Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
169
for State Department Store. This magnificent, oblong building extends nearly the full
eastern side of Red Square, and is organized into three open arcades of three floors con-
nected by curved bridges and anchored by a fountain at the center. The shops bear little
resemblance to the 19th-century stalls of GUM's early days or to the rows of drab, iden-
tical stores that inhabited it in Soviet times. Today, designers such as Christian Dior, Max
Mara, and their Russian counterparts fill the most prestigious Red Square-facing store-
fronts, and shoe and clothing stores fill the upper floors. The food selection is disappoint-
ing; the several bland cafes seem designed for people-watching rather than for culinary
enjoyment. (The exception is
Bosco Bar,
reviewed on p. 120.)
Ordinary shoppers prefer the partially underground
Okhotny Ryad
mall, a grandiose
project by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov that attracted the ire of conservationists for dig-
ging into treasured archaeological sites just outside the Kremlin walls. It's now a thriving,
three-story shopping haven densely packed with stores for nearly all pocketbooks. Souve-
nirs here are pricey, but the food court on the bottom floor is a cheap and reliable bet for
children, with international standards and their Russian fast-food rivals. The mall's design
is eclectic, with a shallow dome on top shaped like the Northern Hemisphere, and terraces
below overlooking fountains decorated with sculptures from Russian fairy tales.
A more upscale choice nearby is
TsUM
(pronounced “tsoom”), or
Central Depart-
ment Store,
which has some prestigious international brands among its broad and
democratic selection, and whose stores offer frequent, deep discounts. Russia's other
shopping centers are architecturally bland and largely aimed at the new rich. One such
spot, useful if you've forgotten your umbrella or your purse strap snaps, is the Europe
Shopping Center in front of Kievsky Train Station (2 Kievsky Station Sq.), seven floors
of clothes, accessories, groceries and a top-floor disco. Another is the
Atrium
in front of
Kursky Train Station (10 Zemlyanoi Val; Metro: Kurskaya), with several top- and mid-
range clothing shops, a well-stocked supermarket, and lots of clean toilets.
8
Nesting Dolls
Matryoshka
nesting dolls are so ubiquitous in today's Russia that they're almost
banal, but a quality doll can be a symbol of Russian art and history. The first dolls,
believed to be based on a Japanese tradition, were created in the 19th century in
the Orthodox Church center of Sergiev Posad. The richest versions depict scenes
from Russian fairy tales opening up to reveal the next stage in the story. The
most common version is a rosy-cheeked woman in a vibrant headscarf, holding a
series of sisters or daughters inside. The dolls are usually made from birch wood,
and a proper set of dolls will be made from the same tree so that the wood
responds uniformly to temperature and humidity changes.
Matryoshka
dolls are a great, inexpensive gift. The basic versions can sell for as
little as 50 rubles at open-air markets. Older kids and adults may appreciate
those with more intricate designs—or those with a theme such as all of Russia's
leaders over the past century stacked inside each other (or U.S. presidents, or
international pop stars . . .). Most vendors will claim the dolls are hand-painted,
but a better gauge of quality is your own eye. If the colors are delicate and dis-
tinct, it's worth more than a
matryoshka
with crude and over-bright pictures. Ser-
giev Posad's Toy Museum has a small display on the history of the dolls (see the
side trip to Sergiev Posad in chapter 10).
