Russian stuff

[myopicmouse]

I'm going to Moscow in a couple of weeks and wondered if there was any good suggestions on what would be good to buy, i.e jackets/rucksacks/watches....naturally furry hats has already been thought off.. but anyone know of a hat shop in moscow?

Generally I'm after suggestions of stuff that would be good to buy when i'm there. (Hats & vodca already thought off)

 

[Rugger]

The furry hats ("ushankas") you can buy off the street w/ the little red star thing still on them. A good bit/most of the "good" red army stuff has been snapped up already. Matrioshkas (russian nesting dolls) can be had on the street- some w/ really nice work. There are the (in)famous "Russian Watches" These are good & bad- I wore a "Slava" for years doing heavy kitchen/bar work & it held up great until I finally killed it. There are also the lacquered boxes that are pretty well known. The ones you get on the street may or may not be from a reputable source. The "real" ones are only made in 4 towns- or workshops: Fediskino, Palech, Cholui, Mstera. Each has it's own individual character. They're done w/ sable-hair brushes- some w/ only 1 hair. The detail on some of these is really nice. They can be had from about $USD30.00 to $100.00+. Bargain w/ the seller. (I once worked for a retailer in Germany that sold these- I've forgotten a lot about them, but could probably still eye a good piece if I had to).
Be careful- Moscow can be a dangerous place- be careful how much you drink & with whom.

 

[johnniet]

Do they still make znachki? (The little shirt pins--by now they probably wouldn't have Lenin anymore.)
Don't know about now, but there used to be some good street artists in Moscow. Your mom might enjoy a portrait of you.
I have no idea whether the Izmailovsky Park market is still open on Sundays, but I'd guess so. They had all kinds of stuff there.

As Rugger says, safety first: always be with a friend, and be careful where you drink, how much you drink, and who you drink it with.

 

[RBK]

A cousin of mine has been going over there on business for several years now in the Moscow area. He stated that the big scam going on now is for an under-aged girl to walk up next to you and identify you as 'the rapists' with the police close by who snap you up. Beware! Actually the way he found out about this is during one of his first trips, a young girl was getting into position for the kill and his 'tour-guide-interpeteur' grabbed him by the arm and led him away while explaining the set-up.
Pretty scary stuff.

 

[myopicmouse]

Tell me about it, anyway for them to get money out of you. with 3-4 weeks to go the hotel emails asking for a extra $540, I tell them to check their sums..."oh yes sir $54. Now the train to St Petersburg said $50 now they want $250. Actually my frined's uncle in the Irish diplomat to Moscow, so I'll get some info outta him...but I wanted to know where to get a proper animal fur (instead of sythetic) and the cost? also good place to buy really good vodca.