Walking in St. Petersburg

1. The driver always has the right of way. Drivers here almost never yield to pedestrians, they simply speed up or turn right in front of them. Never play chicken with a Russian driver, because they will not slow down, even if you look them in the eyes.
2. Do not expect sidewalks. Someone is always doing ремонт (remont = renovations). Sometimes they'll put wooden planks over where the sidewalk used to be, but other times the sidewalk will just inexplicably disappear.
3. Even if there is a sidewalk, you might not be able to walk on it. If there isn't a sign saying you can't park there, it's free game. This applies to both streets and sidewalks. 
4. Do not expect crosswalks. Everything in Russia is big -- churches, high heels, and streets. Unlike most European cities, where stuff was all squashed together due to the lack of space, they had plenty of room to spread out in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately some brilliant traffic planner decided that no adjustment needed to be made for pedestrians. It is common to see people crossing 4 or 6 lanes of traffic without the aid of a traffic light or crosswalk.
5. Do not expect street signs. There simply aren't any. You have to look at what the street name is on the number for a building. But not every building will have a sign with the number -- some are simply numberless. Don't ask me how anyone who lives in an unnumbered building actually gets anything done, because I can't imagine the government would be happy knowing someone lived "in the pink house on X street."

Tomorrow I'm moving to the university dormitory on Vassilievsky Island. My internet access will be limited until I (possibly) buy a personal Wi-Fi box.