Can there be a Garden of Eden to brighten these dark, gray days?
Well, why not come down to the Paradise Garden at the EGO art center on Gorokhovaya Ulitsa and find out.
A piece of blue sky above a canopy of huge, fabulous flowers and ferns, home to a myriad of multi-colored birds -- "Paradise" by St Petersburg artist Inna Rakhimova, painted on natural silk using the techniques of Indian batik, gave the exhibition its name.
Here you can see lacquered miniatures, women's jewelery made from beads and precious stones, embroidery and unique combinations of different handcrafts.
Further displays in this idyllic cornucopia include women's evening dresses, tapestries, woodcarvings, painted china and ikibana arrangements of dried flowers.
And you can explore and enjoy every part of this paradise garden free from angry wardens' bossy shouts of, "Don't touch!" so typical of Russian museums.
Guide Yelena Churilova said, "Our exhibition makes you feel at home. After all the dirt in our streets you suddenly stumble across this corner of beauty and harmony."
You don't really need a guide in this wonderful place because your own imagination will serve you better.
Before you is a tree which reminds one of a fabulous gigantic seaweed and on it sits some kind of goggle-eyed creature with big ears and long whiskers -- a strange combination somewhere between a bear and a mouse.
It looks with interest at a flock of white flamingos dancing on a lake, while a massive, horse-sized trout crawls along the beach towards a colossal branch with berries.
An enormous moth watches the lake's surface, as if it is ready to hunt water dinosaurs!
Certainly Olga Vyazovskaya has brought "The Earth's Creation" to life.
Some exhibits are not only beautiful, but extremely useful for our stressful life. For example, bronze decorations in one exhibit show a woman's evening dress with an enormous and elaborate leaf covering most of the wearer's chest.
Just the device to protect your heart from physical or spiritual assault at St Petersburg's often hazardous evening parties.
Modern pieces of art by St Petersburg artists are displayed along with exhibits from local museums such as the Museum of the History of Religion (Kazansky Cathedral) and the Pushkin Museum (Moika Embankment, 12).
One can see water-colours, decorated priests' gowns, paintings on ivory and decorated screens large and small. The large ones are for fireplaces and th small ones for the protection of Chinese women from prying eyes.
There are also some interesting pieces by young craftswomen from Torzhok -- one of the oldest Russian towns near Novgorod --machine- and hand-embroidered headscarves and pictures with traditional Russian gold ornaments.
Many of the exhibits are available for purchase -- the most costly ones go for between $1,500 and $3,500 but some jewelery can be picked up for less than a dollar.
The exhibition is open from 11am to 6.30pm, but it's best to make an exit before 5.45, otherwise the vacuum-cleaner will drive you round the bend!
The EGO art gallery is situated between St Isaac's Cathedral and Nevsky Prospect on 9 Gorokhovaya street. Take trams 31 or 63 to Dvortsovaya Square or trolley-buses 22, 14 and 5 to Malaya Morskaya Ulitsa.