Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
189
out about them and dilute their chic. Clubs change orientation and open and close fre-
quently. The website Gay.ru has an English-language page (www.gay.ru/english) with
up-to-date listings. See chapter 3 for more gay-friendly resources in Russia.
Baza
A mixed club with a friendly and feisty atmosphere, Baza is tucked in a seedy
courtyard.
6 Milyutinsky Pereulok.
&
495/627-3193.
Metro: Lubyanka.
Body and Soul
(Dusha I Telo) This is a huge and men-centric party spot, rather far
from the center of town. Open daily 11pm to 6am.
19a Kuusinena.
&
495/943-3606.
www.
clubchance.net. Metro: Polezhayevskaya.
Gay Central
No cover for men. Excellent dance music, open to anyone.
11 Nas-
tavnichesky Pereulok.
&
495/916-3555.
www.gaycentral.ru. Metro: Chkalovskaya, Kurskaya.
Propaganda
This eternally popular club has a mixed crowd throughout the week but
throws the city's best-known gay parties Sunday night. Open daily noon to 6am.
7 Bol-
shoi Zlatoustinsky Pereulok.
&
495/624-5732.
www.propagandamoscow.com. Metro: Lubyanka
or Kitai-Gorod.
5
MORE ENTERTAINMENT
BILLIARDS
If you have any interest at all in billiards or pool, it's worth discovering the Russian ver-
sion while you're here. Called
russky billiard
or
russkaya piramida,
the game is played on
a table much larger and thicker than a pool table, and with enormous cues. The balls, all
one color, are nearly twice as big as pool balls, but the pockets are quite small, making it
much harder to score the requisite 71 points. Up to four people can play at once. The
game dates back to Peter the Great's time, when he brought back the billiard-table con-
cept after his voyages to the West, and Russians adapted the game to their tastes. Long a
game reserved for the elite, today it enjoys a much wider following, and the billiards bars
around Moscow cater to all pocketbooks. Tables run between 250 and 750 rubles an
hour depending on the establishment, and few but the most elite spots take reservations
for tables. In addition to Russian billiards, most places offer tables and equipment for
“American pool,” English snooker, and French carambole.
Billiard Cafe-Club Island of Crimea
Housed on the ground floor of the Expocen-
ter, a sprawling complex for international conferences and events, this club offers tables
for all tastes and a multilingual clientele. Open noon to 4am.
Expocenter, 12 Krasnogvar-
deisky Proyezd.
&
495/253-9303.
Tables 1,000 rubles/hr. Metro: Ulitsa 1905 Goda (take a taxi
from the metro).
Russkaya Piramida
Tables for Russian billiards, snooker, pool, and carambole are
available in two adjacent halls on the grounds of the renowned CSKA (Red Army) sports
complex. Open daily 24 hours.
39a Leningradsky Prospekt (in the sports complex set back
from the main rd.).
&
499/157-8040.
Tables 120-240 rubles/hr. Metro: Aeroport, Dinamo.
Uncle Sam's Billiard Bar and Cafe
This is a popular and laid-back spot among
expats and tourists, with 15 tables for American pool and Russian billiards. Daily noon
to 6am.
Zatsepsky Val.
&
495/235-6530.
http://unclesamscafe.ru. Tables 300 to 825 rubles per
hr., depending on time of day. Metro: Paveletskaya.
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