Lady Moscow

[AnfieldRiot]

For those you who are headed over to Moscow or simply just enjoy taking a look at the Red City, here's a few pic's from my trip last month. I took way too many pics but here's a taste of what I took, enjoy....


Marriott Ren. Monarch Hotel


View from the hotel concierge lounge



Small park next to the hotel.


Dinamo Moscow football club is just around the corner from the hotel (Dinamo Metro Stop)


Down below in the Metro


More Metro (words can't describe the beauty that lays under neath the city)


For those of you who know where the below was taken..... yes I also rubbed the dog's nose.


Packed subway headed over to the CSKA Champions League match vs. Inter Milan.


This match was only four days removed from the subway bombing so the troops were out in effect. Easily over 5 thousand of Russia's finest navy and army personnel on hand to keep things in order.



Like cattle being sent in for slaughter... almost at the stadium.


Finally inside....


The stadium rocked for the entire 90 minutes...


Caught a bus or two and headed out to the outskirts of the city...

[AnfieldRiot]

Arabat Street


Moscow Zoo


Moscow Zoo


A view from one of the most unsafe ferris wheel's on planet earth... loved it.




more from atop the city




Out and about....






Terrible sight to be hold...


Amazing pre and post drinking stop... eat one potato before and after drinking and you'll be able to keep up with even the most ardent vodka drinker.


He's not the only thing floating in the Moscow river....


Inside Gorki park ... you'll see lots of snow and ice on the ground in the distance. Workers were cleaning out the fountains to get them ready for the then fast approaching spring weather.





A walk around the art park is a must. I'm the last person who would want to look at art work but even I was impressed with the many, many original pieces.

[AnfieldRiot]

Simply amazing how this place is a food store. In the US, this would be a museum...



And now for some more frequently seen places....

[Manny]

Super, super pics. Thanks for sharing. 

[WestCoast]

Great photos.  Please post some more.

[AnfieldRiot]

  Guys, don't encourage me.... I was worse then a Japanese tourist considering the amount of pics I took. I think I took about 500 + pics.

[mendeleyev]

Very nice!

What did you think of the All Russia Exhibition Centre (VDNKh)? Did you take any photos of the Friendship of Natons fountains while there?

[ECR844]

Anfield,

Great pics. I can't wait to see more!

[AnfieldRiot]

Beer   &   Animals


Never seen this Miller sold in the States... had to try it and was let down. It's a dark beer but tastes so bland and lifeless. Wasn't awful, just blah.


Some people appreciate ports, cigars, champagne... I like to explore beer in search of the proper pint, below was simply dreamy


I don't eat cereal but the KosmoStars looked cool






Very funny taste to this pint, wasn't terrible but it had a distinct sweetness about it


Kozel is Slavic for Ram's urine, not so good


This was a nice beer, helped to make my walk around the city all that bit better


Moscow Zoo exit below and some other various shots from around the zoo below....

[AnfieldRiot]

Nightime

Some various shots of the downtown area at night. Nothing most haven't seen before but thought I'd share. I'd share a lot more of the outskirts and inside clubs/lounges but I'd be infringing on my hosts privacy so sorry folks.


Moscow Music scene is really taking off as of late... much to my delight PVD was intown with a nice little cast of guests.










A few shots below of the Gorki Park area at night... must of been 3am and not a soul around, very cool experience





















I'll spare you're eyes by leaving the rest of the night pics of the Kremlin off of here. The best part of taking most of the pics above is that it was just me and my host walking around a true piece of world history thats as mysterious as the night sky above my head. 4am and being one of the only people around, very cool experience to be left alone with the Kremlin all yours to behold, aside from the street washers that is.

I figured out how to dump these pics from my phone right on here so I'll try and put some other daytime shots up on here later on.

[AnfieldRiot]

Very nice!

What did you think of the All Russia Exhibition Centre (VDNKh)? Did you take any photos of the Friendship of Natons fountains while there?

  Could you explain a little more what the VDNKh is ?  I saw so many things and was enjoying every moment of my company and surroundings that my retension level was at a minimum while over in Moscow. 

   As to the fountains, I'll post a pic or two of them soon... although I'm sure you could draw them from memory.  Sad part about all of the fountains  I saw regardless of location is that they were being readied for the spring/summer so most were barren of water or having ice and snow gutted from them.

[Derjk]

ANFIELD you rock!   

Awesome pics, especially the beers. Kozel? Ram's urine? Maybe it's a "training beer" for those entering the prestigious BEERFEST. Strange how they have American beers there. I mean Miller? There are thousands of better beers coming from countries between the US and Russia, how the f**k did Miller get there.......................I don't even drink Miller!

I like the photos of the children's cereal. I see Shrek in there!!!!

Did seeing the sign of PVD give you a brief sense of normalcy?

I remember going thru Reno, staying in a hotel there for snowboarding and seeing all these run down empty shops. It was depressing, like a ghost town, then stumbling across a building with a line outside with signage that PVD was spinning there, weird.

Oh and as for "host" was this a guide or a beautiful devushka?

[AnfieldRiot]

ANFIELD you rock!  

Awesome pics, especially the beers. Kozel? Ram's urine? Maybe it's a "training beer" for those entering the prestigious BEERFEST. Strange how they have American beers there. I mean Miller? There are thousands of better beers coming from countries between the US and Russia, how the f**k did Miller get there.......................I don't even drink Miller!

I like the photos of the children's cereal. I see Shrek in there!!!!

Did seeing the sign of PVD give you a brief sense of normalcy?

I remember going thru Reno, staying in a hotel there for snowboarding and seeing all these run down empty shops. It was depressing, like a ghost town, then stumbling across a building with a line outside with signage that PVD was spinning there, weird.

Oh and as for "host" was this a guide or a beautiful devushka?

 You would be surprised at the amount of American beers you'll see and much like the Miller Midnight you'll be floored at the amount of varities they don't sell here.  If you head over, drink a Bud.. comes from Czech and is quality, been drinkin' those for years when abroad. American beer is alcholic water.

  As to the Kozel.... not so good at all. Tasted too bitter, almost had a metallic after taste to it... must of been the high quality can  Most of the local beers were good, there is one in particular that I loved but I just can't remember the name... was about 10 deep into the night at a gentleman's club so my mind was focused on other things non beer related.

  As to my host... it was my girlfriend, she was my tour guide, advisor, assistant, sargent in arms and quality control inspector
 
   Ya, seeing PVD was a wicked surprise.... wound up seeing him the night before at a small lounge for a Smirnoff get together.... very cool.  Music scene is starting to explode in Moscow at the moment and if you dig the beats then you'll be in pure heaven. If you do in fact dig the beats and head over to Moscow, drop me a message and I'll give you some info on some private lounges in the city, mind blowin' stuff.
 

[chivo]

Very nice!

What did you think of the All Russia Exhibition Centre (VDNKh)? Did you take any photos of the Friendship of Natons fountains while there?

  Could you explain a little more what the VDNKh is ?  I saw so many things and was enjoying every moment of my company and surroundings that my retension level was at a minimum while over in Moscow.  

   As to the fountains, I'll post a pic or two of them soon... although I'm sure you could draw them from memory.  Sad part about all of the fountains  I saw regardless of location is that they were being readied for the spring/summer so most were barren of water or having ice and snow gutted from them.

Are those pics Mumbai or Moscow?  

Nice photos, reminds me of home .

Anyway to answer your question VDNKn is a metro area in northern Moscow. Basically the "Cosmos" area or space exhibition...thus Exhibition Park. Nice area where you'll find me rollerblading on any given weekend since I live close by. There are many buildings representing the CIS (Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, etc.) the beautiful fountains that Mendy mentioned and a festival like atmosphere. If you were there you would remember for it sure.

Not sure when you were here but from about mid April on the weather has been fantastic...very unusual for this time of year. May was down right hot! 25-29C on many days, but no one here is complaining.

Nice pics BTW

[chivo]

Actually going back over your pics you were definately there (VDNKh), but a little too early for the festivities because of the weather.

[mendeleyev]

Could you explain a little more what the VDNKh is?  I saw so many things and was enjoying every moment of my company and surroundings that my retension level was at a minimum while over in Moscow.

I understand. Anfield, it's a big and busy place with lots to see. Yes, you were definitely there...   










I just wondered if you had taken any photos of the Friendship fountains. They're especially pretty either early morning or in the evening. They look like this:





The name has changed several times but VDNKh (not it's name today) is the moniker that most contemporary Russians associate with the park. It was a regular park for years, then re-opened in 1939 under a slightly different name as sort of an agricultural alternative to the world's fair but shut down during the war. It reopened after the war and the name was changed to VDNKh in 1959 as the park began to have less of an agricultural emphasis. Even with a new name today, as Metro station ВДНХ (VDNKh) is close by, likely locals will call it by that name for a long time.

It has beautiful gardens in spring, a plaza will buildings dedicated to each (former) Soviet republics, and an old Aeroflot plane exhibition. The main fountain has 16 statues, one for each Soviet Republic.

[AnfieldRiot]

Could you explain a little more what the VDNKh is?  I saw so many things and was enjoying every moment of my company and surroundings that my retension level was at a minimum while over in Moscow.

I understand. Anfield, it's a big and busy place with lots to see. Yes, you were definitely there...  


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I just wondered if you had taken any photos of the Friendship fountains. They're especially pretty either early morning or in the evening. They look like this:


(Attachment Link)


The name has changed several times but VDNKh (not it's name today) is the moniker that most contemporary Russians associate with the park. It was a regular park for years, then re-opened in 1939 under a slightly different name as sort of an agricultural alternative to the world's fair but shut down during the war. It reopened after the war and the name was changed to VDNKh in 1959 as the park began to have less of an agricultural emphasis. Even with a new name today, as Metro station ВДНХ (VDNKh) is close by, likely locals will call it by that name for a long time.

It has beautiful gardens in spring, a plaza will buildings dedicated to each (former) Soviet republics, and an old Aeroflot plane exhibition. The main fountain has 16 statues, one for each Soviet Republic.

 Thanks for the information, I appreciate it.

 Funny enough it was here that I really had one of my more enjoyable moments in the city. I've been lucky enough to see most corners of this planet and thanks in part to my travels I normally experience little if any culture shock. However, when I was walking through this area my host brought me inside one of the buildings. I had yet to go inside a building of historical significance so I was pretty psyched to check out my first piece of Russian history live and in the flesh.... little did I know what comical and head spinning sights were in store for me......

   I went inside the building that is directly behind the camera in the picture below....
  

   After walking inside and expecting an opulent display of historical items to include the likes of the Romanov's, "The Great" and other Russian oligarchs I was dismayed to see anything but that in what more resembled a swap shop more befitting of being in Fort Lauderdale.  Mini bodega's full of Japanime cd's, cheap souvenirs, rock shirts and other discounted items imported from all corners of Asia. After taking a step back and sipping on some honey liqour (bought one while inside) I thought to myself.... "Yup, Communism is indeed dead." Followed by a quick thought of "What must poor ole Stalin think of this." From there on in I expected the unexpected whenever I walked into any building.

[mendeleyev]

I do understand that feeling. Even when being mindful that it started as an agricultural showplace in 1939, what goes on there today is a far cry from the Soviet glory days.

[mendeleyev]

Just wanted to add that we commend you on posting the photos and look forward to learning more about your experiences in Moscow. 

[AnfieldRiot]

  A few pic's from during the daytime...


    In America, the youth who live near farms go cow tippin', in Russia the youth ride the cows.....
  

  

 Buses are a good way to get around the outskirts of the city. When I sat down and took in the interior I told my host that it was cool to be able to sit in an older model which has traversed all over the city for many years. She replied, "This is a brand new model, only one year old."




Of all of the sights in the city, this was the one monument I couldn't wait to see. For some reason I felt drawn to it... not much into space exploration, star trek, etc.. but I certainly enjoyed seeing this piece of art up close. Very cool indeed.










 
The picture below held true for every fountain I saw, no water. I'd say I was about two weeks short of seeing everything up and in order for the spring/summer.
















I think I may be slightly off but the pic below you'll see a small guard house... the police use this. I was told this was the considered the 1st police station in all of Russia... like NYC has over 150 station houses, the below would be station house #1.


Kremlin is to the back of the camera


Yes it's the Kremlin but just as rare is the Russian flag in flight. Only official government properties can fly the flag, unlike here in the States where everything from a Bail Bonds store front to a Toyota dealership will fly the stars n' stripes.




Gorky Park ...










Back in my home area of the NYC, you can play a game of 3 card monty on the streets similar to the set up below... however in Moscow they don't play 3 card monty.... they have Haggle w/ a Babushka.


I'll toss up some random subway pic's and some football match pics later on....

[chivo]

One thing everyone might want to notice in your pics is that the streets are very clean (void of trash). They've made big strides in that area over the years, especially inside the 'MKAD'. Enjoying the pics.

[ECR844]

One thing everyone might want to notice in your pics is that the streets are very clean (void of trash). They've made big strides in that area over the years, especially inside the 'MKAD'. Enjoying the pics.

"Chivo,"

Inquiring minds want to know....How do you keep your sombrero on whilst rollerblading and safe from the serendipity of the Moscow wind?

[AnfieldRiot]

One thing everyone might want to notice in your pics is that the streets are very clean (void of trash). They've made big strides in that area over the years, especially inside the 'MKAD'. Enjoying the pics.

 I have to say I agree with that. Aside from the outer regions, the downtown area is very clean considering the amount of people that come and go throughout the day.

 I had a funny experience that was based on the city being kept clean. During one late night stroll around the city I couldn't stop thinking to myself how lucky I and my host were with the weather. It was a little chilly walking around but still nice and this one evening in particular I seemed to be dodging all of the rain.... no matter where we went I couldn't stop myself from my smiling on the inside as to how nice it was to dodge the rain.  As the hours went by walking around the city, it seemed that every part of the city we went to was recently rained on, yet we were never rained on. Finally after making this personal observation for the umpteenth time, I let out a small laugh. My host asked me what was so funny and I told her, " I must of brought the Florida rain with me as it rains in certain sections but rarely ever blanketing one large area," as was the case that evening. She smiled and said nothing more. Another half hour or so goes by and after turning the corner here's yet another soaked section of the city, so I laughed again and said " our luck is seriously good this evening, look at how much rain we've missed yet again," pointing to large puddles all over the road & sidewalk. This comment elicited a large laugh from my host and then she proceeded to burst my bubble... "this isn't from rain, we wash our streets at night !" ... no sooner did she make this statement that three large water trucks come around the corner to start washing down the adjoining streets to the Kremlin.

[JP]

Did u nnotice, Miller is usually the highest priced beer. Guiness(pint) 33 rbs, Miller 46, in Cheboksary anyways

[froid]

Nice pics.  Well except for your fascination with American beers in Russia.