Bad news yesterday for kissers of the Blarney Stone. Today, bad news for lovers of beautiful and historic cities – in particular, the glorious St Petersburg. 
Go there now, or at least very soon, if you want to see it before its dream-like landscape is forever blotted. Because, one day in the not too distant future, St Petersburg could be dominated by Europe’s largest tower. UGH. Sorry, but UGH.
Photo by Carlton Browne
The story, with its inevitable storm of controversy, has been brewing for a while now, and I’d pushed it to the back of my mind. However, I’ve just read (with gritted teeth) an update on Gadling.
St Petersburg is a gem of a city. This is an easy thing to say, and it's probably said too often, about too many places. But believe me, when it comes to this one, the superlatives are warranted. Its beautiful centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
There’s been massive and understandable opposition to the tower, from UNESCO downwards, but it’s beginning to seem certain that the sabre-shaped monster will go up. It might be a spectacular building in its own right. Yes, it actually might. But St Petersburg is not where it belongs. Stick it out on the steppes, for goodness' sake.
Photo by jimg
Meanwhile, my advice is to book a St Petersburg flight now. And book a centrally located hotel. And get out your walking shoes. If you haven’t yet seen this city, you’ve got some serious discovering to do. It’s set on the banks of the Neva River and along a network of canals, not unlike Venice. And, as its promo material says, it’s a living museum. Here are just a few of the attractions:
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The Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum. Believe me, this is no ordinary museum; its collection of Rembrants, for one thing, has to be seen to be believed.
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The historic Mariinsky Theatre
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The canals and bridges
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The parks and gardens
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The Peter and Paul Fortress
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The absolutely fabulous Summer Garden and Summer Palace of Peter the Great. Not only is this place staggeringly beautiful, it is full of surprises (in the form of Peter’s practical jokes – in the form of very cunning trick fountains)
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The extraordinary Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood
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St Isaac’s Cathedral
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The exquisite Catherine Palace at Pushkin
Photo by greenacre8
Let’s hope that, despite all appearances to the contrary, sanity prevails. St Petersburg’s skyline is low and lovely. Long may that be the case.