Technology problems in St. Petersburg
One of few drawbacks to St. Petersburg, vis-a-vis Moscow, is that it is less technologically developed. Almost every cafe in downtown Moscow has free wi-fi access, even McDonald's. Here, however, there are only a handful, and all off the main drag. "Carl's Jr" just opened a restaurant here. One of the main attractions is that it offers free wi-fi with a purchase. Unlike Moscow, where the access is usually open and limitless, you need a password and it's only for 30 minutes. I came here to eat dinner explicitly because of this deal. I was pleasantly surprised. Like McDonald's, the Carl's here was better than back in the states. The sandwich is cleaner and tastes better. In any case, I've been sitting here for 20 minutes waiting for the singal to come through. It just did, but now I only have 10 minutes before I'm supposed to leave and meet someone.
Carl at Carl's Jr.
In addition to wi-fi coverage, St. Petersburg is behind the times when it comes to recharging your phone account. In Moscow, on practically every street corner they have automated machines. It's excruciatingly simple. You type in the phone number that you want to recharge, then you put money in the machine. Presto, the money immediately appears on the account. Yes, you can recharge your friends' accounts if they are indisposed. You can even recharge total strangers' accounts, if you're not careful about double checking the number that you entered. Here, however, we're still using cards.
You have to buy a card, which come in fixed denominations of 150, 300, 500, and 1,000 roubles. The cards usually cost more than they're worth. In my neighborhood, for example, a 150 card will cost 160, 300 will run 320, etc. In the center of town the price can be even higher. A 150 card might run you 180. True, some machines in Moscow charge a commission of 3%, but most don't. Even at that, a 150 deposit would cost 155, far less than you'd pay in downtown St. Pete.
I love this city, but it's got some technological catching up to do if it wants to rival Moscow. That said, it's still progressed quite a bit from when I first came here three years ago.
Carl at Carl's Jr.
In addition to wi-fi coverage, St. Petersburg is behind the times when it comes to recharging your phone account. In Moscow, on practically every street corner they have automated machines. It's excruciatingly simple. You type in the phone number that you want to recharge, then you put money in the machine. Presto, the money immediately appears on the account. Yes, you can recharge your friends' accounts if they are indisposed. You can even recharge total strangers' accounts, if you're not careful about double checking the number that you entered. Here, however, we're still using cards.
You have to buy a card, which come in fixed denominations of 150, 300, 500, and 1,000 roubles. The cards usually cost more than they're worth. In my neighborhood, for example, a 150 card will cost 160, 300 will run 320, etc. In the center of town the price can be even higher. A 150 card might run you 180. True, some machines in Moscow charge a commission of 3%, but most don't. Even at that, a 150 deposit would cost 155, far less than you'd pay in downtown St. Pete.
I love this city, but it's got some technological catching up to do if it wants to rival Moscow. That said, it's still progressed quite a bit from when I first came here three years ago.