Moscow

[QUOTE=Jake993;2326655]I'm not trying to split hairs with you but I am not sure "rudeness" is quite the right word to describe it. I think "abrupt" is a little more accurate. To the Western mind, Russians may sound rude but I assure you, their intention is not to be rude. To be sure, Russians are very abrupt and to the point. There's no pussy footing around when it comes to answering your questions or making statements. I lived and worked in Moscow for more than 5 years and traveled extensively to large cities and small towns. If anything, I found Muscovites to be even more abrupt that people in smaller cities much in the same way New Yorkers can appear rude.

And Russians are not friendly to strangers either. If a Russian man you just met is being friendly to you, be careful. You are about be the object of a robbery attempt. This whole "friendly act" in Moscow, St. Pete's, Ekat, etc is a post-World Cup oddity and will wear off soon if it has not already. Russians are racist as hell and don't particularly like foreigners..[/QUOTE]I've been living here 7 years (long before the World cup, still do, I'm pretty aware of the serious baseline of the Muscovite personality. I go to the supermarket, ride metro first thing in the morning, drive. I'm not saying that everybody here is rude, but generally speaking, if you spend time here, you are bound to face rude behavior, not abrupt, not serious, but plainly RUDE, that is a fact that even Muscovite themselves admit. And yes, I also mention that is a trait of big cities.

Regarding racism, if by Russians you mean Slavic, yes, I've seen racism here directed to other Russian from different ethnic groups, but now you are the one over-exaggerating, Muscovite are not particularly racist or even close to foreigners, I would say the opposite. I know an ex-spetsnaz who has a Nigerian guy living at home, trying to help him out get money to go back to his country so.

Again, if you live the Moscow life, be ready to face rudeness above average, that is a fact. Don't take it personally, and let it go fast.

It's not because they are cold-serious this or that, it's because, given enough time, Moscow wears anybody out, and considering that the baseline is a cold-serious personality, well.

[QUOTE=Jake993;2326655]I'm not trying to split hairs with you but I am not sure "rudeness" is quite the right word to describe it. I think "abrupt" is a little more accurate. To the Western mind, Russians may sound rude but I assure you, their intention is not to be rude. To be sure, Russians are very abrupt and to the point. There's no pussy footing around when it comes to answering your questions or making statements. I lived and worked in Moscow for more than 5 years and traveled extensively to large cities and small towns. If anything, I found Muscovites to be even more abrupt that people in smaller cities much in the same way New Yorkers can appear rude.

And Russians are not friendly to strangers either. If a Russian man you just met is being friendly to you, be careful. You are about be the object of a robbery attempt. This whole "friendly act" in Moscow, St. Pete's, Ekat, etc is a post-World Cup oddity and will wear off soon if it has not already. Russians are racist as hell and don't particularly like foreigners.

But on the whole, I found Russians to be quite polite. Still abrupt, but polite if they are addressed in a polite way. As many know, there is a formal form and an informal form of speaking Russian. If you address to someone you don't know in Russian using the formal version, you will almost ALWAYS receive a formal and technically polite response. It's like they are robots. They are preprogrammed this way. But the minute you revert to informal Russian, you can expect to be told to "go fuck your mother".[/QUOTE]I believe I have a very keen sense to detect rudeness and I think Russians are some of the nicest people I have ever met, anywhere.

The non WGs are awesome.

The WGs are a whole different story.

I believe this may be one of the worst countries on the planet to monger.

At least for a non Russian speaker.

[QUOTE=ColdAF;2326730] but now you are the one over-exaggerating, .[/QUOTE]Yes, you are probably right. In all fairness, Russians (and in particular Muscovites) have come a long way since then.

When I think about racism in Moscow, I always go back to my first impressions in 2005 standing in a queue in front of Club Che (long since closed) with 3 work colleagues. One Russian, three foreigners. When we arrived at the front of the queue, the Face Control (FC) informed us that one of our guys would not be allowed in. He happened to be of Lebanese origin and the FC told us that he could not come into the club because he was from the Caucuses. When the local Russian colleague corrected the FC and told him that our friend was American and of Lebanese decent, the FC told us that he still LOOKED like he was from the Caucuses and would not be allowed in.

Can anyone say if sanduny this Saturday afternoon is a good idea for a few hours?

I'm having issues with their website, do they charge by the hour, or all day ticket?

[QUOTE=CzarNicholas;2326838]I believe I have a very keen sense to detect rudeness and.

I think Russians are some of the nicest people I have ever met, anywhere.

The non WGs are awesome.

The WGs are a whole different story.

I believe this may be one of the worst countries on the planet to monger.

At least for a non Russian speaker.[/QUOTE]I never said that Russians are not nice.

I never said that Russians are rude.

I said that if you are going to visit Moscow, you probably at some point are going to experience rudeness.

By the way, I don't understand how you consider Russians some of the nicest people in the world if (according to your words) they are racist.

[QUOTE=Jake993;2327164]Yes, you are probably right. In all fairness, Russians (and in particular Muscovites) have come a long way since then.

When I think about racism in Moscow, I always go back to my first impressions in 2005 standing in a queue in front of Club Che (long since closed) with 3 work colleagues. One Russian, three foreigners. When we arrived at the front of the queue, the Face Control (FC) informed us that one of our guys would not be allowed in. He happened to be of Lebanese origin and the FC told us that he could not come into the club because he was from the Caucuses. When the local Russian colleague corrected the FC and told him that our friend was American and of Lebanese decent, the FC told us that he still LOOKED like he was from the Caucuses and would not be allowed in.[/QUOTE]Oh yes, I've seen the same hate-pattern towards Caucasus people too. Now some other racial incidents are coming to my head and I can see your point about Racism. Thing is that Caucasus people are hard to deal with especially in a nightclub, they go in groups, hot-blooded, and not the guys you want to mess up with. Probably some club owners had some interesting episodes before passing the memo to the gorillas at the door.

Bottom line, yes, racism here happens, so for those of you guys with non-Slavic features, be ready, it may happen. If it does, wash it out fast and don't let some piece of shit ruin your night / trip.

[QUOTE=CzarNicholas;2326838]I believe I have a very keen sense to detect rudeness and.

I think Russians are some of the nicest people I have ever met, anywhere.

The non WGs are awesome.

The WGs are a whole different story.

I believe this may be one of the worst countries on the planet to monger.

At least for a non Russian speaker.[/QUOTE]Sure, worse than The Vatican right? I believe that Moscow is a great city to monger, Peter not bad either.

[QUOTE=ColdAF;2326730]I've been living here 7 years (long before the World cup, still do, I'm pretty aware of the serious baseline of the Muscovite personality. I go to the supermarket, ride metro first thing in the morning, drive. I'm not saying that everybody here is rude, but generally speaking, if you spend time here, you are bound to face rude behavior, not abrupt, not serious, but plainly RUDE, that is a fact that even Muscovite themselves admit. And yes, I also mention that is a trait of big cities.

Regarding racism, if by Russians you mean Slavic, yes, I've seen racism here directed to other Russian from different ethnic groups, but now you are the one over-exaggerating, Muscovite are not particularly racist or even close to foreigners, I would say the opposite. I know an ex-spetsnaz who has a Nigerian guy living at home, trying to help him out get money to go back to his country so.

Again, if you live the Moscow life, be ready to face rudeness above average, that is a fact. Don't take it personally, and let it go fast.

It's not because they are cold-serious this or that, it's because, given enough time, Moscow wears anybody out, and considering that the baseline is a cold-serious personality, well.[/QUOTE]I'll take mo scow and st Petersburg over any city on the map in the United States.

The people are beautiful inside and out (the non hookers).

[QUOTE=CzarNicholas;2327337]I'll take mo scow and st Petersburg over any city on the map in the United States.

The people are beautiful inside and out (the non hookers).[/QUOTE]Awesome post, agree completely. I will add one thing Moscow is way better then St. Pet, in my humble. July / August, St Pet, maybe better, but I love Moscow!

If this is Rude Behavior in Moscow, I love that type of behavior:

1. Forgot a bottle of wine at Restaurant, a gift for a friend, waiting for me 3 weeks later.

2. At one of the 10 best Restaurants in Town, were I usually spend from $50-120 a night.

A. Chef / owner gives me kiss or hung me when I walk in. Gave me a free meal, first time I was there.

B. Bar Tenders, Managers, and staff all hung me or shake me hand.

3. Restaurant is full, I ask for a better table, no reservation, they take me too the best Table in the place. 5 top restaurant in Moscow, I tell them know and they say this is your home stay here, I felt terrible.

4. They open the door / take your coat when you walk into a restaurants.

5. Friends have introduced me to there friends.

6. 80% of the people on elevators say Hello, Houston maybe 30%.

7. They remember my name Restaurants and Clubs.

8. Escort pick me up at a restaurant and drives me around, no extra charge.

9. Russian guys are always buying me drinks, far more often than in America or Mexico.

10. My friend took me too dinner. Young guy refused for me to pay.

If this is rude behavior, then go to Houston, you can real be treated like shit. I only stay there because I make a lot of money to be treated like shit.

Love Moscow, if there is a better place please tell me. That being said, with full disclosure they are little prejudice, but in Moscow, not a bid deal. Other parts of Russia, might be an issue.

Observation on the Economy. I get mixed messages when I ask people, I will say this much Cafe's are only 50%, with exception of Friday night and most are not even 30% full. Shops outside of shopping Center are completely empty, minus grocery stores. If the economy is bad as I think this makes it even better for chasing girls. Just my opinion.

[QUOTE=DramaFree11;2327459] If the economy is bad as I think this makes it even better for chasing girls. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE]Generally speaking, I think it's difficult to draw conclusions about mongering and the economy. However, when money gets tight and luxury items are more difficult to afford, girls become more "creative". Hardened Pros will always be hardened Pros. That's a given. But it's the girls who use sex as a vehicle to supplement their income that are the swing factor in supply and demand in my opinion.

For example, I was in Moscow recently and met up with an old acquaintance of mine. Let's call her Nastya. Probably one of the first "sex hobbyists" I hooked up with almost 15 years ago. Not a Hardened Pro, but a gal who has used sex over the years to make extra money. Today she acts as a coordinator and hooks up men with available girls. She calls herself Tinder for people without smart phones. OK, she's no spring chicken anymore (neither am I) but she's a good drinking buddy and still gives a superb BBBJ.

She told me that she currently has about 5-6 girls under her wing. She says that 4 of them rely on sex as their primary source of income. The others are "sex hobbyists" to use her words. And as you can imagine, these girls all complain to her about all of the usual problems girls have. Men, health, parents, children, etc. Nastya tells me that when the economy is uncertain, a greater number of hobbyists are "looking for dates". But as soon as the economy stabilizes, they seem to vanish leaving the Hardened Pros to service the clientele. Of course, this has an impact on supply and demand. The more hobbyists there are, the more competition there is out there and the softer the prices get. And it's not just about sex for money. Girls who have to go without luxury goods during hard times have always turned to men for these items. Whether it's getting bought a few drinks in a bar, receiving a nice gift for "company" or being taken on a weekend away somewhere. To my mind, this is the buffer that expands and contracts. The Sex Hobbyists. So yes, DramaFree11, I agree with you. When the economy get shitty, there are more girls who are "available".

Incidentally, I asked Nastya about World Cup from the WG perspective. She said it was a free for all in Moscow during World Cup. Sex, sex, sex. And not just Pros and Semi Pros. Regular girls were fucking foreigners just for fun and comparing notes. And not just white European looking guys either. All shapes and sizes and nationalities. It was like these girls were all getting their fantasies out of their systems. Nastya said that nine months after WC in Russia there were a lot of babies born who were of "undetermined" ethnic origin. She told me she lives on the ground floor of her apartment and commonly heard girls getting busy with foreigners outside her window in the bushes! So much for Muscovite racism!

[QUOTE=DramaFree11;2327457]If this is Rude Behavior in Moscow, I love that type of behavior:

1. Forgot a bottle of wine at Restaurant, a gift for a friend, waiting for me 3 weeks later.

2. At one of the 10 best Restaurants in Town, were I usually spend from $50-120 a night.

A. Chef / owner gives me kiss or hung me when I walk in. Gave me a free meal, first time I was there.

B. Bar Tenders, Managers, and staff all hung me or shake me hand.

3. Restaurant is full, I ask for a better table, no reservation, they take me too the best Table in the place. 5 top restaurant in Moscow, I tell them know and they say this is your home stay here, I felt terrible.

4. They open the door / take your coat when you walk into a restaurants..[/QUOTE]Sure, my bad, you are not going to face rude behavior in Moscow, at all.

[QUOTE=DramaFree11;2327457]If this is Rude Behavior in Moscow, I love that type of behavior:

1. Forgot a bottle of wine at Restaurant, a gift for a friend, waiting for me 3 weeks later.

2. At one of the 10 best Restaurants in Town, were I usually spend from $50-120 a night.

A. Chef / owner gives me kiss or hung me when I walk in. Gave me a free meal, first time I was there.

B. Bar Tenders, Managers, and staff all hung me or shake me hand.

3. Restaurant is full, I ask for a better table, no reservation, they take me too the best Table in the place. 5 top restaurant in Moscow, I tell them know and they say this is your home stay here, I felt terrible.

4. They open the door / take your coat when you walk into a restaurants.

5. Friends have introduced me to there friends..[/QUOTE]Glad your holidays here went well Jake. No, I would call that being professional. Can you tell us about your experiences in Metro at peak hours, buying at the supermarket, or in the building where you live?

Plenty of places better to live than in Moscow, that's why lots of people here can't wait to get out.

Just to clarify a bit the position of a guy who lives in Moscow (Russia, not Idaho) in a continuous basis, and also has the experience of coming here for holidays, this is the general attitude you can expect from Muscovite:

- The baseline is a serious face, that's not to say people are not nice.

- Occasionally, expect some quite rude behavior. That's not to say people are rude.

- Also sometimes, you may be the victim of racial discrimination, which doesn't mean that Muscovite are racist. Not at all.

If you read closely, I'm not trying to depict the Russian soul in an internet post, like some smart people do. I'm just trying to give you some inside about what is walking around Moscow, so it doesn't catch you with low guard if it happens. My advice, forget it fast, and enjoy your time here.

Also, I have to inform about my background, I come from an European country, a small southern city in the Mediterranean where unknown people make chitchat out of the blues in shops, banks, or even waiting to cross the street. Neighbors greet each other even when you just moved out, and the butcher tells you about his break up the 2nd time you visit to get more meat.

But if you come from another big city, I don't think you're going to be in shock or anything. It's a relatively quite safe place, just beware drunk people, sometimes they are aggressive.

Remember, Moscow is a megapolis, not Disneyland. Take with a pinch of salt, the reviews of those who try to depict it like the City of smiles, or the ones that think their insight qualifies them to analyze Russia or the Russians. Russia and even Moscow is so big, and people here are so different from each other, that you cannot fit them in the same box. I've just tried to make light generalizations, that for me are accurate, considering where I come from.

Every trip to Moscow is going to be like a box of chocolates, that's the beauty of it. I'm out folks.