[dropcap]The[/dropcap] Technology Institute in St. Petersburg, the area where a deadly terrorist attack took place this week, is on the approach to the city center from the airport, at a major intersection. I remember it well because when I was there I tested my Cyrillic on the façade’s engraved “Tekhnologichesky Institut” and was proud that I could read it easily.

Russia has a bloody history of modern terrorism, most of it stemming from ethnic conflicts in the Caucasus, primarily in Chechnya. St. Petersburg’s is the only airport I’ve ever been to where baggage is checked at the front door, regardless of whether one is boarding a plane.

Parts of the subway, the site of Monday’s attack, are works of art. The first Metro lines, built in the early days of communism, were beautified for the laborers who would primarily use them. The stops along Line 1 are individual museums with stunning (sometimes propagandistic) mosaics and decorative details.

Other tidbits about the Metro: When exiting a station, the door is held open by the one leaving for whomever is behind, regardless of distance. Also, men always stand for a woman, and many men simply never sit down.

Monday’s blast took place between the institute and Sennaya Ploschad, where my hotel was. Why did I specifically pick this area? It’s where Dostoyevsky set his novel Crime and Punishment, and as a Russophile I wanted to inhabit Russian literature during my visit to this grand European city.

One thing stood out to me on the trip: The stoicism of the people. It will hold them in good stead as the city recovers from this deadly and cowardly act.

Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com.