Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
150
Cult of the Coat Check
Regardless of what time of year you travel, you are sure to face this peculiarly
Russian form of hospitality. All museums and theaters (and even many restau-
rants) will not let you past the foyer unless you take off your outer layers and
leave them at the coat check. In the depth of winter this is a welcome way to
shed heavy and soggy coats and hats, and it's a service usually free of charge. On
a chilly summer day, however, be prepared for a fight if you want to keep your
cardigan with you as you wander drafty museum spaces. When you fetch your
coats, tips are not expected but are greatly appreciated, even small amounts. You
may find that the woman who so sternly disrobed you upon arrival has mended
your dangling button.
collection of Soviet Avant-Garde art. The museum has suffered in recent years from
competition by more cutting-edge galleries, but it still mounts big-name exhibits.
Entrance to the museum is on the south side of the building, not the side facing the
street.
10 Krymsky Val. & 499/230-7788. www.tretyakovgallery.ru. Admission 250 rubles adults, 125 students
and children over 7. Tues-Sun 10am-7:30pm. Metro: Oktyabrskaya or Park Kultury.
Central House of Artists (Tsentralny Dom Khudozhnika) These four floors
of galleries and art shops are great for getting a look at what Russia's artists are currently
up to, but most people come to buy gifts. The unusual and creative souvenirs include art
books in Russian and English, embroidered felt boots, Art Nouveau tea sets, Constructiv-
ist vases, tongue-in-cheek T-shirts, and Soviet postcards. Inexpensive evening concerts
and other experimental performances draw Moscow's creative crowd. Many visitors come
for the informal art market that wends along the adjacent embankment, though beware
of rules for exporting works of art (see “Entry Requirements “ in chapter 2).
10 Krymsky Val. & 499/230-1782. www.cha.ru. Admission 150 rubles. Tues-Sun 11am-8pm. Metro:
Oktyabrskaya or Park Kultury.
7
6 PARKS & GARDENS
Gorky Park The official name of this famed, sprawling green space is Central Park
of Culture and Rest, named after Maxim Gorky, but Russians refer to it as Park Gorkovo
(Gorky Park) or Park Kultury (the name of the nearby metro station). The most visited—
and least restful—part of the park is near the entrance, where an amusement park, ponds,
and a dizzying array of game booths, trinket stands, and street performers compete for
attention. The park extends several acres beyond that, tracing a swath of green between
the southwest loop of the Moscow River and the sharp slope of Sparrow Hills. The park
amusements are standard fare for most Western visitors (especially savvy young ones),
with a couple of notable exceptions: In winter the paths are specially coated with ice for
skaters, and ice sculptures pop up around the park for children to climb on. Also, a real
Buran space shuttle, designed for space flight but scrapped for lack of funding, is now
parked along the river and open to visitors. It doesn't emulate weightlessness, though it
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