Moscow highlights
Old Arbat
The Old Arbat (Russian: Старый Арбат) is a picturesque pedestrian street it existed as early as 1493, as records of a great fire that began in a church once located there confirm.The origin of the name is Tatar and means suburb (the same as Rabat). During the 16th and 17th centuries, the neighbourhood was graced with elegant churches, notably the one featured in Vasily Polenov's celebrated painting A Courtyard in Moscow (1879). During the reign of Ivan the Terrible it was the home of his sixteenth century secret police. By the seventeenth century it had become the chosen home of aristocrats, and later artists seeking patronage made it their home. It took on its current appearance at the turn of the twentieth century when elegant two and three story buildings were built for bourgeois families. After 1917, these were converted into communal apartments where several working class families lived.Arbat has several notable statues, including one to Princess Turandot in front of the Vakhtangov Theatre and another to Soviet-era folk singer, bard, and poet, Bulat Okudzhava, who wrote several poignant songs about the Arbat. During Perestroika, the street was a gathering place for informal youth movements (like hippies or punks), as well as street musicians and artists. Viktor Tsoi's wall in one of the Arbat side-streets (Krivoarbatskiy Pereulok) remains a curious monument to those turbulent years. To this day, Russian youth frequently gather on the Arbat to play the songs of Tsoi and other Russian songwriters.Dining options along Arbat are varied. On the budget end, there is the ever-present McDonald's and Mu Mu, a low-cost, serving-line chain which features a wide variety of local food. Look for the sign that is painted with the black and white pattern of a Holstein cow, with "Mu Mu" ("Му Му" in Russian) written in red letters. The Hard Rock Cafe is also located on Arbat Street. Another burger joint is Uncle Sam's Cafe. There is a variety of ethnic food, including Shesh Besh (Azerbaijani) and Genatsvalle (Georgian), with new places being added all the time.There are almost always street performers on Arbat, ranging from break dancers, musicians, folk dancers and singers to acrobats.
Metro: Arbatskaya
The Church of Christ the Saviour
No other site in Moscow chronicles the successive changing of the guard more than the site of the recently rebuilt Church of Christ the Saviour. The original cathedral was commissioned by Tsar Alexander I to honour Napoleon's expulsion in 1812. It took 40 million bricks and 45 years to build and only one day to destroy. In 1931, the monument was imploded on Stalin's directives to make was for the grandiose monstrosity, the Palace of Soviets. Fortunately, this most resented construction never really got off of the ground, and by the late 1950's and Khrushchev's thaw, it had become one of the biggest swimming pools in the world. The original design was reconstructed as closely as possible, although this time concrete was used and a huge parking lot was added.
4 Volkhonka Ulitsa
Metro: Kropotkinskaya
Hours: 10a.m.- 6p.m. daily.
Bolshoi Theater
The "original" Bolshoi Theater is currently under renovation, and is expected to remain so, at least until sometime in 2009. According to a recent (as of February 2008) Reuters news article, the people working on the renovation have said that they expect to have the theater up and running by November 2009. Yes, you can still see the "Bolshoi Ballet", even before the renovation is finished, but you won't be seeing it in the original theater building. You will be viewing it on the "New Stage", which is where performances are being held during the renovation period. The New Stage is located just across the street from the original theater. Not that the location should be all that important to a ballet lover - this is, after all, one of the finest ballet troupes in the world. The point is, however, that a lot of folks who really don't care that much for ballet still want to see the ballet at the Bolshoi, just because it is such a famous place - not really because they love ballet. That's why this distinction is important. If you want to go to the Bolshoi mainly to be "at the Bolshoi," then you won't be able to do that until the renovation is finished, at least, not if it is important to you to be in the "real" or "original" Bolshoi. On the New Stage, however, the quality of the theater and the performances is just as good as in the original building. This from someone who has seen performances in both buildings.
You may order tickets online at www.bolshoi.ru This site has menus in both Russian and English, and is very easy to use. You can pre-purchase and pick tickets up at the box office. Just follow the instructions that you will be given at the time of purchase.
Due to high demand, tickets to the most popular performances often sell out early, especially during the summer (May-August), since summer ballet performances are very limited (the "season" starts in September). If you are traveling to Moscow, it is strongly recommended to buy tickets online in advance. Getting tickets on the spot after your arrival to Moscow may be difficult and/or expensive.(http://www.tripadvisor.com)
Konstantin Melnikov house
The finest existing specimen of Melnikov's work is his own Krivoarbatsky Lane residence in Moscow, completed in 1927-1929, which consists of two intersecting cylindrical towers decorated with a pattern of hexagonal windows. His flow of commissions in 1926-1927 provided enough money to finance a three-story house of his dreams. At this time, many well-to-do Russians were lured into building their own city houses; Melnikov was one of the few who managed to retain his property after the fall of New Economic Policy. His request for land (790 square meters) had few chances to pass the district commission; to his surprise, a working class commissioner supported him, saying that "we can build public buildings anytime and anywhere, but we may never see this unusual house completed if we reject Melnikov".[17] The city endorsed Melnikov's draft as an experimental, one-of-a-kind project.
Melnikov preferred to work at home, and always wanted a spacious residence that could house his family, architectural and painting workshops. As the Russian idiom says, he designed the house starting "from the oven"; existing white oven in his living room dates back to his 1920 drawings.[18] Floorplan evolved from a plain square to a circle and an egg shape, without much attention to exterior finishes. Melnikov developed the concept of intersecting cylinders in 1925-1926 for his Zuev Workers' Club draft (he lost the contest to Ilya Golosov). Twin cylinder floorplan was approved by the city in June, 1927 and was revised during construction. [19]
The towers, top to bottom, are a honeycomb lattice made of brickwork. 60 of more than 200 cells were glazed with windows (of three different frame designs), the rest filled with clay and scrap. This unorthodox design was a direct consequence of material rationing by the state - Melnikov was limited to brick and wood, and even these were in short supply. The wooden ceilings have no supporting columns, nor horizontal girders. They were formed by a rectangular grid of flat planks, in a sort of orthotropic deck. The largest room, a 50 square meter workshop on the third floor, is lit with 38 hexagonal windows; equally large living room has a single wide window above the main entrance.[20]
In 1929, Melnikov proposed the same system of intersecting cylinders and cheap honeycomb structure for apartment blocks, which did not materialize.
10 Krivoarbatsky
Metro: Arbatskaya
you can look at the house from the ouside only at the moment
Pushkin Square
Pushkin, on par with Shakespeare and Goethe, was too great ever to be affected by changes in political fashions and was respected in communist and non-communist times alike. The square has been the site of pro-democracy demonstrations in the dying days of communism. Now it is a popular place to meet or rest one's feet after treading along the trendy shopping district of Tverskaya Ulitsa.
Metro: Pushkinskaya
Moscow Zoo
The Moscow Zoo has recently been rennovated and is worth a visit. It is not as large as most city zoos, and is often crowded on pulic holidays and weekends.
1 Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Ulitsa
Tel: 254-4693
Metro: Barrikadnaya or Krasnopresnenskaya
Hours: May-Sept. 9a.m.-6p.m. Tuesday-Sun.
Tsvetnoi Bulvar Circus
The "old" circus is the smaller of the two, and produces fabulous shows that usually have a central theme. The show includes a variety of acts, from clowns to acrobats. The intricate costumes and colorful acts are second to none.
13 Tsvetnoi Bulvar
Tel: 200-6889
Metro: Tsvetnoi Bulvar
Performances: 7p.m. Mon, Wed, Fri; 3p.m, 7p.m. Sat and Sun.
Circus on Sparrow Hills
This new-ish circus has five interchangeable arenas. The acts change constantly, and guarantee a great spectacle for very little money.
7 Prospect Vernadskogo
Tel: 930-2815
Metro:Universitet
Performances: 7p.m. Wed-Fri; 11:30a.m., 3p.m., 7p.m., Sat and Sun.
Izmailovsky Park
All of the matrioshka dolls, lacquer boxes and Soviet memorabilia that you can handle, as well as some truly beautiful linens and crafts. Vendors are friendly and many speak English.
Metro: Izmailovski Park, from here follow the crowds.
Hours: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily.
Sparrow Hills
Spectacular look-out point, with a view of Moscow from the south side of the river, overlooking Luzhniki Stadium and Moscow State University behind. Sparrow Hills features largely into the devil scenes of Mikhail Bulgakov's most famous novel "The Master and Margarita."
Metro: Universitet
Gorky Park
In winter, Gorky Park is a good place to go ice skating. In summer, it hosts an amusement park.
Metro: Oktyabrsksya or Park Kultury
Victory Park
This vast establishment was completed in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union's World War Two victory. It is worth noting that is it located on the spot where Napoleon stood as he watched Moscow burning. On May 9, Victory Day, Muscovites gather here to celebrate the triumph over Nazi Germany The while crescent shaped building contains the Great Patriotic War Museum (open 10 a.m.-6p.m. Tues-Sun).
Metro: Kutuzovskaya, then trolly bus to Victory Park
Moscow River Cruises
A two hour cruise on one of the boats on the Moscow River is truely a nice way to spend a hot summer day in Moscow. There is an open air top deck and an enclosed bottom deck with a snack bar. You can embark and disembark from any number of docks along the way.
Piers are located at: Moscow State University, Gorky Park (both sides of the river), Bolshoi Karmeny Most (by the Estrada Theater opposit the Kremlin), Hotel Rossiya, Bolshoi Krasnoholmsky Most and the Novospassky Monastery (monastery side).
Hours: 10 a.m.- 8p.m. daily at 30 minute intervals.
There are also overnight cruises from 1 to 20 days departing from the Severny Rechnoy Vokzal (Tel:458-9163/9624) and from the Yuzhny Rechnoy Vokzal (Tel: 118-7811).
VVTs (All-Russia Exhibition Centre)
Established in 1937, and containing of more than 80 pavillions each representing one aspect of the great economic, industrial and technical might of communism, the Exhibition of Economic Achievements functioned as such until the 1980s. Today, miniature trains ferry shoppers around this gigantic complex.
Metro: VDNKh
Hours: 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Mon- Fri, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sat, Sun, public holidays.
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