VDNKh is one of those Moscow places I do not particularly enjoy yet keep going back to over and over for various half-baked reasons. What is VDNKh? Good question. Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaystva, (Exhibition of Achievements of the People’s Economy) is Moscow’s enormous exhibition complex and is one of those grand Soviet relics that seems more like…
In my mind, banya — a particular kind of bathhouse / sauna cross-breed — was always one of those inextricably Russian cultural identifiers, alongside vodka, snow, bears, communism, Nutcracker ballet and Matryoshka nesting dolls. In my mind, a banya was a small log cabin, where after a wash and a steam you get beaten half…
Clearly not satisfied with force-feeding you, dear readers, a monthly selection of Russian paintings, I have taken to sharing my art-loving ways on YELL.RU. So, if you are as much of an appreciator of pretty things as I am, and if you are ever in Moscow, read on to learn for ways to maximize and diversify your…
Izmailovo Kremlin is an entertainment venue set in a whimsical fortress-palace. It hosts all sorts of museums — of history, art, vodka, bread, — restaurants, a tea house, a crafts market and a marriage chapel, of all things. Basically, it’s a whole lot of random fun (I know I am underselling it) under many brightly…
Moscow is one of those truly dynamic, diverse, cosmopolitan cities where the options of how to spend your time are virtually endless. The city is world-renown for its classical theater and especially ballet, but there are also countless museums and galleries for art connoisseurs, sprawling parks for nature lovers, concerts big and small, dancing, bowling,…
One of the things I perpetually miss in Russia is the American movie-going experience. The movies themselves are here. American movies. Big Hollywood blockbusters. Award-baiting limited releases. We get them all and then some – it’s easier to find an Asian, European or Latin American film on a big screen in Moscow than in New…
I got so excited when I saw this recent Moscow Times headline, “New Bacon Exhibit To Come To Moscow”… and then so disappointed when I clicked on the link. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/new-bacon-exhibit-to-come-to-moscow-in-2014/485148.html I was hoping for a little less this: and a lot more this: UPDATE (October 24, 2013): Some amazing bacon porn: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/bacon-for-thanksgiving
Saturday’s Moscow City Day celebrations were full of food, arts & crafts, antiques fairs, singing, dancing, baloons and one big parade of international marching bands. Koreans BROUGHT IT. Also brought it: Moscow’s mayor, who cleared rainy skies for the day, so that people could enjoy the festivities (and then re-elect him on Sunday).
Having missed the once-in-three-hours train to the Tula region this morning by literally two minutes, my sister and I decided to not let the 30C-weather, and packed swimsuits and a picnic go to waste, and make it a beach day. By the virtue of being situated on the Moscow River, Moscow has several decent, public…
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