March 28, 2012 - Los Cuadernos de Julia

Yekaterinburg: Places to Go Online

There are many reasons why you’d need to pop into an Internet cafe. You may have no laptop, or your mobile Internet has run out, and you suddenly have to check emails or send a file. Below are the places in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals Region in Russia, where you can use the Internet on any device, for free or not. Information is true as of September 2011.

When you have no laptop

If you don’t have a laptop, your first choice is the main Post Office in 39, Prospect of Lenin. In addition to a full range of postal services, they also provide you with the Internet. In a room planted with around 15 PCs you can go online without the need to log in.
How much it costs: 2.5RUB per 1Mb. (We paid 75RUB).
How to get there: get into Prospect of Lenin first, and then follow the houses along the odd side of the street to no. 39. Next to it the Wallen Dutch Pub.
Working hours: 24/7.

Your other choice is an Internet Cafe. The beauty thereof is that this option not only provides you with a PC, but also with food and drinks, should you need either. A Kiber-Sport computer club in 40, Pervomaiskaya St is conveniently located within the easy reach from the main “cultural” arteries of Yekaterinburg: Prospect of Lenin, Karl Liebknecht St, and Tolmachyov St. The place serves business lunches at 99RUB, and is open 24/7. They also provide a range of services, including photocopying, scanning, printing, and laminating.

Another place of a similar kind is Block Post computer club in 141, Malyshev St. There is a bar attached, plus you can order pizza at 300RUB per 1 kilo. The club is equipped with 50 PCs with 19-20″ screens, 9600gt video system and Intel E8200/Q8400 processors.
How much it costs: Block Post offers different packages, suitable for all needs. You can also pay on an hourly basis. The price depends on the day of the week and the time of day. Monday to Friday: 8am-10pm – 25RUB/hour, 10pm-8am – 80RUB/hour. Saturday to Sunday: 8am-10pm – 30RUB/hour, 10pm-8am – 120RUB/hour.
How to get there: For Kiber-Sport, walk to the Ural State University in Prospect of Lenin, turn into Turgenev St and walk down to Pervomaiskaya St that runs just parallel to Prospect of Lenin. Turn right and follow the even side of the street to no. 40. For Block Post, follow Malyshev St to where it is crossed by Studencheskaya St. The following buses can take you there: 13k, 25, 27, 36, 40, 60, 60a, 61.

Working hours: 24/7.

When you have a laptop

Wi-Fi hot-spots are scattered all over Yekaterinburg; you can browse the web near the city pond or in a quaint town district. McDonald’s and such like obviously offer the Internet, but you can surf in style, say, at a bookstore. In Chitai-Gorod chain of bookstores they offer free Wi-Fi, provided you have a laptop.
How much it costs: free.
How to get there: since most likely you will be wandering in the city centre, your best option is a Chitai-Gorod bookstore in 49, Prospect of Lenin. It is only a few houses up the road from the main Post Office mentioned above.

Qype: Central House of the Artists in Moskva

Opened in November 1979, the Central House of the Artists sits opposite the famous Gorky Park and can be reached from Park Kultury or Oktyabr’skaya metro stations. It is also within the easy reach from Treatyakov Gallery (the main collection) and the Red October chocolate factory that is now a coveted location for business and creative professionals.

The Central House of the Artists was conceived as a place that hosts and fosters a dialogue in various creative fields, from painting and architecture to design and fashion. Unsurprisingly, throughout 1980-90s the building saw exhibitions of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Francis Bacon, Giorgio Morandi, Salvador Dali, Yves Saint Laurent, and Karl Bryullov. The CHA regularly hosts concerts and fairs. The last 15 years have witnessed a slight shift towards event-hosting, and the Central House of the Artists has welcomed such annual events, as Non/Fiction Book Fair, Art Salon (the latest has just finished on March 25), Russian International Open Book Festival, Antiques Salon, Art Moscow, Arch Moscow (an architecture-centred event), the Architecture Biennale, Design and Advertising (upcoming from 10 to 13 of April 2012), and Moscow Design Week (2010, 2011).

The building consists of 5 floors, with a multimedia centre on the lower ground floor, and the main facilities (cafe, cloackroom and toilets) on the ground floor. There are also a conference hall and a cinema. In front of the building is Museon, an open air exhibition of sculptural works. The entrance costs 200RUB (6.90USD).

Qype: The Seahorse Restaurant in Llandudno

OK, we all agree it’s pricey, but that’s the price you charge for a life-long passion! In fact, it’s not too bad, bearing in mind the run you get for your money. This is a family restaurant set up by a northern lad who has always been passionate about sea and fish. Quite often you get served what has been caught by the owner himself. I went there by chance, having climbed up the Great Orme and in need for nice food upon my descent… and since I love seafood I thought I’d go in. I had goats cheese with raspberry sauce and currants for a starter, and for the main course I chose a dish from the board menu: the delicious monkfish wrapped in parma ham served on sundried tomato risotto. This is the owner’s own recipe, and it was one of the most unique meals I had had. For a desert I ordered a strawberry cheesecake. I also tried Welsh whisky, the owner recommended Penderyn Sherrywood Whisky which, he said, would suit me better as a woman. Indeed, it is softer compared to other whiskys, with warm, ‘woody’ undertones.

The restaurant is located in a lovely street up from Llandudno Pier, so you can visit it before going for a walk on the Pier and the Promenade, or after you have had one. Needless to say, I will visit it again next time I’m in Llandudno.