Malls, Malls, Malls…Russians Love Them!

I returned to a snowy Moscow last weekend. While I rarely have issues with jet lag, I think the abrupt changes in temperature affect me a little more. I went from a lovely sunny Scottish day in the 60s to a cold and snowy Moscow night in the low 30s. Therefore I knew my first priority during my free time would be buying winter boots and a winter jacket.

People kept asking me if I had been to Vegas. I was always like, “yeah quite a few times actually”. Then they would continue talking about the Vegas Mall in Moscow. A little awkward pause would follow where I would have to give some sort of, “oh wait just kidding haven’t been there!” This question continued to throw me off, so I knew winter clothes shopping would be a good reason to check it out. Of course now that I have been there, no-one has asked me if I have ever been to the gigantic Vegas Mall.

This mall is a destination itself, not even considering all the stores. I guess like the city of Vegas. The US has quite a few impressive malls so it isn’t really something new for me. Considering everything I heard about Moscow, I really wasn’t expecting malls here with aquariums, ice skating rinks and concert stages though.

There was a NYC Times Square area of the mall. The walkaways of the mall were named after NYC streets too. The big concert area was made to look like Rockefeller Center. It makes me wonder if someone confused Vegas with New York City???

Then there is an upscale area of the mall, which I believe is technically a different mall that is just attached to Vegas. There are pianists and classical musicians throughout to add to the sophisticated vibe. Also quite a bit of nature.

Oh and we can’t forget about the synchronized swimming in the swanky area!

Moscow sure loves it’s malls! In case you were wondering after I spent a lot of time just wandering around and watching everything going on, I did find a jacket and boots. Let’s see how the hold up in a Russian winter!