Vladivostok
I heard your show today and wanted to respond to your suggestions to the fellow who wanted to visit Vladivostok from Japan.
I have been to Vladivostok and have nothing good to say about the place. As a former long-term resident of Russia, I wanted to see Vlad for a long time, and finally had a chance to go a few years ago. At the time, Aeroflot was not a permissible flyer for US government contractors (as I was at the time) so I ended up flying from Moscow to Tokyo, then took the train to Niigata, and then a flight from there to Vlad.
To say that Vlad has seen
better days is a vast understatement. The city has long been neglected, despite its closed status during the Cold War, and there are few facilities that have been upgraded to international standard (one exception was the then-newly restored Central Hotel, which was lovely.) There is a very thriving crime network there, as well, which makes getting around town somewhat dodgy. The docks are particularly dangerous, and you cannot get very close at all to the naval vessels without risking serious ramifications. Don't even get me started on the subject of dining in the city...
-James
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