Night Flight - End of an Era

[shakespear]

I have some sad news - news that reflects that Russia is indeed changing.

I have been informed that Night Flight, the longest continuous operating western
business in Moscow will be closing.  March 31, 2020 will be their last night in business.
If you happen to be in Moscow, you won't want to miss THAT party.  It will be kinda
like being in Studio 54 on the last night they were open for business.  You'll be able
to tell your grandchildren about it - well not all of it  .

The internet is what put Night Flight out of business.  Their location was primo, their
kitchen fantastic and the entertainment; well in its own way second to none.

I was last there 2 1/2 years ago for their last golf outing.  Being the beneficiaries of long
term leases and some of the most prime retail business locations in Moscow, they had
rented 50% of the site to outside parties.  They had moved what was a fantastic two-floor
multi bar night club with dance floor into am MUCH smaller single bar remodeled
basement located under the coat room in the outside hall.

It had become a shell of what it once was - the best place in all of the world to get a
fantastic meal and then frolic with some international class beautiful ladies.  Best in the
world is not an exaggeration - it earned that distinction in magazines like Playboy and
Penthouse.

I must say, when I was last there it was home to the finest collection of grandmothers
I'd ever seen.  Ladies in their late 30's and early 40's who were once world class model
types trying their best to market their aging wares at inflated prices.  Who needs Night
Flight when you can go to your computer, select a companion that fits your fantasy description
and have her come to you for a couple of hours at a fraction of the price?

I knew when I walked out to that place that last Saturday night I'd never be back.  I lingered
as long as I could, talking to my many Swedish friends until there was nothing more to say.
It was like walking out of the Hungry Duck for the last time so many years ago.   

I'm sure the new problem of the CV outbreak hastened the process.  There is a order pending
that will shut down all Moscow night clubs for the duration of the virus.  This, coupled with their
decline in business, was the "estocada" for the business.  I am guessing they can make more
money renting the space out than running it in its current business model.

I fondly remember my first visit to Night Flight back in the 1990's when the place was
in its prime.  I was sitting there in an overstuffed comfortable chair, a snifter of Hennessey
XO cognac in one hand and a Davidoff Churchill in the other watching the parade of fashion
models making their rounds.  I remember thinking to myself, "In this moment, there isn't
anyplace in the entire world that I'd rather be at than sitting right in this chair".

RIP Night Flight.  It ain't the "old Moscow" anymore without you!         

[Manny]

I never went but I heard the tales from you and others.

Curious you touch on Studio 54, which is also only a place I read about.

Like the Playboy thing, is it simply a case of the world moving on and those places being fondly remembered relics of the past?

[rosco]

"In this moment, there isn't anyplace in the entire world that I'd rather be at than sitting right in this chair".

Never forget the good times because they won't last forever. We've all had these moments over the years!

I remember you telling me about this place when I first joined RUA. I now wish I'd been in Moscow when I was a single lad to see what all the fuss was about. 

[Steveboy]

Its just an outdated old relic from the 90's ...

[IvanMNG]

Honestly, no one will even bat an eyelid. Last time I went was in 2017, and it seemed like all the same hired guns that sat there in the 90s were still waiting for business. Good riddance.