Pounding the pavement in Moscow can work up an appetite. I called up Artur, a friend of a friend, in town from St. Petersburg. He agreed to meet me at Old Arbat, Moscow’s most famous pedestrian street, once a cultural center of the city. Historically, the street was once home to Pushkin, the father of Russian literature, and dotted with cafes brimming with aristocrats and artists. I wanted to take a stroll, admire the sights and grab a great local lunch. I have to admit I was disappointed to find the street lined with aggressive souvenir vendors hawking cheap fur hats and made-in-China nesting dolls instead of the artists I had imagined. Here I was, looking for a “real” Russia somewhere between my disillusionment, a Starbucks and a Hard Rock Cafe. Read more