{"id":1905,"date":"2011-05-30T09:10:47","date_gmt":"2011-05-30T16:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=1905"},"modified":"2011-05-30T09:12:55","modified_gmt":"2011-05-30T16:12:55","slug":"spring-forward-day-73","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/spring-forward-day-73\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Moscow
\nMay 24, 2011\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Very busy day at work!<\/p>\n

\"Very<\/a>
Very puzzling ad. Why is Benicio del Toro selling ice cream bars in Russia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have to say I love the aspects of my visit in Moscow that happily ring the chimes of stereotypes Americans have of Russia.\u00a0 The super-helpful receptionis is named Svetlana<\/em>, how great is that.\u00a0 And on Wednesday the IT director offered me some caviar.\u00a0 In the office.<\/p>\n

I have realized that my travel day on June 4, when I go home, is going to be particularly challenging.\u00a0 Not only do I have to get up early to catch a 6:55 flight from Helsinki, but I then have a seven hour layover<\/em> in Munich.\u00a0 That means, I have to get up insanely early, get on a short flight, then be stuck in an airport literally all day, then<\/em> get on a twelve hour flight<\/em>.\u00a0 A twelve hour flight that I\u2019ll be in a tiny coach seat, yay.\u00a0 I\u2019m not complaining (well, I am, but I\u2019m in denial about it).\u00a0 It\u2019s a quality problem, I understand.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just have to be really zen that day and go to my happy place while the person sitting in front of me leans her coach seat way back so that it\u2019s literally in my face.\u00a0 For twelve hours.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
From the river<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alas, I can\u2019t shift the exit from Helsinki do to arcane ticket restrictions, and while I could<\/em> head into Munich for the day, just the round trip cab fare would be quite expensive.\u00a0 Grumble.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The new "Kremlin!" casino hotel and resort opening this fall on the north end of the Vegas Strip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After work I just headed back to the hotel to relax.\u00a0 Near the hotel I stopped into a bakery and got a bacon and green onion muffin that turned out to be heaven on a stick.<\/p>\n

\/\/\/<\/p>\n

I know I\u2019ve mentioned McDonald\u2019s entirely too many times buyt here I go again.\u00a0 In addition to being a reliable source for actual fountain Diet Cokes (albeit with sometimes dodgy local recipes), and an escape from intimidating and expensive menus in foreign languages, it\u2019s also a great barometer on \u201chow foreign\u201d a city is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The new Peter The Great statue. Is this Moscow or Treasure Island?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can judge how alien a place is by how easy or hard a visit to McDonalds is.\u00a0 I\u2019m serious.\u00a0 Paris?\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 Even if the menu is in French, it\u2019s a snap.\u00a0 Belgium?\u00a0 No sweat.\u00a0 Germany?\u00a0 A tiny bit harder, but still not bad.\u00a0 Tokyo?\u00a0 Medium challenging.\u00a0 The saving grace is the employee takes one look at the big round-eye American and simply flips the laminated placemat menu over to the Engrish side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beijing and Moscow McDonalds, however, are challenging.\u00a0 Mysterious menus, enormous lines, loud foreign voices all around you, intimidating currency, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"kremlin_steeple\"<\/a>My Favorite Muffin Places<\/h4>\n
    \n
  • My Favorite Muffin, Upper West Side, New York (long gone, I\u2019m sure, but it was hell on wheels in the 1980s)<\/li>\n
  • Zaro\u2019s, Grand Central Terminal, New York<\/li>\n
  • Upside Down Bakery, Moscow<\/li>\n
  • Any Mrs. Field\u2019s (their raspberry muffins and chocolate chip muffins are religious experiences)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Average Rating: 5<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 212<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

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