I recently returned from four months of living in Moscow. The best thing I brought from California was a Zen-like detachment to accept Russia on its own terms. Because Russia is what it is.
And Russia is basically a mess. A livable mess, where the trains run on time. But it is the kind of place that made my family appreciate California. Despite its ongoing financial wreck, the Golden State looks pretty good when viewed through the prism of Moscow.
What looks good from afar? The list includes California's physical beauty, its laidback populace and the state's variety of foods, along with its smoke-free environment and clean streets.
Moscow has either 10, 12 or 16 million people living in it, depending on whom you ask. But unlike our biggest cities, it has no discernible downtown. Building heights are generally low, so it's an endless sea of eight- and ten-story buildings. Occasionally, one of the seven skyscrapers built by Stalin pops through, grand buildings that help people navigate the city. A river runs through Moscow, lined with pedestrian paths and some of the city's most striking buildings.
The Moscow Metro is the most impressive thing about the city. The subway system is about the only thing in Moscow that functions well. It transports 9 million passengers a day, and trains run every 90 seconds during rush hour. Because the public streets are choked with cars, the Metro is the lifeline of the city. Most subway stations have ornate art in them, with murals depicting Russian cities or Soviet leaders such as Lenin. Stern female guards keep a watchful eye to make sure no one is eating or drinking on the trains, and the stations are cleaned continuously.
Still, pedestrian take their lives in their hands when they get off the Metro, because in Moscow, cars are sometimes driven on the sidewalks. Sidewalk driving is not an everyday occurrence, but after I saw a few SUVs driving down the sidewalk, I was forever on the alert. Many streets are lined with heavy black chains to keep the drivers off said sidewalks. Major streets have underground passages so that pedestrians can safely cross.
Moscow can be beautiful when it wants to be, usually starting in May when the winter finally ends, the sidewalk cafes open, the flowers are planted and the fountains turned on. It's a much more difficult city to love in March, when the city is all cigarette butts and broken vodka bottles and endless gray days. You can be sure the Obamas are seeing Moscow at its best this week.
– Larry Sokoloff
(Editor's Note: Longtime CP&DR contributor Larry Sokoloff was in Moscow on a Fulbright scholarship. To read more about his and his family's experiences living in Moscow, check out their blog.)
