As the largest city in the Baltics, with a population of 800,000, some say the good things in Riga are particularly good and the bad things are particularly bad. That’s to say, on the bright side, it seems to have the most vibrant nightlife by far in the Baltics. But, on the down side, it’s also got the worst traffic. Riga is regaining its reputation as a fun-filled, forward-looking city. Increasingly confident Rigans are again applying the city’s pre-war label: the Paris of the Baltics. The generally-held belief in the Middle Ages was that he who ruled Riga ruled the Baltics as a whole—hence the centuries of war fighting for control of this city. This Riga-as-a-key-to-regional-domination strategy is certainly not as valid as it was in the days of the Teutonic Knights. Still, as the biggest and most centrally located Baltic city, many observers continue to believe that Riga could very well become a regional powerhouse four or five years down the pike. The biggest and most cosmopolitan Baltic capital, Riga can also appear a little chaotic, unwieldy and, at times, intimidating and rough. Riga has been a multi-cultural city throughout its 800-year history. At one time or another, Germans, Jews and Russians have all left their mark on Riga. This past diversity is evident in the eclectic architecture of the city. Breathtaking Jugendstil mixes with Classical Symbolism, Constructivism and a spattering of Stalinist-era horrors. In Riga, the buildings have a distinct sense of humor. As it has modernized since independence, Riga has retained something of its distinctive, old-world feel. Rigans aren't just throwing out everything old and replacing it with something new, and possibly worse. This is a city, thankfully, where visitors can still turn a corner or walk into a room and feel that you have stepped back into the 1890s or the 1920s. If Riga continues to build on its past, its future looks bright, indeed.