Capturing Russia from white to black, north to south, east to west

Posts Tagged "nyc"

Svetlana: ‘New York’ in Kursk

Svetlana: ‘New York’ in Kursk

Svetlana, 15, was walking along Lenin St in Kursk with her two girlfriends when I noticed the New York winter hat, which is very popular right now - i see at least one a day. She spoke good English and said she wanted to be a translator. Her older brother also spoke good English she she said because he spent time in New Orleans. I asked her about her wishes for the New Year. She said she wanted to visit St Petersburg in the winter time. 

Zhenya: Looking to Leave Small Town

Zhenya: Looking to Leave Small Town

After a 75 minute bus ride from Gus Khrustalni to Vladimir, I had 1.5 hours to walk around the historic town before my 2-hr train ride back to Moscow. I went looking for coffee and passed a colorful cafe with big windows that probably opened a year or two ago at most. Paintings were on the wall...it was a place you might find in NYC. As I sat down, I saw a young woman in a NYC shirt with pinkish-rimmed glasses. She had been reading, but was getting ready to leave and I walked over to chat about her studies and dreams. Zhenya said she was finishing her university degree and, after much thought, had finally realized what she wanted to do in life...at least in the mid-term: 'I want to draw, to create something intellectual.' She hoped to continue her studies either in Moscow or abroad, where she felt educational demands and job opportunities would be better than in her native Vladimir. Considering her artistic interests, it was not surprising to find her at home in such a cafe. Notice the artwork on the wall behind her. 

Harlem in Moscow

Harlem in Moscow

She was walking with her friend at a Moscow park and asked me if I knew where the ice skating rink ticket booth was. I said no, taking notice of her Harlem hat and blue eye lenses. I then asked her if she knew what/where Harlem was. She said no. I asked her why she bought the Harlem hat. She said she simply liked it. I could understand her, recalling the time I bought a jacket with Japanese writing, having no idea what was written on it. 

Dima & Liza: Voronezh Highschool Students

Dima & Liza: Voronezh Highschool Students

I was walking around Voronezh around 10am when I saw these two having a warm moment on a swing. Dima at 195cm was taller than me and I asked him if he was a college student. He said he and Liza were 14 and in high school together. They were skipping class to hang out and chat. Dima said he plays basketball and dunks without much effort. Liza said she likes art and would like to study abroad. When I asked her where, her answer surprised me. 'New York School of Visual Arts.' I didn't expect a young teenager far from Moscow to be familiar with NYC universities.

Maxim: Street Musician (2)

Maxim: Street Musician (2)

A close-up of Maxim, a street musician who plays rock music with his guitar. He said he lived and worked in my hometown of NYC in early 1990s doing home repairs/comstruction work. He also said he plays on the streets in Berlin, where he claims he can make as much as several hundred euros a day, several times more than he can make playing on the streets in Moscow.

Russia-NYC Series 40

Russia-NYC Series 40

My last in the series...at least for now. I met Anton, sporting a Brooklyn hat, in the center of Moscow as he was on the way to the gym. An actor and dancer, the Novosibirsk native has traveled around Europe and US to take part in various performances. He has also put on his own theatrical show titled Hamlet's Body. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 39

Russia-NYC Series 39

Sergei, a university student from Tyumen in Siberia, was strolling along Old Arbat in his New York hat. Sergei said he studies oil and gas, Siberia's biggest industry, and was in Moscow on a short stopover before heading off to Europe for a vacation.
 

Russia-NYC Series 38

Russia-NYC Series 38

Albert, a 3rd year economics student, works part-time as a salesman for Russian clothing chain 21Shop on Old Arbat. The chain sells a mixture of colorful Russian and foreign 'street style' clothing and accessorites, including this schoolbag with 'Brooklyn' written on the straps. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 37

Russia-NYC Series 37

 Another shot of Kolya, in the NYC hat, and his friend Ruslan, a sound engineer. Ruslan said in a strong English accent that he recently returned home from a long stay in the UK and is impressed by the changes he noticed in Moscow, something I have heard quite a few times. 
 

Russia-NYC Series 36

Russia-NYC Series 36

 Kolya, a engineer and fashionista, was crossing the pedestrian bridge behind Christ the Savior church on a chilly Moscow Autumn day sporting a NYC hat.
 

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