recounting moscow: the grandeur, grit and craziness
Nothing says “home, sweet home” for an American like a long vacation in Russia.
The architecture and cultural experience of Moscow was tremendous, and I had opportunities to see the outrageous sides of Russian life between a visit to a rural village, attending the Victory Day military parade (held for the first time since the Soviet era), and walking through Red Square the day Vladimir Putin was appointed Prime Minister.
Instead of writing a lengthy memoir, I decided to bullet point some personal observations and share my photography (since some of you asked). Hopefully you will enjoy!
It’s great to be back blogging!
- Charmin and hot water (particularly during the “warmer” months) are luxuries.
- Mullets and femullets are back in (or never went out of) style.
- Smoking is a national favorite past time. It’s everywhere, especially in your face.
- Moscow nightclubs enforce strict face control. Be beautiful or be gone.
- Muscovites are proud of their city, but new modern skyscrapers and Italian-designer boutiques mask heavy post-Soviet social contention and impoverishment. Imagine Mexico City with Parisian attitude and a skyline of gold cupolas.
- Packs of mangy, wild dogs roam the city streets. Think twice before picnicking.
- Some of Moscow’s best architecture is underground. Many Metro stations can be mistaken for medieval palaces, and as an Angeleno, I cannot appreciate that enough.
- McDonald’s (Mac Cafe), T.G.I. Friday’s and Sbarro are hip and happening eateries. Try finding a seat.
- The temperature can drop 30 degrees over a few hours, and even in freezing weather, Russians still love to eat ice cream.
New to Downtown LA? angelenic.com is the neighborhood resource for those living, working and visiting Downtown Los Angeles.
Check out our restaurant news for the latest on Downtown’s expanding dining scene. Sign up for our RSS feed or email feed to receive angelenic in your inbox every morning!
18 comments
Amazing pics. Thanks for sharing
Some of the buildings are amazing, unlike anything you would ever see around Louisiana. I can be grateful for the art of another country. You did wonderful on the photographs, they are beautiful.
I especially like their new high-rise district. From what it looks like, they are doing a “bunker hill” in Moscow. Wonder if in 20 years, they will be looking connectivity, traffic, and integration with pedestrians like we are now with “the hill,” or if they are learning from our mistakes.
now that im really looking, I appreciate their older architecture because they use many different colors. Their new high rise district is the standard blue glass… looks like a replica of canary wharf (London), la defense (Paris), and new Miami. Ok, these pics made me a bit too excited and now im rambling… Glad you had a great trip!
are you serious? this is the most useless post ever… please post about los angeles… why do i care about your vacation? please dont ruin this blog anymore
^^Dood, I HOPE that was sarcasm!
Daniel, I built this blog from the ground up, don’t tell me how to run it.
If you’re not interested, don’t click on it - see how that works?
Really? I just dont click on it? Well if it shows up in my news feed… oh wait I don’t have to click on it for it to show up in my news feed. See how that works?
Like I said, don’t make this blog any worse.
No problem, I will happily take you off the subscriber list. Remember, Daniel, no one here ever has to write anything, ever. It’s best not to discourage it.
awesome! I was in Moscow last February and it’s great to see photos from beautuiful May weather! hope you had fun!
PS who pissed in Daniel’s cheerios?
I dont think you can unsubscribe somebody from a news feed but I guess you can try. Plus I enjoy reading this blog so I wouldnt want you to unsubscribe me either way.
Stephen, nobody ever has to do anything they dont want to. That doesnt mean that they cant be criticized. I’m sure my criticism will improve this blog and get rid of useless posts about vacations that the writers take.
Emily, you dirty girl. We all know you pissed in my cheerios!
Daniel, I think your comments are out-of-line and inappropriate. Stephen and Rich and all the other contributors here do it as a labor of love. If you’re not happy about something, send them an email off-line. It is not clear to me why you’d think your displeasure with this post is of interest to the rest of us.
I’d also suggest that if you have a criticism, some substance is a good idea. You say the post is “useless”. You don’t elaborate. So essentially it boils down to your narrow perception as to what Angelenic ought to be about. You seem to think if a post isn’t narrowly focused on downtown Los Angeles, it isn’t relevant.
I’d beg to differ. Yes, all things downtown Los Angeles is at the heart of Angelenic. Yet, I’d argue it is more thematically about all things urban and what constitutes the good life. Most of us here are collectively interested in how urban life is conducive to the good life. I think it is a marvellous thing that Stephan’s thinking is informed by the larger world.
Moscow is one of the world’s great cities. It is also the site of some of the 20th century’s great tragedies. 1917, Lenin, Stalin, the Russian Revolution and all its sorrows — these all raised fundamental questions as to what is the good life and how the world ought to be organized. Yes, heady stuff and all meaty food for thought. Me, I found the photos of Moscow most interesting. I look forward to more of Stephen’s wanderings and seeing how it informs and matures his writing.
My hunch, Daniel, is you’re a provincial rube who thinks L.A. is the center of the universe. I’m sorry you’re cursed with such an outlook. Frankly, you are someone who ought to follow Stephen’s good example and get out and see the world. I suspect you’d find it illuminating and enlightening. It would, also, probably improve the quality and substance of your comments.
Friends/neighbors, please. Enough with the urological humor. Yes, it can be amusing in a juvenile way. However, it certainly doesn’t elevate the conversation.
I say ignore “Daniel”. He’s clearly just trying to rile people up.
As for the post, I enjoyed it. Though I have to say, was it just selective photography or is Moscow really that clean?? Was there graffiti there? Trash? Haha..
Stephen I loved your pictures and I’m glad you got back safely. I think whoever likes to read about L.A. city life would be interested in other cities around the world. We can get a lot of good ideas from all these amazing cities around the world, and incorporate it into our own.
You guys are awesome, and keep up the great work.
great pictures! i now want to go to Russia. All those awesome old buildings, the history, culture, wow!
Stephen keep doing what you do, we sincerely appreciate it. And as they say… mediocrity always attacks excellence.
Yes, I second that! Thank you for sharing those wonderful pictures with us. Russia looks like a beautiful place to visit and it sounds like you had an interesting time. Glad to have you back!
Beautiful pictures. Got some really good ones. TIMES worthy. I love the one with the flag waving. The colors are amazing. I love the gold.
Leave a Comment