Kyiv's Got a Chill, and So Do I (Probably)
okay, so. kyiv. i’m… processing. i just got back, and my brain feels like a tangled ball of yarn someone’s been using to knit a very confused sweater. it’s cold. seriously cold. i just checked and it’s a damp, grey sort of cold, the kind that seeps into your bones and makes you question all your life choices. like, why did i pack only one pair of thermal socks? rookie mistake. the temperature is hovering around -7.88, feels like -14.88. delightful.
I was here scouting locations for a potential documentary - indie film stuff, you know? The kind where you’re eating instant noodles and sleeping on floors, but the cinematography is chef’s kiss. It’s a weird vibe, kyiv. There’s this… resilience. Like the city’s been through a lot, and it’s still standing, still humming, still stubbornly beautiful.
I spent a lot of time wandering around, mostly without a plan. That’s how I like it. Found this amazing little coffee shop near Maidan Nezalezhnosti - seriously, look it up on TripAdvisor. It’s called Aroma Coffee, and they make a mean flat white. I overheard someone complaining about the metro being delayed. Apparently, it’s a daily occurrence.
“Don’t even try to catch the metro during rush hour,” a woman muttered to her friend, clutching a bag of groceries. “You’ll be packed in like sardines. Just walk. Or hail a taxi. Anything but the metro.”
Speaking of taxis, they’re surprisingly affordable. I used Bolt a bunch. Download it. Trust me.
I’m a street artist, so naturally, I was scoping out walls. There’s a lot of incredible graffiti, a real mix of styles. Some of it’s political, some of it’s just… art. I even saw a mural depicting a cat wearing a tiny crown. You can’t make this stuff up. I’m thinking of doing a piece near Podil - it’s got this amazing, crumbling architecture that would be perfect. Check out some local art forums for inspiration, like this one: https://www.kyivstreetart.com/.
I stayed in a hostel near Bessarabsky Market. It was… an experience. Let’s just say the shower pressure was questionable. But the people were cool, and it was cheap. If you’re on a budget, check out Hostelworld. https://www.hostelworld.com/.
“The borscht at that place across the street is amazing,” a guy with a handlebar mustache told me, nursing a beer. “But be warned, it’s spicy. Like, really spicy.”
I also spent an afternoon wandering around the Pechersk Lavra. It’s… intense. So much history. So many gold-covered domes. It’s overwhelming in the best possible way. Someone told me that the catacombs are haunted. I didn’t go down there. I’m not that brave.
If you get bored, Chernihiv and Kharkiv are just a short drive away. I didn’t make it to either, but I heard they’re worth checking out. The humidity is pretty high too, like 92%. It makes everything feel damp. I’m already missing my heated blanket. The pressure is 1008, ground level 985. Who even knows what that means?
Honestly, kyiv is a city of contrasts. It’s beautiful and broken, hopeful and haunted. It’s a place that gets under your skin and stays there. I’d go back in a heartbeat. Just maybe with a few more thermal socks.