the current condition, is what strikes me about Kyiv

Motherland monument isn’t that impressive. Not sure what the big deal is

Love this candy store

Huh….

Oh no. My strategy has reached a paradigm shift

Could take thousands pics of these apartment complex entry ways

More

This facade is amazing variation on a theme

Someone in a Kyiv housing complex is team USA

Hello there

Finally found an open fish & beer place! (English translation of fish is astrologer?)

After miles and miles of Soviet era housing, you abruptly transition to areas of newer & wealthier apartments. But all are still apartments

Since I almost only walk in working class hoods, thought I would mix it up and make today’s walk into the historic downtown. Ending with going to the national ballet tonight. To give balance. So. Prepare for a different day

Hmmmm

Hmmm 2.0

So. This is beautiful. Made all the more absurd by Pink Floyd blasting from store here

Not in Troieshchyna Anymore

National opera house across from old Soviet era building

Ok. Bought a ticket to marriage of Figaro ballet. Didn’t know there was ballet version. But will be fun. Ballet tonight!

Until the Ballet, this is the drama I got

Something going on

Protesting some meeting.

So, apparently this has nothing to do with Russian situation. It is the seafarers union protesting change in some maritime law.

Which if true, tracks with all else I seen here

Zoooooooooo day!

Flying 4K miles to see a dangerous raccoon

I guess this is a college (Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute). Boy is it massive

Pre gaming ballet. As one is supposed to do.

Some real back row Kyiv stuff

Cool high end stuff, for only $7. When in Kyiv, do Kyiv stuff. That is what I always say.

All done. Was very nice. Comedic ballet I gather is an acquired taste

This is like that guy from the meme

Kyiv has an amazing number of really cool 70s (?) style buildings

Today's intended walk, for those following along at hom

Just a few pics I couldn't really fit in before but are very Kyiv-y (to me). It is, for me at least, almost all about the colors

I know it is always way easier to be a visitor, but not sure I would ever get tired of this

I mean. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is cool. Would appreciate less traffic though

This area is filled with very big solid buildings

The cat themed suntan booth next to Ramen vending machine in underpass is my fav thing today

🤷‍♂️, I’ve seen bigger

View from up here is cool though

This building gots strong “communist era for westerners hotel” vibe

Lol. This is the first time I have seen this sign. My entire time here has been playing a game of hot lava, but with zero friction ice. It is like Kyiv went out of its way to actively choose sidewalk surfaces with the least traction in winter

This is a great subway station design. Like a 70s going out dress

Since last night was Ballet, tonight is Beer & Fish

Ok. These dried fish string things, are really really good. Way better than beer and popcorn

They got a great diorama in this beer and fish bar

Ok. One of these is my snack.

Ok. This one

This will be the enduring image of Kyiv for me. The hack busses, or Marshrutka as I believe they are called here

Gonna end this absurdly long thread & spend my remaining days in Kyiv, walking, writing, & just hanging. Please subscribe to my Substack (I know, how cliched), where I write up these walking tours into longer & hopefully more nuanced essays

Thanks!
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