Moscow and St. Petersburg in June - recommendations?

[cb_jones]

I'm hitting Moscow and St. Petersburg in June (4 guys from Vancouver), just wanted to see what the superfuture crew could suggest as far as what's not to be missed, outside of the major attractions, which of course we'll be checking.

Thanks --->

[cb_jones]

I'm out next week - just thought I'd try to resurrect this one - any suggestions would be well appreciated...

[andreas]

So...what are you exactly into?

[cb_jones]

Thanks for the reply... We're into interesting places to eat/drink, art, architecture, cool shops (not clothing, more stuff uniquely Russian) - I know this is very broad - we're down with pretty much anything. I guess I'm looking to hear about things you can't get from a tour guide, you know? Stuff that you were blown away by, that you think is not to be missed...

[andreas]

I should say that I haven't been back to Moscow since January 2005. Everything changes so fast there, dozens of new clubs, stores, art galleries etc. open and close each month, it's hard to keep track. Still, there are some cool places which will stay popular such as club Propaganda, a funky low-key club in the Kitai Gorod area. When I'm there I always ask friends what's hot at the moment and I always buy the latest copy of Russian Afisha magazine which features listings of all events in town (you should learn to decipher the Cyrillic script otherwise it's pretty useless) or get me a free copy of English-language Go magazine which is available at most cool hangouts in town like Propaganda. It's full of the latest cool spot info.

[cb_jones]

Thanks andreas, I'll grab a copy of Go as soon as I get there... Less than a week - can't wait!

[englandmj7]

If you want a REAL thrill:

Go up to the dude with the most gold on that you can possibly find, slap him, say: "Hooyesos" and take his girlfriend.........

It will be AWESOME.

[keyko]

england - any first hand experience of doing that before? Hooyesos means literally "cocksucker" in Russian. If you done that and survived - you are the man.

Alien vs Predator, Freddie vs Jason, Nudie vs A.P.C.

[cb_jones]

Cool, maybe I'll try that one on a cop - I hear Russian police have a great sense of humour...

[Analyst]

It's been a few years, actually 13 years to be exact, since I was in Moscow. My favorite place to go on the weekends was actually Izmaylovsky Park or Izmailovo Park, a wooded park similiar to Washington Square Park in NYC. Here, on the weekends, people would set up kiosks to sell everything from WWII medals to night-vision (second generation) to toys to matrioskya dolls to military hardware.

As souvenirs, I bought a MIG 29 flight helmet, numerous Nazi Germany WWII medals including an Iron Cross Second Class, Russian WWII medals (at the time didn't have enough cash for the Order of Lenin, equivalent to the Medal of Honor), several night vision scopes and other nick nacks.

I'd love to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg again.

[poly800rock]

jesus christ analyst, is there anywhere in the world you havent been?

[Analyst]

Been dying to check out the Balkans and more of Eastern Europe. For the short term, I'm going to be in Southeast Asia for while. Should be an exciting time to be here.

Miles to Go Before I Sleep