Moscow, 26 August 2004

I arrived in Moscow at the Pulkova Airport yesterday afternoon. A young Indian, Ramit, studying in St. Petersburg to be a doctor, a plastic surgeon, helped me find the right van, No. 48, to the Planernaya metro station. (Planernaya is the terminal for the No. 7 subway and, while he got off at the ring station, Krasnopresnenskaya, happily the metro took me directly to Kitay-Gorod.

The front desk at Hotel Rossiya (Russia) gave me a body blow, but I take the blame. The hotel had told me by email to fax approval for about $75 a night for a double room. Trying to save a dime, I replied to ask if they had a single. Never received a response. Now that I didn't have a reservation, I paid $120 last night. Do I look like the kind of guy who goes around spending $120/night, for anything?

So, this morning I took the metro from Kitay-Gorod one station to the ring (Taganskaya), the ring metro one station to Kurskaya, and the Shchyolkovskaya train four stops to Izmaylovsky Park. I went there because, although quite a distance from Hotel Rossiya, which is absolutely ideal, being 10 minutes' walk to the Kremlin at Red Square, I figured that the distance didn't matter if I ended up saving money. If you think Grand Central or Penn Station are crazy, you need to see the metro in Moscow. The rush hour goes on and on.

I arrived at the Alfa hotel, which is across from the station and, finally, was quoted four prices. I requested the least expensive, 2,500 rubles. Then she told me there were no rooms. That I should go to the Gamma Delta hotel next door. They had rooms for 1,600 but said I couldn't pay for it, at about 10:30, nor could I make a reservation. So I retraced my steps, dreading the fact that I would be returning on the same three trains, this time with luggage. (I tried to travel lightly and still wound up carrying weight).

When I returned to Hotel Rossiya, I enquired, with dread, if less expensive rooms were available. I finally took a room for four nights at 10,000 rubles, or $86/21 per night. I have never been happier to spend $86.21 for a room before. $33.79 does make a difference in my life!

Nine-tenths of the Muscovites are surly and some quite rude. Smiles are a premium here and the word "pleasant" just might not be translatable in Russian. I doubt you will feel welcome in Moscow, but it is worth it. There may not exist another city as interesting in its history and its architecture. And I have always liked Catherine the Great. What a women she was!

When I arrived at Pulkova, and before I met Amit, a taxi driver approached me and offered to take me for $50. I told him no and he wanted to know how much I wanted to pay. I told him several no's and he finally dismissed me with a flick of the hand as if to say: "Get outta here, cheapskate!" I finally, paid 25 rubles, less than one dollar to get to the metro.

Patrick Barry Barr