When we launched the I Heart My City project, friend of IT Andrew Evans had a hard time figuring out which city he loved best. But he settled on Odessa, the fourth largest city in Ukraine, where he spent a good deal of time writing the Brandt Travel Guide to the country. "Imagine taking New Orleans and adding
the weather of Marseilles, the people of Naples, the shop fronts of
Coney Island, the grit of Baltimore, and the architecture of Paris and
Rome," he writes. "It's the only
place like it in the whole world."
Odessa is My City The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Deribasovskaya Street.
When I crave Pizza I always go to Zara Pizzara.
To escape the speeding taxis I head to the waterfront.
If I want to window shop I go to Passazh.
For complete quiet, I can hide away at the Panteleimonsky Monastery.
If you come to my city, get your picture taken with one of the street performers' pet monkeys.
If you have to order one thing off the menu from Hebron it has to be kugel.De Zire is my one-stop shop for great wine.
Locals know to skip the cheesy resorts and check out the beaches down the coast instead.
When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go to Zharyu Paryu.
For a huge splurge I go shopping at Passazh.
Photo ops in my city include the Potemkin Stairs and the best vantage point is Primorsky Boulevard.
If my city were a celebrity it'd be Liz Taylor.
The most random thing about my city is the Monument to Oranges.
My city has the shadiest looking men.
My city has the most lavish women.
In my city, an active day outdoors involves the beach!
My city's best museum is the Archaeological Museum.My favorite jogging/walking route is Preobrazhenskaya.
For a night of dancing, go to Dali Gali. Or, for live music, check out Bar Bochka.
Druzya I Pivo (Friend & Beer) is the spot for late-night eats.
To find out what's going on at night and on the weekends, read Yug.
You can tell a lot about my city from the names of all the streets.
You can tell if someone is from my city if they tell good jokes.
In the spring you should pull up a park bench with friends at the City Gardens.
In the summer you should get a tan at Delphin Beach.
In the fall you should buy vegetables at the open air market by the train station.
In the winter you should go to the opera.
A hidden gem in my city is Odessa Literary Museum.
For a great breakfast joint try Fanconi.
Don't miss the April Fool's Day festival in the city center!Just outside my city, you can visit the Odessa Catacombs.
The best way to see my city is on the streets, at night.
If my city were a pet it would be an aging pink poodle.
The best book about my city is The 12 Chairs by Ilf & Petrov.
When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is Mozart's Requiem.
If you have kids, you won't want to miss the balloon sellers and baby pony rides in the park.
Pushkin's love affairs could only happen in my city.
My city should be featured on your cover and website because it's the only place like it in the whole world. Imagine taking New Orleans and adding the weather of Marseilles, the people of Naples, the shopfronts of Coney Island, the grit of Baltimore, and the architecture of Paris and Rome. It's also the world's largest April Fool's Day celebration in the world!
Thanks to Andrew for sending us his picks. If you still haven't shared what you love about your city, there's still time. Just complete our list of fill-in-the-blank questions then copy and paste the list into an email, fill in your answers, and send your responses to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org.
Photos: Andrew Evans
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When we visited Odessa in August 2007 they had removed the Orange monument. A political issue I guess. Anoter weird monument is the pansar covered tractor - a momument to the resistance during the seige of Odessa when the farmer cleverly dequised their farm equipement to look like tanks to deter the enemy.
I have the Odessa 2 years to army in military.I too was like Deribasovskaya street.Really is great citi Odessa.
I have the Odessa 2 years to army in military.I too was like Deribasovskaya street.Really is great citi Odessa.
i like the architecture on there...nice building
Dear friends
My name is Hugo Perosio, I am a genealogist and I possess a site web
www.familiaperosio.com
My family lived in Odessa around of 150 years and its house they have informed me it is even in I tweeted.
This located in Pushkinskaya, 45 street
Do you have a picture of the house?
I write him from Argentina appealing to their sensibility
Picture that would illustrate my web page mentioning the source.
Cordially