Moscow Travel Guide
7/16/2008 at 9:11 AM
Tags: Trains, Train Travel, Russia Travel, Airport Transportation (all tags)
Moscow might be a blossoming tourist destination with pricier hotels than nearly anywhere else, but until now getting into the city from any of the airports has been a bit of a nightmare. But things are looking up.
With a tongue-twister of a name, the Savyolovsky Station--Sheremetyevo Airport Rail Link has just opened, whizzing travelers from Sheremetyevo into downtown Moscow in just 35 minutes--half the time it used to take on the bus.
Of course, now you miss out on sitting on that smoggy gray traffic jam known as Leningradskoye Highway, but don't worry, it'll still probably take you ages to get through the immigration line.
Related Stories:
· Moscow Sheremetyevo Gains New Rail Link [Business Traveller]
· Moscow Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: jystewart]
by amandak
6/19/2008 at 9:20 AM
Tags: Russia Travel, Accidents (all tags)
A house in the suburbs of Moscow was hit with a nearly sixty pound bag of cement after the Russian Air Force dropped it in an attempt to control the weather. The house-bombing accident occurred while planes were trying to secure good weather in advance of Russia Day celebrations on June 12.
No one was injured by the falling concrete, but the house was badly damaged. Russian Air Force officials told Reuters:
A pack of cement used in creating ... good weather in the capital region ... failed to pulverize completely at high altitude and fell on the roof of a house, making a hole about 80-100 cm (2.5-3 ft)
The accident was apparently the first mishap in over twenty years of Russian weather control activities.
Related Stories:
· In Russia, Sometimes It Rains Cement [Reuters]
· Moscow Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: IMDb]
by Hunter Walker
6/17/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Amy Winehouse, Roman Abramovich (all tags)
Amy Winehouse said yes, yes, yes to a private gig at a new gallery in Russia this weekend. The "Rehab" singer was paid a reported $2 million to sing at the opening of the Center for Contemporary Culture, a new art museum in Moscow operated by the wife of entrepreneur and football team owner Roman Abramovich.
In its past life the CCC was actually a bus garage designed by famous Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov, before Daria Zhukova saw its potential as a loftlike gallery space.
We bet Amy's powerful pipes rang out from there to Odessa--unfortunately, after the singer's return to London she ended up making an unscheduled trip to the hospital amid rumors of a collapse.
Related Stories:
· Russian Capital Gets New Gallery in Melnikov Bus Depot [The Art Newspaper]
· Amy Winehouse Was "Very Happy" at Gallery Performance [ICYDK]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Superficial]
by egw
12/27/2007 at 5:17 PM
Tags: Buildings, Architecture, Norman Foster (all tags)
It's been far too long since we've covered any ridiculous new buildings around here, but Russia has come to the rescue. Construction is booming in Moscow, and the newest plan calls for this monstrosity: Crystal Island.
The insanely large project--which would be the largest building on Earth when finished--calls for 900 apartments, 3,000 hotel rooms, a school, a cinema, a museum and, of course, shopping. Also part of the plan is a giant plaza overlooking the city's skyline.
Architect Lord Norman Foster says it's the right time for such an audacious project. The president of the Moscow Architectural Institute had a slightly different take:
Everyone's first impression of this was, "What is it--a Christmas tree?"
Related Stories:
· Foster Plans World's Biggest Building [UK Times]
· Foster + Partners: Crystal Island [Official Site]
· World's Biggest Building Coming to Moscow [Inhabitat, via]
· China Gets a New Tallest Building [Jaunted]
· The Incredible Morphing Skyscraper [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/05/2007 at 3:05 PM
Tags: Blogs, Culture (all tags)
Munich-born blogger "Two-Zero" has been a cop, a DJ and a professional snowboarder. What's left to do? Move to Moscow and start
The Moscow Blog, a personal journal (with
fully loaded map) of things seen and done in the Russian capital.
Two-Zero says he started his blog because he wanted to show his friends "that Moscow is not such a cold, criminal and poor place." The site is a useful log of a country on the make. He seems to specialize in the juncture between the urban experience and the Russian experience, with topics like
Moscow Fashion Week,
the Swissotel bar and the closing of
a favorite nightclub. And if he couldn't make it onto Vladimir Putin's new plane, he at least
found some photos of it for the rest of us.
[Photo:
Two-Zero]
Related Stories:·
Moscow-Blog.com [Official Site]
by egw
11/08/2006 at 9:12 AM
Tags: Medical Tourism, Sex, Moscow (all tags)
Medical tourism, sex tourism, or any of a number of new kinds of tourism: for many people these days, the main purpose of travel is nothing like seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa anymore. And if you want designer, custom-made condoms--made by a qualified urologist, nonetheless--then Moscow is your destination of choice.
Dr. Pomozov found a niche market when patients complained that they couldn't get condoms that fit them properly. Now he's expanded beyond producing "sized-to-fit" condoms to any kind that customers request:
Some patriotic people ask for them with Kalashnikov guns drawn on them while there are others who want something romantic like Venetian gondolas. We do it all for them.
Just be sure to tell your friends you're heading to Moscow to see Red Square or the slowly decaying body of Lenin.
[Photo:
al greer]
Related Stories:·
Russian Doctor Launches Fancy Condoms for Demanding Clients [Mosnews]
·
Post-Perestroika Prophylactic [Jaunted]
by amandak
10/05/2006 at 9:22 AM
Tags: Moscow, Russia, Tourist Attractions, Lenin, Death (all tags)
Visitors to Moscow usually have a few key objectives: to sneak around the Kremlin, step foot on Red Square and pay a visit to
Lenin's Mausoleum. Looking at dead guys is a strange branch of tourism, but there's some morbid fascination that brings the crowds in.
Each year, Lenin takes a short break from being on view, and this year it's longer than usual. From November 10 to December 26, Lenin'll be on a prophylactic break, according to the Russian tourist board. Some special biochemical procedures will spruce up the old fellow, and they say that with the right regular treatment his body will survive at least another 100 years. A pity, though, as all he really wanted was to be buried in St Petersburg. But he's not around to change anybody's mind, and we are, so get into Moscow fast, or wait til the post-Christmas viewing to see the waxy face and maybe a new suit.
[Photo:
phdstudent]
Related stories:
·
Prophylaxis in Lenin's Mausoleum [Russia Info-Centre]
·
Mr. Putin, it's time to Bury Lenin [International Herald Tribune]
by amandak
9/28/2006 at 10:05 AM
Tags: gambling, Moscow, Russia (all tags)
If you're traveling through
Moscow soon and get the impression the city's getting poorer, it might all be part of an elaborate social campaign. Casinos are now allowed to open inside the city, and the Moscow City Council is afraid of the results when locals start to get addicted to gambling.
What to do? Of course, hire a bunch of actors to play beggars outside casinos. The idea is that these beggars should tell prospective gamblers a tale of woe: "I was a high-paid exec until I gambled, and look at me now" kind of stories. Ten points for originality, but let's wait and see how it works.
[Image via spinksy71/Flickr]
Related stories:
Actors Dress as Tramps [Ananova]
by amandak
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