With the Dnipro River flowing through its center, Kyiv has always been divided into two parts – the left and right banks. Historically, each of the banks has gained a certain reputation. The city center, with most of the important sites and monuments, parks, governmental and cultural institutions, are located on the right bank, making it a prestigious place to live and spend your cultural leisure.
The left is, on the contrary, a sheer “bedroom community,” a residential area mostly occupied by apartment buildings, broad roads, supermarkets and entertainment complexes. The apartments on the left bank are usually cheaper, especially in its farthest parts.
Those residing on the right bank often look down upon the left, as if believing it to be some sort of wasteland or dark woods where wild animals run about. Of course, it’s not true. This large area has developed an infrastructure of shops and services providing residents with everything necessary.
Kharkivskiy
Kharkivsky is the youngest of the left bank districts and the most prestigious due to its thorough infrastructure. The building process on its territory was started some 30 years ago and continues today. Living here, you have everything you need right at hand: shopping and entertainment centers, restaurants, a cinema, and the top-notch health clinic Borys. There are also several lakes surrounded by the remnants of a forest, but they are more attractive in the warmer weather. The busiest area is the one next to Pozniaky metro station with Aladdin and Piramida shopping centers, standing right across the road from each other, Billa supermarket, and the unavoidable McDonalds. Aladdin has some nice features for family fun, such as a small skating rink with plastic covering, a climbing wall, a comfy cinema and several attractions for the youngest. The rest of the complex is occupied by mid-range stores, cosmetics and drug store departments, a beauty salon, solarium, casino, and fast food restaurant. For dining in a relaxed atmosphere, I would recommend Italo-Serbian restaurant Issa, located a five-minute walk from Aladdin, Georgian restaurants Bagrationi or V Borzhomi, and a newly opened Coffee Time. Beer and live music are best served in pubs U Kruzhki and Bierloga.
If you live in the nearby district and are involved in building or renovation, it is very convenient to buy all needed materials at Epicenter – the largest home imporvement retailer.
Darnytsia and Rusanivka
The area around Livoberezhna metro station is quickly turning into the liveliest place in the district, with a number of attraction around: the Kyiv State Drama and Comedy Theater on the Left Bank, the giant Expo Center, as well as a large post office, tall Tourist hotel and Joss casino.
The area around Rusanivka is worth visiting for its canal and river quay. The canal is connected to Rusanivsky strait, which is outlined by a wide park zone and beaches. Although the swimming season is already over, the territory gives a fabulous view of the right city bank – the towering metal monument of Rodina Mat (Mother Homeland), Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra, and high hill slopes richly covered in vegetation. After a refreshing walk, you can enjoy a break at one of the nearby eateries – Bulvar, Venetsia (which is also a hotel) offering standard European cuisine or pizzeria Signior Pomidor. In the evening, you can have a beer at To Dublin pub and move to the nearby night club and casino Joss. On the quay, in the building of hotel Slavutich you can wander into the somewhat underground Cinema night club.
Shopping in the area is likewise convenient. Right next to Livoberezhna metro is Komod shopping center that, in addition to common list of shops and eateries, offers cinema screenings at Multiplex cinema hall. On the ground floor of Komod is Furshet Gurman grocery store, where you can buy pricy cheese and exotic fruit twice as cheap as in Furshet inside Arena Entertainment. Knyzhkoviy Supermarket (Book Supermarket) stands a few steps from Komod.
If you are interested in vintage, there are two spots worth visiting – one is a second hand market at the entrance to Lisova metro station and the other is a comission shop called Komissionochka.
Nightlife in Troyeshchyna
Around 300, 000 people reside in Troyeshchyna – it is like the entire Poltava city population in one district! However, the infrastructure here is not as well-developed as in other districts of the left bank: the lonely towering supermarkets and shopping centers are slowly joined by restaurants and night clubs. Troyeshchina is sometimes labeled a Ukrainian Harlem, yet the fables saying that it’s dangerous to walk the streets there are very far from the truth.
Among the places really worth visiting is Florentsia (Florence) cinema, where you can also play billiards and have lunch at a pizzeria. For a more nutritious meal, you can visit the nearby restaurants Rancho, Astoria or Kalinka-Malinka entertainment complex, located a bit farther. Dance parties and live performances of music bands are regularly held at Kalinka-Malinka. For something less pretentious, drop by Cuba, which is a combination of a restaurant and a pub. Cuban tunes are often heard there accompanying salsa parties and latin dancing lessons. One of the most pleasant surprises at Cuba is that till 6 p.m. you can make orders with a 20 percent discount – the “bedroom community” is not that active in the daytime.
Aladdin (5 Hryshka, 206-4141);
Issa (4A Hryshko, 572-3885);
Bagrationi (14 Bazhana, 501-8681);
V Borzhomi (13G Akhmatovoi, 569-1330);
Coffee Time (4 Mishugy, 459-3420);
U Kruzhki (12/37 Dekabrystiv, 562-6262);
Bierloga (14V Kniazhy Zaton, 572-7208);
Epicenter (40 Hryhorenka, 561-2750).
Kyiv State Drama Theater on the Left Bank (25 Brovarskiy Prospect, 517-8980);
Expo Center (1G Hlushkova, 596-9101);
Bulvar (7 Rusanivska quay, 555-6609);
Venetsia (3A Rusanivska quay, 555-1730);
Signior Pomidor (4 Rusanivska quay, 555-3984);
To Dublin (4 Raisy Okipnoi, 569-5531);
Joss (2 Raisy Okipnoi, 516-8674);
Cinema (1 Entusiastov, 295-5854);
Komod (4 Lunacharskoho);
Knyzhkovyi Supermarket (10 Lunacharskoho, 569-8389);
Komissionochka (4 Gagarina, 229-2747).
Florentsia (31 Maiakovskoho, 235-9385);
Rancho (26 Mayakovskoho, 547-7649);
Kalinka-Malinka (47 Maiakovskoho, 515-0320);
Astoria (43/2 Mayakovskoho, 545-1607);
Cuba (3 Saburova, 228-8522).
