12u travel baseball team rankings

Travel Baseball Rankings and Stats

Just like college baseball RPI but for travel ball.  

West Raleigh Canes Blue 9U

Sba futures 9u, summerfield stars 9u jones, carolina rockies 9u black marucci, carolina elite of clayton 9u, clippers 9u, carolina evo grey 9u, mission baseball gold 9u, river rats 9u, rock solid red 9u, triad cardinals 9u, king kryptonite 9u, area stars 9u derick 9u, charlotte colts jordan 9u, east rowan 9u, carolina bearcats 9u, sba nationals 9u, athletes lab red 9u, diamond thieves lilley 9u, sba north 9u, powerhouse gundawgs 9u, five star copperheads black fall 9u, sandhills select white 9u, five star carolina bombers 9u, carolina express 9u, durham blues 9u, mission navy 9u, rock solid blue 9u, carolina freedom 9u, hyaa hawks 9u, carolina yellow jackets 9u, fs bulldogs 9u black, uc bulldogs 9u, mara bombers 9u, oc crushers 9u, mudcats 9u 9u, nwnc elite gold 9u, five star carolina elite 9u, sports lab baseball 9u orange, lknll lightning 9u, north wake select - 9u red, dirt dynasty 9u, mara storm 9u, dirtbags 9u, gf sandlot-braswell 9u, weddington wild 9u, athletes lab white 9u, concord athletics 9u-faile, lightning jacks albert 9u, nwnc elite 9u-navy, greenville athletics 9u, o3 athletics 9u, tlp navy 9u, gbi express 9u, carolina creepers, carolina thunder 9u, sports lab baseball navy 9u, charlotte colts (johnson) 9u, 5 star heat 9u, cape fear arrows 9u, lightning jacks roxberry 9u, west raleigh canes red 9u, diamond thieves black 2033 9u, extreme performance 9u, south charlotte revolution 9u, north lincoln destroyers 2033 9u, mvp athletics 9u, nsa knuckleheads 9u, carolina clippers blue 9u, c35 white 9u, north wake select - 9u blue, copperheads red fall 2023 9u, c35 fayetteville 9u, fury baseball 9u, c35 - lee county, rba heels 9u 9u, carolina vipers 9u, gbc prospects 9u, mc hammers-9u, pba carolina stars 9u, carolina knights 9u, eagles elite 9u, on deck os 9u, east coast bandits 9u, crushers 9u, carolina diamond dawgs 9u, carolina rockies purple 9u, slb 9u american, stokes stars 9u, carolina king cobras blue 9u, sandhills select red 9u, base brawlers 9u, carolina white sox 9u, venom stars 9u, c35 - fuquay 9u, athletes lab 9u navy, south wake storm 9u 9u, athletes lab navy 10u, sba bolts national 10u, carolina rockies 10u black marucci, mission saints olmo 10u, diamond life athletics 10u, sba americans 10u, area stars jackson 10u, west raleigh canes 10u blue, sandhills select white 10u, usa prime hayes 10u, tlp red 10u, defenders baseball 10u, salem select 10u, cleveland wildcats 10u- carter, wilson pirates - lippert 10u, carolina clippers blue 10u, kernersville blue chips 10u, rock solid red 10u, summerfield stars 10u, carolina freedom johnson 10u, carolina dingers elite 10u, durham owls 10u, mara lightning 10u, carolina pirates 10u, carolina elite of clayton 10u, durham blues 10u, tlp navy 10u, sba nationals 10u, gbc prospects clark 10u, coastal chaos 10u, erds 10u heaters, north carolina predators 10u, powerhouse elite 10u, pfafftown raiders 10u (2032) 10u, lkn thunder 10u, carolina titans 10u, ballantyne bombers 10u, carolina vipers black 10u, fs bulldogs black 10u, area stars honeycutt 10u, south charlotte revolution 10u, aces 10u fall 23, gbi express ramr 10u, carolina bearcats 10u, dash city 10u, wcwaa red 10u, waxhaw warriors blue, greenville athletics - green 10u, tpa nationals murph 10u, lake norman scrappers 10u, powerhouse gundawgs 2023 10u, athletes lab 10u red, davidson force 10u, wilson pirates - rabil 10u, athlete lab reynolds 10u, nc prime coastal 10u, river rats 10u, hillsborough hawks 10u, fs bulldogs red 10u, ramblers 10u, south park hurricanes 10u, waxhaw warriors 10u travel, nc revenge 10u, lightning jacks stover 10u, nsa dodgers 10u, cc cardinals 10u, nc prospects 10u, tpa nationals black 10u, five star copperheads black 10u, pineville blue sox 10u, carolina evo 10u, north wake select 10u, carolina rockies 10u purple marucci, cdh renegades 10u, chargers 10u, rock solid blue 10u, c35 fayetteville 10u, km aces 10u, topsail cannons 10u, flight 22 10u, next level 10u, lkn hurricanes 10u, north lincoln destroyers 10u, oc crushers fall 10u, c35 fv 2032 10u, eagles elite 10u - meadows, west raleigh canes 10u white 10u, team carolina 10u 10u, five star copperheads red 10u, lkn lightning challenge fall 23 10u, sba north canes 10u, carolina clippers 10u orange23 10u, carolina vipers red 10u, concord athletics - swanson 10u, southeast titans 10u, p413 10u allen, area stars-zach 11u, area stars 919 11u, canes land 11u, east coast baseball 11u, athletes lab red 11u, sba bolts national 11u, extreme performance kluttz 11u, vipers baseball 11u, sba futures 11u, summerfield stars 11u, tri county bombers 11u -simmons, canes 11u - theodore, west raleigh canes blue 11u, salem select 11u, union co. crush fall 2023 11u, mission saints 11u, carolina rockies marucci 11u black, carolina evo 11u grey, canes charlotte 11u, south charlotte revolution 11u, tlp navy 11u, canes 11u east - jones, dry pond 11u, ripperz 11u, diamond thieves 11u 11u, rawlings tigers raleigh 11u, carolina freedom smith 11u, sba nationals 11u, lkn fury 11u, five star 11u mike, oc crushers 11u, greenville athletics-green 11u, king cats 11u, gtp central 11u, sanford spartans 11u, cape fear arrows 11u, gtp black smith 11u, red clay athletics 11u, carolina thunder baseball 11u, tlp red 11u, fungo red sox 11u, athletes lab 11u navy 11u, sba north generals 11u, dirt dynasty 11u, nc rogue sibbett 11u, nwnc elite mash 11u, carolina wolfpack 11u, camel city 11u, greenville a’s gold 11u, red clay athletics black 11u, west raleigh canes red 11u, riptide 11u blue 11u, sba havoc 11u, park sharon nationals 11u, durham owls 11u somers, gbi express 11u black, diamond life athletics 11u, fs bulldogs (dane) 11u, on deck os uc 11u, gewbc nighthawks 11u, carolina diamonds 11u, whitecaps-obx 11u, c35 fuquay-varina blue 11u, c-35 taylor 11u, robeson raptors 11u, sc revolution ferreira 11u, carolina spittin oysters 11u, concord screamin eagles 11u, wcwaa bulldogs 11u, five star heat 11u, morehead city makos 11u, gunners 11u, purpose driven 11u, c35 fv argyle 11u, se titans 11u, nw elite 11u, next level d2 11u, carolina bagboys 11u, sandlot gragg 11u, carolina armor 11u, south park baseball club 11u, usa prime 11u hansen, carolina rockies purple 11u marucci, 5 star copperheads red 11u, pfafftown raiders elite 11u, waxhaw warriors 11u, carolina elite of clayton 11u, ravens baseball 11u, gbc 11u mancuso, c35 fuquay-varina white 11u, five star powerhouse 11u, nc blackhawks 11u, sba canes 11u, on deck os charlotte 11u, riptide 11u-gold 11u, red oak rockstars 11u, canes nc - land 12u, sba bolts national 12u, tlp pirates 12u, canes east burress 12u, canes nc - danko 12u, sba north 12u stars, sba north prospects 12u, greenville athletics 12u 12u, scp marucci 12u, five star powerhouse 12u, revolution 12u, mhc makos 12u, carolina rockies 12u marucci, carolina hitmen 12u, asheville as 12u, usa prime coastal stars 12u, mission saints 12u, gbc prospects baker 12u, carolina elite 12u, cc cardinals 12u, carolina elite of clayton 12u, carolina diamondbacks 12u, funky monkeys pg/usssa 12u, american dream 12u, summerfield stars red 12u, carolina thunder of clayton 12u, gbc prospects 12u- matthews, canes ingle 12u, carolina express 12u, riptide 12u, colts national 12u, 5 star heat - travelers 12u, platinum pirates nc 12u, team beast nc black 12u 12u, dirtbags elite gold 12u, lugnuts 12u, wow factor coastal 12u, cape fear arrows 12u, fury baseball 12u, sandhills select 12u fall, charlotte colts 12u, dry pond blue sox 12u, 12u elite 12u, sba 12u futures 12u, 5 star copperheads black 12u, gbc prospects smith 12u, carolina vipers 12u, gametime prospects central 12u, mountain fire 12u, wnc warhawks 12u, cage 2 stage 12u, ec diamondbacks 12u, diamond boys baseball black 12u, diamond thieves robertson 12u, carolina united 12u, nc elite 12u, screamin eagles 12u, mission monarchs 12u, carolina dark horses white 12u, wilmington seahawks 12u, carolina clippers orange 12u, carolina falcons 12u, carolina evo 12u, tpa nationals bow 12u, carolina bearcats 12u, west raleigh canes red 12u, rawlings prospects nc 12u, south charlotte revolution 12u - forman, c35 2030 neese 12u fall 12u, 5 star copperheads red 12u, river rats 12u jamesville, nc, byba 2030 12u, gewbc nighthawks 12u, alpha standard titans 12u, neuse river crawdads 12u, greenville wolverines 12u black, canes carolina 12u, south park chargers 12u, carolina white sox 12u, west raleigh blue 12u, lkn phoenix 12u, eagles elite whitfield 12u, sc braves 12u, camel city baseball 12u, carolina clippers blue 12u, redclay 12u - muzroll, greenville wolverines- green 12u, cleveland wildcats hammonds 12u, 2336 baseball academy 12u, roadrunners baseball 12u, funky monkeys 12u, stallion baseball club 12u, mara bolts 12u, diamond boys baseball gold 12u, outkast 12u, carolina titans 12u, makos white 12u, fs bulldogs 12u black, scp victus 12u.

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2024 NFL Draft: Why former Vikings GM says the team will have to 'overpay' to trade up for a top QB prospect

Minnesota needs a qb, but so do the teams ahead of it.

The Minnesota Vikings acquired another first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft to set themselves up for a quarterback. Minnesota has the No. 11 and No. 23 overall pick as assets to trade up, but a former general manager of the team thinks that may not be enough. 

CBS Sports NFL analyst Rick Spielman thinks the Vikings would have to part ways with their 2025 first-round pick in order to move all the way up from No. 11 to No. 4 to get the quarterback they want. In this case, that quarterback is J.J. McCarthy. 

"I heard a lot of things that Minnesota thought he had an excellent pro day up there and fits exactly what Kevin O'Connell wants to do from an offensive standpoint," Spielman said on the 'With the First Pick" podcast . "But they're just not gonna get it with the two first-round picks.

"They're gonna have to throw in their first-round pick in 2025, plus some more draft capital, to do what they have to do to go up and get it." 

View this post on Instagram A post shared by NFL on CBS (@nfloncbs)

The first three picks are projected to be quarterbacks, starting with the Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are expected to go to the Washington Commanders or the New England Patriots , who have the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively.

McCarthy is expected to be the next quarterback taken off the board. The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 4 overall pick and have Kyler Murray as their franchise quarterback, leaving a bidding war for teams to jump up to No. 4. Minnesota has the biggest trade ammunition to move up from No. 11 to No. 4, which would presumably be for McCarthy. 

The Los Angeles Chargers don't need a quarterback at No. 5, but the New York Giants  could want one at No. 6. To get McCarthy, the Vikings would have to jump the Giants. 

"I don't think he's the fourth overall best player in the draft," said Spielman, general manager of the Vikings from 2012 to 2021. "If you have to have one, then you have to overpay to get one."

Sam Darnold is currently the Vikings starting quarterback. Minnesota has boxed itself into a corner where it'll now likely have to overpay.

The 2024  NFL Draft  will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly  updated draft order ,  mock drafts  and a regularly available  look at the eligible prospects . 

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on  "With the First Pick"  -- our year-round  NFL Draft  podcast with  Spielman and  NFL Draft  analyst Ryan Wilson. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts:  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  YouTube , etc. Listen below!

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15 men brought to military enlistment office after mass brawl in Moscow Oblast

Local security forces brought 15 men to a military enlistment office after a mass brawl at a warehouse of the Russian Wildberries company in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast on Feb. 8, Russian Telegram channel Shot reported .

29 people were also taken to police stations. Among the arrested were citizens of Kyrgyzstan.

A mass brawl involving over 100 employees and security personnel broke out at the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal on Dec. 8.

Read also: Moscow recruits ‘construction brigades’ from Russian students, Ukraine says

We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron !

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

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Paul Moskau

Inducted Class of 1998

A former professional baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds, Paul Moskau has worked tirelessly with numerous Little Leagues in Tucson. As a player, Paul was an all-star in Little League, Pony League and the Colt League. At Rincon High School (1968-71) he was all-city and All-State. While attending Arizona State University (1971-73), Paul was Azusa Pacific 75 All-Conference and first team All-American.

He played pro baseball with the Cincinnati Reds (1977-81), Pittsburgh Pirates (1982) and Chicago Cubs (1983). His coaching experience includes a three-year stint as assistant baseball coach for Sabino High School.

As general manager of the Tucson Toros (1985-88), Paul sponsored Tucson Toros Youth Winter Baseball. He was active on the March of Dimes board of directors and for seven years hosted celebrity golf tournaments for charity.

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Virginia Baseball Rankings Roundup: Consensus Top 10 After Explosive Weekend

• Author: Matt Newton

Two weeks after falling out of the top 10 following a series loss at Duke, Virginia baseball is back firmly in the top 10 after going 6-2 since then and 3-1 last week, including a series victory at Louisville that saw the Cavaliers match a program-record with 47 total runs scored across the three games.

The 3-1 week had a marginal impact on Virginia's positioning in the college baseball polls, with the Cavaliers moving up one or two spots in three of the rankings, staying the same in the Baseball America poll, and actually dropping a spot according to the National College Baseball Writers Association, who must prefer pitching over offense. But overall, Virginia is back as a consensus top 10 team in the nation across each of the major college baseball polls. See this week's Virginia Baseball Rankings Roundup below:

D1Baseball : Virginia moves up from No. 11 to No. 10 Perfect Game : Virginia moves up from No. 10 to No. 9 Baseball America : Virginia stays at No. 9 USA TODAY Coaches Poll : Virginia moves up from No. 10 to No. 8 National College Baseball Writers Association : Virginia moves down from No. 9 to No. 10

Virginia is now 28-8 overall and 11-7 in the ACC. UVA is currently in a three-way tie with Duke and Virginia Tech for second place in the ACC Coastal standings.

Virginia has five games on deck this week, beginning with a road trip to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion on Tuesday at 6pm before returning home to take on George Mason on Wednesday at 6pm. UVA will then host Georgia Tech for a three-game series this weekend.

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• Travel Forum
• Independent Trave...

Independent Travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg

My wife and I have traveled independently to many European countries and, after reading many of the comments in this forum, feel like we may be able to do so in Moscow and St. Petersburg as well, although we feel somewhat less comfortable than the other countries where we have traveled in Europe.

My biggest question is how much we will miss by visiting the main sites without a tour guide. In the other European countries we have visited on our own we have been comfortable and satisfied with the level of knowledge we have gained by studying and visiting on our own, although we believe a tour guide or tour company in any country would normally be able to provide greater insight than visiting a site on our own, but about in Moscow and St. Petersburg?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Unless you speak at least some Russian and read the alphabet it would be difficult without a guide. Very few signs in English especially in Moscow. Also not too many people speak English there.

I visited St Petersburg last Autumn for a protracted period , and did not find it anymore daunting than any other European city . As Ilja says , learning the Cyrillic alphabet is a big plus . I also found that it was fairly easy to grasp . It will , among other things , enable you to read signs with relative ease . I would answer the main part or your question ( about tour guides ) thus - I am not enamored of tour guides or tours. While I only use a tour under duress ( A sites rules prohibiting an independent visit - ie Glasgow School of Art , Municipal House in Prague , etc ) . Doing your own preparation and homework is the best way , in my opinion . My wife and I ventured through St Petersburg with nary a concern ,and made two day trips outside of the central district ( one was twenty five miles away , and no English speakers in sight ) Figuring out the logistical details , did not present any difficulties . While I never use tours , I am an inveterate eavesdropper , have done so many times , and find , that on balance , the information that they impart is fairly elementary . If you want greater detail , they are unlikely to supply it . I also prefer to go at my own pace , not being rushed and being able to dwell on things that most other visitors barely give a passing glance . If you are interested , let me know . I would be happy to provide you with information that will enable you to travel independently

Thank you, Steven. I am encouraged by your comments and feel the same way you do about tour groups. We are very much willing to prepare in advance and learn the basics of the Cyrillic alphabet to help us have a better experience.

I would be very interested in learning more about your experience in Russia and receiving any additional information you can provide on independent travel there, starting perhaps with obtaining the visa.

I am not opposed to hiring a private or small group guide for a specific site or for a day trip outside St Petersburg and Moscow, but, like you said, I much prefer the freedom of staying at places as long or short as I want and seeing the sites that interest me most. For example, neither my wife nor I are big into shopping, yet most tour itineraries leave afternoon time for just that. Not interested!

Please provide whatever you may feel would be helpful for us.

Russ , I see you are quite near San Francisco - you can start by looking at the VISA procedure , it's fairly straightforward . Since there is a consulate in San Francisco - look here http://www.consulrussia.org/eng/visa-sub1.html

And here - http://ils-usa.com/main.php

Having always traveled independently, we thought we could do a better job than any tour. How misguided (pun intended) we were. Now that we have had the experience of having someone native to the area walk us around and explain things through a personal perspective we realize how much we missed. For St. Petersburg I highly recommend http://www.peterswalk.com/tours.html . This is not a traditional guided tour, but an opportunity to receive some orientation to the area as well as insight into the "Russian soul". I think if you did this upon arrival the rest of your time would be much more meaningful. We really liked the http://www.pushka-inn.com . The location is superb (just around the corner from the Hermitage square), the rooms lovely, the included breakfast at the restaurant next door ample and overall an excellent value. We used this company to get our visa: https://www.passportvisasexpress.com/site/san_francisco_customer_service Note that it costs about the same for a 3-year visa as a one-year, and you never know if you might want to return within that more extended window of time. It is not cheap, so factor that into your planning.

If you like traveling without a guide in other countries and find this satisfying, the same will be true in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Of course it's not either/or - you can certainly take a guided walk or boat tour, for instance.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning Cyrillic if you're going on your own. The book I used was Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script, which was great. It breaks down the alphabet into letters that are the same as English, letters that look the same but are pronounced differently, etc. It's out of print, but you can get used copies on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Beginners-Russian-Script/dp/0071419861/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459701143&sr=8-2&keywords=teach+yourself+russian+script

Russia is indeed a bit more "foreign" than say, Italy. However, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, I found enough English to be able to get by. Many restaurants had English menus and/or English speaking staff, for instance. This was most emphatically not true in Vladimir and Suzdal (two cities in the Golden Ring outside Moscow). I went with my sister, a Russian speaker, and if she hadn't been there, I would have been in big trouble. So, if you want to see places outside these two big cities, use a guided tour (even if just for that part). Also, Moscow and St. Petersburg are huge cities. Coming from New York, I wasn't intimidated, but those not used to a megacity may not be so cavalier (even I found them overwhelming at times, especially Moscow).

I found both Lonely Planet and Rough Guide to be helpful, and both to have various errors. Look at both, buy whichever one has a more recent edition, and then be prepared to have to discard some of the advice therein. Also, these places change more quickly than places in Western Europe. Be very careful of outdated advice. For instance, I was there in 2001 and 2010, so I won't give you any specifics on getting a visa - that changes constantly.

Just as a teaser, two things I saw and loved that I doubt would be included in any escorted tour are the Gorky House in Moscow (an Art Nouveau wonder) and the Sheremyetov Palace in St. Petersburg (it's now a museum of musical instruments, and the decor is amazing, particularly in the Etruscan Room).

Thanks for all the good advice. Any additional thoughts are welcomed.

One of history's seminal works pertaining to Russian history and culture and a MUST for anyone contemplating a visit or simply interested , is this fine work from 1980 - http://www.amazon.com/Land-Firebird-The-Beauty-Russia/dp/096441841X

This is about you and not about Petersburg. Do you like guided tours? We don't and didn't find that a guide added to our experience in China where we did hire private guides mostly for the logistics; it was easy to have someone drive us places. But once at a site, we didn't need the guide. I felt the same way about our 9 nights in Petersburg. We did hire a guide for the trip to the Catherine Palace again for the ease of logistics for us Olds. Here is our visit: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/an-easy-trip-to-the-catherine-palace/ There are also snapshots of the Church on Spilled Blood in this photo journal. Having someone pick us up at the apartment and get us in without line ups and shepherd us through the palace steering clear of the tour groups was lovely. But we didn't need commentary because we can read and prepare.

You certainly don't need a guide for the Hermitage (we spent 4 days there), the Russian Museum, the Kazan Cathedral or Church on Spilled Blood or the Faberge Museum. We enjoyed a number of self guided walking tours including a couple from Rick Steves guidebooks. We took the canal cruise suggested by RS that had an English commentator. I would not take one without that as you will be totally clueless. The commentator was not all that good but at least we had some idea what we were seeing. So for people like us who like to do our own thing and can read a guidebook and don't particularly like to be led about, a tour is not needed. If you enjoy tour groups, then go for it. Petersburg is easy to negotiate. It helps if you can read the cyrillic alphabet and it is also useful to have the google translate ap on your phone. We found ourselves translating packages in grocery stores with it and the occasional museum sign or menu. I have one food I need to avoid and so it was handy to have the translator to talk with waiters (I could either show them the sentence, or play it for them or play it to myself and then repeat it to the waiter -- that all worked well)

Dear Russ, I cannot help you with Moscow, but about four years ago, my husband and I went to St Petersburg on our own. But, we did use a private guide for 4 half days. We both feel that our guide absolutely made our trip (we stayed 6 or 7 nights). We used a company owned by Tatyana Chiurikova, www.tour-stpetersburg.com I cannot say enough good things about her and our experience. I emailed her and we worked out a schedule/ sights that was tailored to our interests. She also offered some recommendations, which we took. The guide will meet you at your hotel. And frequently, at certain places, with the guide, we were able to skip the long entrance lines. We had an half day driving tour of the city (car, driver, & guide). You are taken to & go in places such as Peter & Paul Fortress, some of the cathedrals, etc. We had a half day with the guide at the Hermitage which ensured that we would see the major sights there. And, of course, you can stay after your guide leaves or return another day. Also, we had the guide for Peterhof (a must & go by boat) and Catherine's Palace. I hope that you will go to the website. As I said, our guide made our trip. I am positive that we would have missed quite a bit on our own everyday. And I'm sure we would have wasted a lot of time trying to get to various place.This was the best of both worlds, a guide where needed and plenty of time on our own. Whatever you do, I'm sure that you will love St Petersburg! Ashley

I am curious about the lines as we encountered no lines on our trip -- but it was in September. We got tickets for the Hermitage at machines and skipped those lines and our guide for the Catherine Palace which was our only guided experience (as noted before, chosen for the logistics of getting there) had arranged tickets and we didn't have a line, but then we also didn't see lines. We did not find lines at any other site.

Both Moscow and St Petersburg I've done on my own, that is together with the Dear Partner. I can't remember any problem getting where we wanted to go. The Metro systems are well signed, and with a little exercise and patience you can recognize the station names. With a good map and a good guide - we had the Rough Guides - that part of the logistics is solved. The language is a major problem, but the usual tricks of pointing, looking helpless, and making a joke of it all do wonders. I would hate to be led by a guide, but for others it is a comfortable thought.

We also did both cities on our own. I found the DK Eyewitness guide for Moscow has the best map. I used the one from our library (kept the book at home). Took the smaller RS book for St. Petersburg ( his book on northern cities). His map and restaurant ideas were all good. We also downloaded the Google maps in our Android Samsung tablets/phones for both cities and then could get directions to any place we typed in. The blue ball guided us everywhere. I'm sure we missed somethings by not having a guide, but we just enjoy walking around and getting a sense of a place. If you like art, The Hermitage is great. We went 3 times and still missed alot. In St. Peterburg we stayed at the 3 Mosta which we loved (quite and not far from the Church of Spilled Blood.) We also loved the Georgian food in both cities. There's a great Georgian restaurant near the 3 Mosta hotel. We're now in Belarus- very scenic. Enjoy your trip!!

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