Odesa's main commercial street, pedestrian vul Derybasivska, is jam-packed with restaurants, bars and, in the summer high season, tourists. At its quieter eastern end you'll discover the statue of José De Ribas . This illustrious gentlemen – half-Catalan, half-Irish – built Odesa's harbour, so they named a central street after him. At the western end of the thoroughfare is the pleasant and beautifully renovated City Garden , surrounded by several restaurants.
You'll find various touristy knick-knacks for sale here and ex-Soviet tourists standing in two long lines to be photographed with bronze sculptures, one of which is simply a chair – a reference to the Soviet satirical novel The Twelve Chairs . The other one is that of 1930s jazz singer Leonid Utyosov.
Across the street, the swanky Passazh covered shopping arcade is the best-preserved example of the neo-renaissance architectural style that permeated Odesa in the late 19th century. Its interior walls are festooned with gods, goblins, lions and nymphs. Shabbier but equally ornate representations of this style are huddled around pl Soborna at vul Derybasivska's western terminus, including the Passazh Hotel.
