In the elevator ride up to the hostel a Muscovite asked me what I thought of Russia. I said St. Petersburg was a phenomonal city but it didn't, for lack of a better term, feel very "Russian" and hoped Moscow would be a bit different. The Muscovite replied "Moscow is more...Moscowy." I have no idea what Moscowy means but I thought the city was very plain, very vanilla. It's a nice city, there's lots going on. Good nightlife and restaurants. It's not that much different than Toronto.
I didn't mess around or try to get cute with scheduling what to see first in Moscow. I went straight to Red Square. Although one stop first - after exiting the metro I was in front of the Lubyanka Building, the KGB's former headquarters. Across the square from Lubyanka is a walking street that feeds into Red Square. A KFC, which is apparently a go to spot in Moscow, and a Krispy Kreme, show that the KGB isn't the only thing in town that's succumbed to Americanization.
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My first impression of Red Square was that the GUM Building, a former marketplace converted to a high-end mall, was the real showstopper. Red Square is massive - it's approximately three football fields in length and three-quarters a field across. The GUM Building stretches for over two-thirds of the square. St. Basil's with its colorful onion shaped domes sits at the far end. It looks smaller in person. At nine am the square was already packed. Since St. Basil's faces west the morning sun doesn't provide optimum lighting for early morning photos. The sun did light up the State Historical Museum, which sits at the opposite end of the square from St. Basil's, and the Kremlim, which runs along the length of the square across from GUM.
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The square has numerous attractions and the first I waited in line for was Lenin's Masoleum. The Masoleum sits on the square. The walk to the Masoleum passes a small graveyard that includes Stalin's gravesite. Of the two historical figures, Lenin seems to be the one most revered, the one with the most monuments around towns, and the one everyone was waiting in line to see. Once I reached the Masoleum, I descended a few flights of stairs into a dark chamber. Lenin's preserved remains glowed white under a case in the center of the room. He looked good. I half expected him to rise and strike his familiar pointing into the distance pose. Compared to Mao's tomb there weren't as many Russians as there were Chinese for Mao's, and nobody was leaving flowers in the chamber. And Lenin didn't look orange.
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My exit from the Masoleum coincided perfectly with the opening of St. Basil's. I'll never understand why it's so difficult for people to purchase tickets in a foreign country. I get if you are German you don't speak Russian. What I don't understand is how you can't just hold up a finger(s) for the number of tickets you want. I was the third person in line, it took the two people in front of me five minutes to purchase their tickets. It took me the time it takes to hold up an index figure, say card, and wait for the credit card machine to process. Once inside I zipped around the people who purchased the tickets ahead of me and headed up to the second floor and the chamber of the primary nave.
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If St. Basil's seemed small on the outside it was even tighter in the interior. The Church isn't actually a single church but rather five small churches, the five domes, are the "steeples" of the individual churches. Instead of a wide opening with rows of pews facing a lecturn, the church was a small, circular space with friezes of Jesus extending across and top to bottom along a row. Each of the following smaller churches followed a similar setup except for one which contained church relics.
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After St. Basil's I strolled through the GUM Building. Three shopping sections were connected via bridges creating a dramatic shopping experience although the only thing I saw was people taking photos.
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Kremlin Time. The Kremlin ticket offices are located in the opposite side of the Kremlin from Red Square which means you need to walk halfway around the brick walls. If nothing else, the ten minute walk gave me perspective on the scale of the former fortress. I winced when I saw the ticket line. From a distance, the line was wrapped around the side of the office. Up close I realized that everyone was waiting in one line for one ticket office. There were four other ticket offices, that all appeared exactly the samd, with nobody in line. I went to one, held up an index finger, said "card", waited for the processing, and was on my way.
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Inside the Kremlin was a bit...empty. There's a huge space with not much on the interior. I think the Kremlin is as good a metaphor for Russia as there is - from the outside it looks imposing, it's a huge complex and you wonder what's behind the brick. Behind the wall, there's not much. There's the Politburo building, which is very sterile. The primary attraction is a cluster of churches, the largest of which served as the location where coronation services can be performed. I spent around an hour behind the Kremlin walls and walked away a bit disappointed. Was this all there was of the complex where all the Soviet Cold War plots were hatched?
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On the way to lunch I walked past cool looking Soviet building and then the Bolshoi Theater. There are several walking streets with high-end stores, Louis Vuitton, etc. in Moscow's theater district.
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Determined to not let my Soviet Cold War experience be limited to the Kremlin I headed to Aragvi, a former KGB hangout, for lunch. The place has been remodeled, presumably with the wiretaps removed, but the Georgian cuisine remained. I ordered a Georgian mountain plant appetizer and kachupurri, a dish I'd been anticipating since planning the trip. Kachupurri is a cross between bread and pizza in the shape of a boat. The center is filed with cheese and topped with an egg. After the first bite I was Googling where to find kachapurri in Philadelphia. There's a place called Georgian Bread in the Northeast. I can't wait to try it.
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After lunch I headed out to Izmailovsky Market in an eastern part of Moscow. The market is supposedly the place to go for souvenir shopping. I went on a Wednesday around three in the afternoon. I can't speak for other days or other times, but when I went the place was dead. Aside from a few stalls the place felt abandoned. I spotted a Phillies and UNC basketball nesting set which had Maikel Franco and Joel Berry as the outershells, respectively. The cost? 2,000 rubles each. You are instructed to negotiate the price down, however, a starting price of 2,000 rubles each, when similar items are going for 500 rubles each, meant there was no way I was getting close to a fair price.
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The Market is attached to a broader complex which appeared to be hosting a class trip or a series of birthday parties. That helped to make the trek out to the market a bit more bearable.
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On the way to dinner I walked through one of Moscow's several parks that circle the city. People were out and about enjoying the weather. I walked along Arbat Street, Moscow's historical pedestrian shopping street. Near the far end of the street was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia building, one of seven Stalinist skyscrapers that dot the city's urban core.
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My dinner destination was White Rabbit, one of the Top 50 restaurants in the world the past three years. I have no idea why. The food was good, moderately priced, decent service, a great view...but none of that added up to a Top 50 experience. I had several meals in Moscow alone (at Semper and Sevryane) that were better.
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The next morning I caught an early train to Sergiev Posad. I goofed the ticket purchase and wound up on a local train instead of an express. I tried explaining my predicament to a ticket collector and he gave an explanation and looked at me like I was crazy for not saving $2 and sticking with the local. He was right. The local train added fifteen minutes of transit time but made up for it as an experience. Every stop a new salesperson entered the carriage. They offered wares from pens to socks to decorative spoons to jar grips to world maps to window sprays. I resisted their temptations.
Sergiev Posad is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery, which is where Peter the Great spent time in exile while his sister ruled the country. Thus the monastery holds historical significance for Russians...and judging by the tour groups, the Chinese too. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of small town Russian life in Sergiev Posad but I caught the other side of being a tourist in Russia, navigating the Chinese. I bobbed and weaved my way through the various churches in the monastery complex. The churches shared interior architecture features with St. Basil's with the right space and lots of paintings of Jesus.
Sergiev Posad is home to Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius monastery, which is where Peter the Great spent time in exile while his sister ruled the country. Thus the monastery holds historical significance for Russians...and judging by the tour groups, the Chinese too. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of small town Russian life in Sergiev Posad but I caught the other side of being a tourist in Russia, navigating the Chinese. I bobbed and weaved my way through the various churches in the monastery complex. The churches shared interior architecture features with St. Basil's with the right space and lots of paintings of Jesus.
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When I returned to the train station for the ride back to Moscow I was a bit distraught when the ticket office told me the next train wouldn't be for two hours. Google Maps to the rescue. There was a bus leaving in five minutes. I enjoyed the bus. There were better scenes of the country side than the train. The ride was 50 rubles more expensive but a little quicker, more comfortable, and no salespersons.
I caught another break with the bus in that the Moscow drop off point was VNDKh park, home to the Triumph Over Space monument. The monument was burst of exhaust with a rocket on top. There's a Russian Air and Space museum nearby but Google Maps couldn't find it so I was on my way back to the Moscow city center.
I caught another break with the bus in that the Moscow drop off point was VNDKh park, home to the Triumph Over Space monument. The monument was burst of exhaust with a rocket on top. There's a Russian Air and Space museum nearby but Google Maps couldn't find it so I was on my way back to the Moscow city center.
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I had lunch at Semper, a restaurant lead by one of Moscow's rising chefs. The restaurant paired beautiful interior design with an Israeli and Asian cuisine. Around the corner from Semper was The Museum of Soviet Arcades...which is as awesome as it sounds. There's a few of these "museums" in Russia. Included in the admission are 15 Soviet Coins that can be used in the machines. The submarine game, in which you man the torpedoes and fire on passing ships was calling my name. There were other war themed games, with tanks and planes, a driving game (which I dominated), a basketball game, a hockey game, and a hodge podge of other arcades. In the US the hockey game typically features the US vs. the USSR. In Russia it was just a red team vs. a yellow team. Boring.
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I was now off to what I was hoping to be the cool and hip area of town with a first stop at Kooperative Cherny. I was curious what Moscow's coffee scene would be like and this was a good first stop. A minimalist interior with a nice light roast. I wish this place were a little closer to a metro station as I would have returned for a bag of beans later in the trip. This was my first coffee stop but it was also the best.
From Kooperative Cherny I made my way to Kitay-Gorod. I picked Lumberjack, a bar slightly off the main drinking corridor. A shocked bartender asked what I was doing there. I wasn't sure if he meant it as an existential question or just in general. Near the bar is a public space where Moscow's goth crowd liked to gather.
Up a few blocks from Lumberjack is Propaganda, supposedly one of Moscow's best clubs. At 8pm you wouldn't be able to tell because the place is still in restaurant form.
From Kooperative Cherny I made my way to Kitay-Gorod. I picked Lumberjack, a bar slightly off the main drinking corridor. A shocked bartender asked what I was doing there. I wasn't sure if he meant it as an existential question or just in general. Near the bar is a public space where Moscow's goth crowd liked to gather.
Up a few blocks from Lumberjack is Propaganda, supposedly one of Moscow's best clubs. At 8pm you wouldn't be able to tell because the place is still in restaurant form.
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For dinner I headed back to the walking streets near Red Square and went with Ryby Net, a Novikov restaurant. Novikov is a Moscow celebrity chef / restaurateur in the mood of Philadelphia's Stephen Starr. Like a Starr restaurant the place stuck to a basic theme, in this case meat, and turned out a good dining experience.
By now it was ten and time to check out Red Square under the lights. Another packed experience but still a good time. The buildings looks better under the lights and don't seem as small. The darkest helps to face the square and make the buildings seem larger.
By now it was ten and time to check out Red Square under the lights. Another packed experience but still a good time. The buildings looks better under the lights and don't seem as small. The darkest helps to face the square and make the buildings seem larger.
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I kept dinner light to eat a second dinner at Varenichnaya No. 1. To date I'd ate very few Russian meals and VNo1 was a chance to fix the imbalance. The restaurant chain is essentially an Applebee's, Chile's, TGIFriday's Russian equivalent, a step up from the fast food Teremok chains. The menu offers the full range of Russian classics in a family room style setting. I ordered pelmini, a Russian dumpling, and some sort of ham salad the waitress recommended. Not bad.
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The next morning I went to Nude Coffee which was more of a cafe than a coffee shop. That seemed to be the case with most of Russia's coffee "shops". I ordered an Americano to go and walked around the corner to Patriach's Pond. The Pond is the setting of the opening chapter in Mickael Bulgokov's The Master and Margarita. I considered it a blessing there were no black tomcats in site during my visit.
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I was using my final two days in Moscow to branch out to the city's undervisited neighborhoods. First up was the business district which sits southwest of the city center. Despite recent sanctions there were still cranes setup for new office construction. The best views of the business center are along the river near the Radisson Hotel. The hotel itself is an architectural marvel and that it bears the Radisson name is a sad marker of the Soviet Union's downfall.
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Directly across the river (but unfortunately a long walk) is a former warehouse district that is being rehabilitated into a commercial district. I ate lunch at one of the new restaurants which specializes in "slow cooked" food. In my opinion a salmon cooked for twelve hours tasted as good as one cooked in fifteen minutes. But that's just my opinion.
I then took the metro across town to visit Bunker 42, however, at the top of the metro exit was Kroshka Kartoshka, a fast food restaurant specializing in potatoes. I'd been searching for one of these without any luck than just happened to stumble upon one. The baked potato helped to sustain me as a traveled sixteen stories below ground to Bunker 42.
I then took the metro across town to visit Bunker 42, however, at the top of the metro exit was Kroshka Kartoshka, a fast food restaurant specializing in potatoes. I'd been searching for one of these without any luck than just happened to stumble upon one. The baked potato helped to sustain me as a traveled sixteen stories below ground to Bunker 42.
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During the cold war days the Russians created a bunker nearly 200 feet below ground, far enough to withstand a direct nuclear weapon hit, that served as a command station to launch nuclear weapons of their own. The tour was in Russian but interesting none the less. The bunker itself was interesting without needing any additional commentary although I would have appreciated an explanation on a video that was shown. The video starts with the US firing a missile, the Russians scramble and launch a missile of their own. In the end it looks like the US got blown up but since the video is from the 1980s I can't match the city skyline to an actual city. It may have been LA.
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I walked along the river from Bunker 42 to Zaryadye Park. Along the way I passed yet another Stalinist skyscraper. Zaryadye Park is a recent addition to the Red Square area and a great place to hang out. The park's defining feature is a sky bridge that juts out across the river. There's a small concert stage and stadium seating. There's a trail through some vegetation. It's a nice addition to the waterfront.
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I continued southwest along the river to West 4 Coffee which was at a busy intersection. From there I walked north to RULE Taproom, which was a cool hangout bar featuring a wide range of Russian microbrews. Time and again I saw an offering from Jaws Brewing. I'll need to start my next Russian trip in Zarechnyy and visit the brewery.
I ate dinner that night at Severyane, Moscow's best new restaurant of 2017.
I ate dinner that night at Severyane, Moscow's best new restaurant of 2017.
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After the metro I ate breakfast at Coffeemania, a Moscow chain. Breakfast was a little expensive - the blintz and coffee (a ridiculously small coffee) came out to 600 RUB. Other breakfasts were at 400 RUB and below. I walked around and saw people sitting on benches with the heads between their legs after a long night partying.
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Following the metro ride tour it was time for another only in Moscow experience: the Sanduny Baths. Moscow's Central Market is two blocks north of the baths so I figured I would check out what a Russian market looked like first. The market wasn't really a market but rather a good hall featuring primarily Asian stalls. It put Philadelphia's Chinatown Square to shame. Not at all what I was expected.
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The Sanduny Baths were what I was expecting. Fortunately. The baths are over a two hundred year old Moscow institution. Non-members can enter via one of three tiers with 1,000 rubles difference in price between the lowest and highest tier. The highest tier includes access to the best "locker" room and the pool. It's the premier bath of Sanduny Baths and the option I selected. It doesn't make much sense to come here and then skimp on $15 and go to the lesser bath and locker room. The locker room is a deep, dark mahogany color meant to look like a ski chalet. Benches are set up across the center with private stalls around the sides. I was given a location along a bench and rented slippers and a towel. I stripped down, wrapped the towel around me, and headed for the sauna. A couple of the guys in the sauna were wearing a funny cap.
I saw the birch leaves that are available to be used in a massage as an additional fee. From the description the massage also included a full bath and body wipe down. Not sure what that entailed and since I didn't see anyone else receiving the service, I passed. The pool was decent but the water was a bit too cold for skinny dipping.
After the sauna and shower I ordered smoked herring and a coffee. The bath experience is as much hanging out in the locker room eating and drinking. Despite it being 10am a few members were already downing half liter beers.
I saw the birch leaves that are available to be used in a massage as an additional fee. From the description the massage also included a full bath and body wipe down. Not sure what that entailed and since I didn't see anyone else receiving the service, I passed. The pool was decent but the water was a bit too cold for skinny dipping.
After the sauna and shower I ordered smoked herring and a coffee. The bath experience is as much hanging out in the locker room eating and drinking. Despite it being 10am a few members were already downing half liter beers.
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I spent the first part of the afternoon checking out areas southwest of the Moscow center with an initial stop at Camera Obscura, one of Moscow's top coffee roasters. Camera Obscura was located in a similar fancy marketplace as Central Market, it even had a majority of Asian centric stalls.
From Camera Obscura I took the metro farther southwest to Moscow State University, which is a bit of a hike from the metro station. The University is in one of the largest buildings I've ever seem. I think that all the square footage of Wake Forest could easily fit inside the MSU building. The building is another of the city's Stalinist skyscrapers and the largest. The building has thirty six stories rising 790 feet into the air. It was the 7th tallest building in the world at the time of completion. The combined area of the floors is one square mile. The building looks big in the photos but that doesn't do it justice because trees block out the lower wings and you are also only seeing one side of the building. The building is enormous with four main towers and a large central tower. I tried enter the building to look for a school store but security at the door only allows students and faculty to pass.
From Camera Obscura I took the metro farther southwest to Moscow State University, which is a bit of a hike from the metro station. The University is in one of the largest buildings I've ever seem. I think that all the square footage of Wake Forest could easily fit inside the MSU building. The building is another of the city's Stalinist skyscrapers and the largest. The building has thirty six stories rising 790 feet into the air. It was the 7th tallest building in the world at the time of completion. The combined area of the floors is one square mile. The building looks big in the photos but that doesn't do it justice because trees block out the lower wings and you are also only seeing one side of the building. The building is enormous with four main towers and a large central tower. I tried enter the building to look for a school store but security at the door only allows students and faculty to pass.
It was then a long walk to Gorky Park. I was hoping to catch Muscovites out and enjoying the nice whether but to do so would have entailed descending to the river below. When I passed the park on the metro earlier, I saw mostly cyclists so I decided to head to an entirely new area in south Moscow. On the way I passed a giant monument to Yuri Gagarin.
The first metro stop I checked out in south Moscow was a little too far south but the next spot was buzzing. Another pedestrian street. Lots of restaurants and bars and a parks with a fountain. I ordered a microbrew and people watched them grabbed a burger. Moscow and the broader Russia has several upstart burger chains looking to disrupt the McDonald's monopoly and the place I ate is certainly on the right path.
I hadn't spent a ton of time on Arbat Street yet so I headed over there, grabbed a beer and did more people watching. I then went back to Pushkin Square for dinner at Grabli, which is Russia's K&W Cafeteria equivalent. I put some pelemi and beat salad on the tray. It was a good last meal in Moscow.
The first metro stop I checked out in south Moscow was a little too far south but the next spot was buzzing. Another pedestrian street. Lots of restaurants and bars and a parks with a fountain. I ordered a microbrew and people watched them grabbed a burger. Moscow and the broader Russia has several upstart burger chains looking to disrupt the McDonald's monopoly and the place I ate is certainly on the right path.
I hadn't spent a ton of time on Arbat Street yet so I headed over there, grabbed a beer and did more people watching. I then went back to Pushkin Square for dinner at Grabli, which is Russia's K&W Cafeteria equivalent. I put some pelemi and beat salad on the tray. It was a good last meal in Moscow.
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While researching what to see and do in Moscow and Russia I came across a local media site called The Village. Below are some of the better blog entries that helped me figure out Moscow.
Best Restaurants of 2017
Moscow Brunches
Best of Pelmini
Open Verandas and Terraces
Moscow Bars with Craft Beers
Best Restaurants of 2017
Moscow Brunches
Best of Pelmini
Open Verandas and Terraces
Moscow Bars with Craft Beers