Julia, thank you for your comment. There were several members here that offered their assistance to me before I left. A few were not even in Kiev but said that I could call them if I needed help with translations or anything. I thought that was very nice and thoughtful; the women here are terrific.  

In the end I decided to just wonder around on my own. Partly because I am adventurous and partly because I did not want to bother anyone. Also, I did have a contact that I used; he helped to pick me up from the airport, buy a local sim card, change my money, etc. So I could have reached out to him for help as well.

I will say that it would have been nice to meet some of the forum members that live in Kiev for coffee or tea. Meeting and speaking with locals was the best part of the trip. Maybe next time.