Browsing: Spectator Sports

It’s only 10 p.m., but everyone has retreated to bed except the five of us playing cards in the hostel dining room.

“Deal another round,” I say, “I’m staying up all night.” Sleep seems unlikely when the temperature is plunging towards minus 12 degrees C (10 deg F), there’s no hot water for showers, and six people are sharing each room where the beds are blocks of salt.

I’ve discovered that you can’t enjoy the …

St. Petersburg is a city that has made one of the most remarkable urban turnarounds in American history.

I used to travel to St. Petersburg occasionally on business in the late-90’s. Back then, it seemed a somewhat nondescript small city without a bustling business scene…but with an aging infrastructure and a quiet downtown after the sun went down.

But when I began visiting St. Pete (as the locals call it) again in recent years, I …