Anyone in Vladivostok or Novosibirsk in early-Feb?

Hi. I have been planning to go to either Vladivostok or Novosibirsk for a one-week stay in early-Feb, but the trouble seems to be that none of my travel mates are available during that period so I probably will have to be on my own... I have no previous travel experience in Russia and I don't speak Russian which may be a big problem if I stay in those two cities (even when I was browsing for hostels, most of them don't have staff capable of speaking English...) Just wondering if there's anyone who's also going to be either one city so that we can meet up and hang out a bit?
I haven't decided which destination to go to but it seems that Novosibirsk is a better option... Can anyone who's been there share a bit? Just for leisure!