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SOCHI, Russia — The Sochi Olympics are actually 30 minutes to the West of Sochi in a small town called Adler. NBC security advised members of the media to stay away from Sochi, but Alex Cabrero is an adventurer, so he tipped a driver and took a trip:
My first impression of downtown Sochi is that it is a beautiful, busy city. Yes, there were some security concerns with us leaving the immediate area surrounding the Olympic venues because that area is so secure, but we had to see for ourselves exactly what downtown Sochi looked like.
Sochi could be like any downtown in America. There is traffic, lots of pedestrians and places to shop. If not for the letters on signs and buildings, you'd probably have no idea you were in Russia.
In one plaza, we found some sort of play going on that children loved. And around a corner, we ran into some women selling produce.
Many of the people were friendly and welcoming, but it was a 14-year-old girl who really surprised us when talking about Sochi and the Olympics.
"I think it'll also bring an impact on tourists and they'll see that the people are much nicer than they expected," said Anna Ulyanova, a resident of Sochi.
We found her by asking people if they spoke English. Ulyanova was born in Sochi, spent time being educated in Austria and is excited so much attention is now being paid to her hometown.
However, she wishes more people would actually visit Sochi instead of just staying in the Olympic zone 20 miles away.
"I think it's mostly stereotypes because a lot of people all over the world think that Russia is a dark country and people aren't very nice,” Ulyanova said. “But I think the more people that come to Sochi, the more they understand that it's different and it's not how the media tells them it is."
She's right. We were told, for security reasons, it's best not to visit downtown Sochi. But we felt perfectly safe.
"Of course, they brought a lot of security just to protect the people, and I think they're doing a wonderful job,” Ulyanova said.
There were plenty of police officers on the streets. And, honestly, the downtown area is quite pleasant; palms trees, water fountains, and the Black Sea. You just can't stop staring.
"It's such a delightful mix. It's amazing," Ulyanova said.
We didn't have a whole lot of time in downtown Sochi, but, hopefully, you got a little taste of what it looks like. In a way, it's kind of sad the Olympics are so far away, really, in the town of Adler, when there is so much to do in Sochi.
