Shopping malls

We did some shopping today. 

Afterwards we took a stroll in Sokolniki Park and came across these characters. They were enthusiastically playing that 1970s Deep Purple classic ‘Smoke on the Water’. 

 

  

 Back to the shopping. 

I wrote a post some time ago about supermarkets, and have been meaning to follow it up with an item about shopping malls.

There is no shortage of large shopping malls in Moscow. They cover the spectrum from busy, workaday places centred around large supermarkets to glitzy palaces with expensive brand-name boutiques and few visible customers. 

Muscovites seem to love spending Saturdays shopping and hanging out in malls. 

The Soviet Union lasted about 3,900 weekends. That’s a lot of Saturdays with no shopping malls. I wonder what they did with themselves? 

Entrance to the Metropolis shopping mall at Voykovskaya, just before Christmas last year, where I usually do my shopping.

Inside the Metropolis mall. The guys looking towards me are security guards and they told me not to take photos. I'm not sure what State secrets this photo contains. I now use a discrete little point-and-shoot in malls.

Looking down the elevator shafts in the Kievskaya mall. Above the clock is a cafe. I know its not immediately obvious, but if you look for a while, you'll work it out.

The mall associated with the large Ashan supermarket at Marina Rosha.

I don't know the name of this mall. It's very close to Red Square, beside Manezh Square.

This is perhaps the most exclusive mall. It's at Crocus City and is populated entirely by expensive boutiques. There are usually more security staff than customers. Though the coffee is expensive and its a bit of a way out, it is pleasant to sit in mid-winter amidst the greenery.

Another view of the Crocus City Mall

There is one notable shopping mall I have not covered here - GUM. This mall flanks Red Square and is a significant historic building. I'll cover it in my next post.