{"id":1922,"date":"2011-05-31T14:25:54","date_gmt":"2011-05-31T21:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=1922"},"modified":"2011-05-31T14:25:55","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T21:25:55","slug":"spring-forward-day-74","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/spring-forward-day-74\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Moscow
\nMay 25, 2011\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\"me_and_st_basils\"<\/a>
Another dire "Here I Am; There It Is Picture" fail. I've got to get better at directing non-English-speaking strangers when they are taking photos of me.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s not . . . clear . . . whether or not I have a real reservation for a tour in St. Petersburg or not\u00a0 Still waiting for confirmation from the website.\u00a0 I realized I don\u2019t really care.\u00a0 I went online and in about ten minutes downloaded walking tours of St. Petersburg, Tallinn, and Helsinki.\u00a0 Just saved myself about $200 and I\u2019ll probably have more fun this way.\u00a0 Besides, I might have some help in both Tallinn and Helsinki, companion-wise, so who needs an expensive formal tour?<\/p>\n

Downloaded walking tours for St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki \u2013 easier, save lotsa dough.<\/p>\n

\"MSU\"<\/a>
MSU<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I returned to the bakery (The Upside Down Bakery, to be precise) following\u00a0 a nice walk after work.\u00a0 I was surprised to find it stil open.\u00a0 Alas, they were out of the muffins I wanted, but I had a delightful conversation with the Owner\/Manager, an ex-pat Brit who explained to me that in Moscow bakeries regularly stayed open until 11:00 p.m. or even all night.\u00a0 Very different from the American model, I told him.\u00a0 I know, he said, having spent lots of time in the States.\u00a0 I took his card and recommended them to the concierge at my hotel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This reminds me so much of that building you see from the 134 right near Disney and the ABC building.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I enjoy my walks through actual neighborhoods as much or more as I enjoy formal tours.\u00a0 I like seeing how people really live.\u00a0 I\u2019m fascinated by urban life, and I enjoy seeing the different kinds of apartment house architecture, what the streets and parks are like, how the people seem to fit into them.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had this thought in all of the cities I\u2019ve been in so far:\u00a0 If I was here for an extended period of time, I\u2019d definitely spend a lot of time just walking through neighborhoods like this.\u00a0 I\u2019ve spent thousands of hours doing the same thing in New York and Los Angeles, and I never get tired of it.\"pink_church\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

I have discovered where old has-been American rock, metal and and pop acts go to die:\u00a0 Russia.\u00a0 There\u2019s so many rich people in Russia, I guess you can charge whatever you want for concert tickets, and I guess the nouveau riche here really love American has-been acts.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

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

Moscow has terrible drainage.\u00a0 Days after a small rainstorm, there are still gigantic puddles all over the place that you have to detour around.\u00a0 Pity.<\/p>\n

\"pleasure_palace\"<\/a>But a Few of the Concert Ads I\u2019ve Seen<\/h4>\n