All the reasons that make Bucharest incomparable

Sometime during the 1900s, Bucharest was compared to Paris because of the great industrial and economical growth that took place. Even though this comparison has become obsolete, every self-respectful Bucharest resident remembers it to this day. I am proud of having lived in Bucharest – here are all the reasons that make the city incomparable.

The University or ‘La Universitate’

Most people don’t go to The University to study as you may think. It is a central square where people meet – “just by the statues” or “at the exit from the subway”. There are countless restaurants, bars and cafés in the surroundings where people hang out.

Unirea Shopping Center

This is the place to go if you want to buy gifts. Besides the stores you usually find in a mall (Zara, Bershka, H&M) there are numerous cramped stalls with crappy gifts such as snow globes with pictures of happy couples in them, kitchen aprons imprinted with dubious messages and knickknacks with names printed on them. It is the perfect place to buy funny, kinky, junky gifts for friends or to take back home a souvenir.

Living in flats

Every block of flats has an administrator that collects the maintenance fee. They usually come in the form of an old libidinous man, always wearing a mangy vest and house slippers. He usually organizes monthly meetings that grow into gossip sessions about the granny that lives on the seventh floor and never comes out of her apartment.

Neighbourhoods

Ferentari and Rahova are two of the roughest neighbourhoods in Bucharest; danger lurks at every corner and mothers instruct their kids to hold the keys between their fingers and use them as weapons if necessary.

However, on the other side of the city you can find one of the most elegant and charming neighborhoods: Dorobanți. There is a cluster of streets that have capital names (Rome, London, Paris etc.) that are breathtakingly good-looking any time of year.

Markets

Markets are the places you buy fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and cheese from people that live in the countryside. The markets are literally everywhere, in every neighborhood so you have no excuses for buying vegetables in the supermarket. Everything is cheap and you know for sure that the products are safe and tasty. To be honest, nothing compares to a Saturday morning market browsing.

Nescafé Milano

This is a coffee house that doesn’t have the best tasting coffee, however, it has become a very popular meeting point for broke 20- year-olds.

Architecture

The architecture of Bucharest is as unique as it can be: blocks of flats that accommodate nearly two million people mix with baroque, art-nouveau and neo-gothic edifices. Calea Victoriei is filled with astoundingly beautiful, old buildings and modern, glass office buildings that enhance the uniqueness of the city.

Mega Image

Mega Image is the supermarket that any Bucharest dweller has near his house or block of flats. It is a store chain that you can undoubtedly find it on each and every street in the city, sometimes there might be two, three or even four on a street. It’s not a good idea to choose a Mega Image as a meeting spot.

People

On every corner of every little street and every dark questionable alley you can find a shop that sells bread and cigarettes. We call them ’boutiques’. The ladies at the counter might seem disgusted by anything you ask or say but it’s well-known that that is just their constant mood. Some of the more positive ones might call you “chicken” or “love” and give back change in candies because they “have no coins left”.

Moreover, the secretaries that work in schools and universities are as loathsome as the ladies in the shops; they look at you over their glasses, talking with disgust and hate for life and they throw accusations at you (even though you just need to know where a classroom is). Most certainly, they exist to make your day miserable, not to help you in any way – God forbid!

However, the florists are big-hearted people; they call you their baby and even give you discounts or a free flower if they are having a good day and you smile nicely at them.

The Subway – not the sandwich place

The Bucharest subway is a labyrinthine. Even though the arteries have different colors – a cheap replica of the London Underground – the hallways are so twisted that you somehow reach the place you left. I’ve lived for 19 years in Bucharest and sometimes – more times than I’d like to admit though – I still get dazed and confused.

Nightlife and weekends

The nightlife here is the dream of every student; in the Old City Centre there are cheap bars and cafes and young people always in party mood. The most famous bar is Oktoberfest, where a beer cost less that the equivalent of one pound; they serve crisps, popcorn and peanuts to go with the beer.

Control Club is acclaimed for the house parties that it hosts; in weekends DJ’s mix, people dance and during the day there is a lovely terrace where you can enjoy a sunny evening.

Silver Church is another place you must cross off your list if you live in Bucharest; a club with good music and a lot of people – the perfect Friday night out.

For summer weekends most of Bucharest’s youth spend their nights in Eden Garden, a secluded, green, quiet place with hammocks and raffia chairs where bartenders are cute and drinks are great.

A3 is a great little place at a crossroad in the city centre. Prices here are a little higher than other bars but this is such a chic venue that sometimes you just can’t resist!

Dristor Kebab

After a long night of clubbing people get hungry; luckily we have Dristor Kebab to quench our hunger. Around three or four in the morning there is a large cue in front of the place because they truly have the best kebab in town and everyone knows it.

Cultural events

Every year theatre festivals are held in Bucharest, such as Undercloud. The prices are lower for students and you can enjoy a play staged by people your age for a change.

Although you may have not heard of Bucharest, Jon Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roger Waters, Lady Gaga and so many others have; there are a great bunch of amazingly good concerts in this city and the turnout is incredible. We are not on the edge of the world, as some may think – and we are not in Budapest.