Dresden differences

We traveled to Dresden over Easter weekend. It's the first large eastern city I have been too yet besides the eastern section of Berlin. Anyways, the differences between Dresden and the West are noticeable instantly upon arrival. The clothes people wear, their hairstyles, the buildings which are mostly russian block house style, are all different from what you see in the West. Very few people use cellphones. Hardly anyone smokes. There's a big park that was filled with punks and autonomons who you see little of in Stuttgart. The prices were much cheaper for food and drink. Some of the restaurants were enormous, probably an indication of the much cheaper rental prices. There was a used bookstore that sold all books for 1 Euro. Very few doner restaurants. The historic section was mostly completely covered with black soot, pollution from the automobiles. Some parts of town were completely graffited which you wouldn't see in Stuttgart where graffiti is painted over very quickly. A completely different feel in the town that was once known as the "Florence of the North."