Well well. Look at me updating every day! As promised in my last post, here’s a digest of what excited me in the week to come:
Afisha picnic
On Saturday if I wake up early enough (I doubt it) after going out with fabulous Martyn A. of “Moscow Out” this Friday, I will be in Kolomenskoe sending my love to Mujuice at the Cut2Kill performance. But probably I’ll turn up just in time for These New Puritans (6pm). Apart from musical goodies, here’s what’s also on offer all day: lectures, bric-a-brac market, wakeboarding pool, a yacht fest, board games (I know – funny succession), delicious food and so much more.
On Monday evening I’ll be choosing which shoes to wear to make an appearance in the Moscow Museum of Modern Art to check out the opening of an exhibition by photographer Paul Steinitz.
Also featuring Jabagh Kaghado with his show called “Faces In The Shadow”.
Amazing! I’m talking about the fact that one event hosts two projects with such delightful titles.
And as a bonus lovely DJ Sandra is playing!
So this is a must.
And then for a bit of fashion appreciation on Tuesday I’ll head to Zurab Tsereteli gallery to admire an Art Deco fashion expo.
Prechistenka, 19. But do hurry if you’re interested – it closes August 13.
i have been watching RT since 2 months.. i believe u r the best anchor among all... becoz ur eyes and heart r similar...so pleasant...
Javier
21 August, 2009, 02:51
Everything about you has me completely mesmerized,..I share these words with you Anya because I want to reach across the world and let you know that I melt every time I hear you on RT.
Bless You Sweetheart.
john
18 August, 2009, 16:33
HI, I like your picture on the blog. i saw the blue and red artwork too.
I, was wondedring what its like to work with RT.TV international. specifically, what do you do when your on the air? do you sit at the desk and work on the computer between breaks. or anything else.
Nausea and wretched sleep is making me moody. So beware, world, we've got another angry girl with opinions on opinions. Lately I’ve turned an evil eye on hipsters- a vast group of youngsters balancing between ultra-fashionable and oh-so-last-season.
I even drew a beautiful picture to illustrate my annoyance.
The funny thing is that honestly speaking I don’t even care. I mean hipsters, goths, politicians, journalists, lesbians, “nashi”- they’re all terrible as groups, although I’m sure lovely as individuals. So being incredibly selfish here, I let out some steam on the expense of trendy wannabes, by sparking an on-line debate.
So now out with the negative- in with the positive I say. Here are a few highlights of the past few weeks for me:
More Vnutri
“Sea Inside”- a roof-top café in the city center that makes you feel that you are somewhere by the sea. I swear! Such a lovely new place in Moscow. Cheap, laidback and with an interesting menu- this place really made my day after heavy partying the night before. There should be more hammocks in my life.
Really, now when I do it I find it difficult to understand why I even bother spending time on other things. The sun, the wind in your face, the water, the physical struggle- the perfect combination to make up for a hard night’s work. Takes off the edge immediately. Heaps of fun awaiting you in Strogino or out of the city. In most locations equipment is available to rent, or if you can’t be bothered with boats and cable, why not try windsurfing? All here in Moscow to make your summer so much better.
So good! A brick-a-brack happening in a beautiful location at a chocolate factory next to the Moskva river. A garage sale, home-made food, nice music and lots of beautiful people. Pretty much a first for the capital. Which became evident when the men-in-grey showed up. Or is it blue? I still can’t make up my mind what color is the Militia’s attire in Russia. Anyway, all was legal, so ended in peace. But even so, we are witnessing a dramatic change for the better in Moscow
Antony Gormley
Taking place in one of my favorite art spaces- Garage this exhibition is creepy and absolutely amazing. It’s on until the 2nd of September, so if you haven’t seen it- GO! I’m upset I missed the maestro’s master class earlier this month, but well, there’s still time I suppose. A partial substitute- video material on the artist with interviews and an inside view of his work on display in the gallery for free at all times. Also don’t miss the café there. It’s ridiculously well furnished and has a great menu especially for all you vegetarians and vegans out there.
All this of course makes me very happy. I just wish I was less grumpy these days sending out angry messages on twitter. Tomorrow I promise to give you a quick peak at what I am excited to attend and see.
Hate myself for being so lazy with this blog. Tempted to make a New Year's resolution: ‘I promise to regularly update my blog’. Fancy a midsummer New Year's party to celebrate that? Anyway, I was meant to write about glamour in Moscow. But then got terribly bored even thinking about it.
No need to dwell upon this. Glamour is a post-Soviet craze for everything shiny and pretty. It's just embarrassing and silly. Let's talk smart things. Like bicycles without breaks - Fixed Gear. Fun and games! I haven't been so excited by anything in ages. Amazing that the fad is evolving in a city with no cycle lanes. I mean I'm crazy about my bicycle because it's my favorite color, it gets me places bypassing disgusting traffic jams, it keeps me fit for free and it's environmentally friendly. It's just the pain of cycling on side-walks amid pedestrians jumping on and off street curbs, and squeezing through cars parked on pavements that sometimes puts me off. Yes this sounds grim and I really think pedestrians should riot. I chose side-walks as I chose life. There is no way I would cycle on a Moscow road. A driver myself, I can safely say that it's just suicide. All the space next to the side-walk is taken by parked cars, pushing you further into the stream of nasty Moscow traffic. Scary? Not really. If you have breaks.
This brings us back to the topic of Fixed Gear. Perfection of simplicity, this is a single-speed bike without a freewheel or brakes, which makes it illegal in a few European countries! And although you can get a ready-made model, it seems much more fun to customize - or even make one from scratch.
They just look so incredibly cool! As of now I'm staying with my silly girlie bike, because I often cycle in high heels and I need comfort. But if I had enough space for two bicycles, I would definitely get one of these babies.
There's a Moscow Fixed Gear crew, here's how they do it:
Fixed Gear puts the sport in bicycling. The bikes that are raced on high-banked, circle tracks are fixed gear. -- SPORTING !
Phil Marx
08 August, 2009, 05:59
Anya,
The bicycle lanes here have only been added a few months ago, so it will take time to tell. But my opinion is that it is being handled incorrectly. There really are not that many bicyclist here. And most of those who do bicycle do so for recreation, rather than for necessity. My city has an extensive trail system which connects most of the parks and leads to smaller trails in specific neighborhoods, and I think this system is adequate for most of the bikers. Although I think the bikes should be accommodated to some degree for those who rely on them for their main mode of transportation, I still think that putting the paths on the busy roads was a mistake.
There are some bicycle groups here who like to come out once a month or so to make a spectacle of themselves. It seems to me their main goal is to interrupt traffic and to protest the fact that they can not ride with no restrictions. Honestly, I don’t think most of these people care about the bike lanes. They just want to make the cars slow down and avoid them. I think this is rude, and I don’t like it. I don’t think we should bother trying to make any accommodations for those people who will make no accommodations themselves. These people are very vocal though, and I think our Mayor bowed to pressure from them in deciding to set up these paths on the busy roads. As far as I can see, they are seldom used.
I tried, but could not find a single map which shows the entire trail. This site, however, contains links to many individual segments of the trail system in or near my city. It really is quite an extensive network. http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/country/254/region/136/city/8381
I typed in “Moscow bike trails” for a Google search and came up with nothing but Moscow, Idaho. Do you have even have off road bike trails there? I did, however, find this YouTube clip which appears to be the bike ride you described. I certainly hope you are wearing a helmet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hK9lnnGVCk
gbaturin
01 August, 2009, 05:46
A bike without brakes sounds like suicide to me ;-) I prefer my U.S.-made Cruiser - big, comfy, fast, and eye-catching. Love it when I fly past a bunch of kids who exclaim "wooow, look at that bike!" Bikes are only good for the warm seasons, though, and the "fresh" air in Moscow leaves much to be desired. Like to be at least 50 miles away, looking out across endless fields and forests... It's dacha time! =))
Anya Fedorova
30 July, 2009, 12:47
phip, so true! I can already see the smiley "aw, a girl on a bicycle- cute" attitude turning into the annoyed "the side-walk is for WALKING, hence the name, silly goose". Yet it is no way near the amount of aggression one gets on a daily basis whilst driving in Moscow. Maybe it's a question of time in your city for the drivers to get used to cyclists on the road? Is anything being done to improve the situation?
phip marx
28 July, 2009, 23:36
My city, and several others in the region, have started to react to the growing number of bicyclists by adding specified bike lanes on certain streets. But I see a lot of problems with how they are going about it. First of all, the bike paths are usually on some of the heaviest traveled roads. Although, technically speaking, the bicyclist has the right of way, who's going to argue with an object that weighs a ton. It would seem smarter to me that they should move the bike paths onto lesser traveled roads to begin with. Also, they have not widened the roads or reduced the number of lanes. They simply shave a foot off each lane which makes it dangerous for everybody (bikes and cars) there.
And remember to be careful what you wish for. If the pedestrians riot, they know the cars are too big for them to attack without getting hurt. Therefore, they will turn their attention to the lighter wheeled vehicles that get in their way.
At an early stage in my life, I have discovered the beauty of contrast. Living between Moscow and Canberra, switching between Russian and English, I developed a certain positive curiosity for life, people, especially characters. Here in my blog, I'd like to share my love for the city where I was born and now live. As an artist, I am invigorated by other people's work, energy, and talent. So please join me in my day-to-day quest in seeking inspiration.
23 August, 2009, 09:11
Hi....
i have been watching RT since 2 months.. i believe u r the best anchor among all... becoz ur eyes and heart r similar...so pleasant...
21 August, 2009, 02:51
Everything about you has me completely
mesmerized,..I share these words with you Anya because I want to reach across the world and let you know that I
melt every time I hear you on RT.
Bless You Sweetheart.
18 August, 2009, 16:33
HI, I like your picture on the blog.
i saw the blue and red artwork too.
I, was wondedring what its like to work with
RT.TV international. specifically, what do you
do when your on the air? do you sit at the
desk and work on the computer between breaks.
or anything else.