I visited Odesa for the first time during my first trip to Ukraine in October 2022 for two reasons: I bought tickets for Mykolaiv Zoo soon after the full-scale Rashist slaughter started, primarily to support the zoo.   I almost went to Odesa in the late 1980s when I was selected for a highly competitive scholarship in the Soviet Union, which was still one of the two superpowers. It was not very difficult for me to decline this offer because I wanted to go to the free West. Many fellow students were vying for this spot, which I vacated, and they even wanted me to help them secure it. The one who got it was assigned to Odesa I.I. Mechnykov State University. He told me a lot about Odesa when he returned for a summer break.   I visited Odesa again during my 4th trip to Ukraine. I have visited the top five Ukrainian cities by population: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Lviv. Odessa is undoubtedly the most livable city, though I enjoy visiting every one of them.  Sp...