Some random observations

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Here are a few random observations from my first couple of days in Moscow:

  • Moscow has a lot of nice cars. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have any car washes. The streets are filled with nice Mercedes and BMWs, but they're all sort of grimy. I think there's a killing to be made in the Moscow car wash market, if you can convince the Russians that they should wash their cars.
  • There are guards everywhere. It seems that every store or restaurant of any quality has at least one big guy standing in the doorway looking tough. I can't believe that crime is really that bad, but it gives everyone a job at least. Even TGI Fridays has one, though he's wearing a suit, and is about half my size.
  • Pedestrians do not have the right of way. I about got mowed down by a hatchback crossing the road to the art gallery earlier today. We were on a quiet back street, there hadn't been a car along in at least 2 minutes, and I was casually sauntering across the road, when I heard a loud screech behind me, and turned to see a car about 5 feet from my legs. Now, granted, I wasn't paying attention, but the way the alley was built, the driver had to see me at least 100 meters in advance. In any case, lesson learned, don't mill about in the street.
  • Sidewalks are not necessarily any safer. The sidewalks in Moscow serve as alternate parking facilities. Throughout the city, cars are haphazardly parked on the street in parallel, on the street diagonal, half on the street, half on the sidewalk, and completely up on the sidewalks. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to where you can park on the sidewalk, nor any penalty for doing so, as far as I can tell. Outside the window here, I see 6 cars, 4 are parked diagonally on the street, 1 is parked with the front wheels 2 feet on the sidewalk, and 1 is parked completely on the sidewalk. I don't think I'd get away with this on campus.
  • Nearly everyone smokes here. I've probably second-hand smoked 2 packs already. There are warnings on the cigarettes, but apparently no one cares. They're more alarming than the ones in the U.S. too. One said "Smoking Kills". Simple, and to the point. Another one said "Smoking may damage your sperm and reproductive organs". Uh, okay...

    • Awake at 4:00 a.m.

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    Well, I got a few hours of sleep, but my body isn't cooperating with a 9-hour time zone difference, so I decided to log on and read about the Presidential debate I missed. I at least got a 16.8K connection this time. I wonder if there's a video version I could download somewhere on the net. If so, I could run over to the internet cafe nearby, and load it on my USB memory key, so I could watch it. I should also mention that my sister-in-law Karen is getting married right about now, back in the USA. I was supposed to be an usher, but I managed to weasel out of that by fleeing the country.

    Moscow

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    I've arrived in Moscow at last. We sailed through customs without any problems, though we almost missed an important stamp on our documents going through Passport Control, I caught it, and the clerk told us that we hadn't completed the form properly. The cruel thing is, she was just going to let us go in to Russia without this stamp, which we'd need to leave the country, and the fine for not having it starts at $150, plus graft. We met our driver and host, got our gear loaded in a van, and began a harrowing half-hour journey from the airport to the institution where we're staying. Driving in Moscow is...well...different. I know the cars run the same way that ours do, but people drive them like they have to choose between accelerating, or slamming on the brakes. No coasting, no gentle braking, it's like NASCAR. We survived, and the frequent stops kept us from falling asleep.

    We got checked in, after which I promptly took a shower, which was nearly as good as sleep for rejuvenating me. Alexey, our guide/translator, was supposed to meet us at 4:00 p.m., but in Russia, that means 5:00, so I squeezed in a nap while we waited for his arrival.

    After meeting Alexey, we converted some dollars to rubles, bought a SIM chip for the Russian cell phone I have, and got some internet access cards (using it to post this, at 14.4K(!) from my hotel room). We then set out in search of dinner. We walked about 2 miles down one of the main streets, and found nothing that both interested us and was affordable. I can see why Russians don't eat out at restaurants much, Moscow is expensive to dine in. We wound up at a TGI Friday's, of all places, simply because we were tired of walking, and it was one of the first things we passed near the Institute. I had some of the worst chicken fingers of my life, but the fries were good. We finished off the meal, which was 1000 rubles for the 3 of us, and headed back to our rooms, buying some bottled water along the way.

    And now it's time for me to go to bed, I've had about 3 hours of sleep in the last 40 hours, and I'm beat. Tomorrow we're planning on seeing the Kremlin and Red Square, and eating at some place called Mu-Mu's. I'm not sure what that is, but I'll be sure to report back here.

    Frankfurt

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    Nope, no wireless here in Frankfurt either. The Lufthansa flight was cramped, my femur is exactly as long as the space between the seats, and no amount of geometry would let me get comfortable. On the plus side, Chuck & I wound up sitting with four NFL Europe cheerleaders, who'd been hired to work a trade show in Chicago, so at least we had someone to talk to. We just bid them auf weidersein and are now awaiting our flight to Moscow, which leaves in a little over an hour. I managed to scam an exit row seat for this flight, and the plane is supposed to be half-empty, so hopefully I'll have a chance to get some shut-eye before having to deal with customs. Local time is 7:10 a.m., Iowa time/My Body's Time is 12:10 a.m. Only two more time zones to go!

    Update: Found wireless 5 min before we had to leave, but it wasn't free, so we didn't bother.