Sights from Central Moscow

Despite the immense scale of the city, the center of Moscow is quite compact and walkable, corresponding to the inner-most of the rings that encircled the settlement in ancient times. Parts of the core have a cosmopolitan, European feel to them, with classical architecture, hip boutiques and eateries; other areas, however, are distinctly Russian. In many ways, the history of Russia is a near-constant vacillation between Europeanization and Russification, sometimes pushing towards and sometimes pulling away from the capitals of the West, and this is seen plainly in the designs of the city. Moscow is not quite European: it comes close, but it is something different altogether.

But more than just the two paradigms of Europe and Russia, I'm learning that the idea of "Russianness" is something altogether complex. The first layer to this world is the Tsarist age, with its luxuriant orthodox churches and walled fortresses. This, of course, is the Russia most Westerners think of - the nation of St.Vassily's Church (above) and the stately Kremlin. But all around there are living relics of the Soviet days, from Cold War-era emblems to massive monuments to the working man to huge apartment blocks. There was no attempt to erase this legacy from Russia's cultural memory - although the Soviet days are over, the 80-some years of communist rule have been sublimated into the modern cityscape and the modern Russian society. Unlike the Tsarist age - which was effectively erased from the map by a group of rabble-rousers led by one Vladimir Lenin (see bottom picture of the Lenin mausoleum) in the wake of the world's first communist revolution - the old USSR has never really died. It fell apart, decayed, and disintegrated - but it didn't die.

Jumping over the post-collapse, Yeltsin years, the third Moscow is really only about 8 years old, ever since the economy started booming. Moscow now has more billionaires than any other city in the world, and crossing the streets one is confronted with a wall of BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars; there are more chic sushi bars here than in any other area I've been to save Japan. Intruding upon both the Soviet and the Tsarist cultural legacy is the sleek world of moneyed European modernism - these days, the balance seems to be tilting back towards Peter the Great, although this might not be clear from the Western media's coverage of Russia. (more on this in another post)

More to come.. Also, to include more of our readership, we've prepared a brief summary in Russian and Japanese.


Красная площадь. Собор Василия Блаженного. И - самое важное - мавзолей Ленина. А еше толпы народа, жара и супер-обворожительная, сверх-замечательная Катерина. И борщ, конечно.

クラースナヤ　スクアーヤとソボルバシリヤブラズエノボ。でも一番面白い所がレニンの墓だです。この所が本当に込んでいたけど、天気が暖かかったしすばらしかった　ー　でも一番すごいことがカタヤという友達です。後ボルシーというスープもすごいです。