Moscow Atrium shopping mall
Moscow Atrium is one of Moscow's major shopping malls, the one that truly has it all. Whatever recreation idea you may have in mind – rest assured it's already in place. If you manage to think of something that Atrium can't provide – well, you rock! Me, for all this years I couldn't come up with something that wasn't in that glamorous place!
The shopping mall itself is located right next to "Kurskiy" rail terminal, so you'll always know where to kill the time if you've come too early for the train. It wasn't always like that, however. In fact, before the mall was built, the area of "Kurskaya" metro station was quite a gloomy place, full of unfriendly people.
Frankly, back then there was no good reason to walk around that part of town. The terminal itself was dirty and full of little shops selling counterfeit goods and food that would probably make you end up in a hospital. The area was swarming with bums, drug addicts and petty thieves, and the police wasn't really doing anything.
The railway stations, especially big ones, basically always reflect the condition of the country. If you're in Switzerland, you can walk around pretty safe (although not always). However, Russia of 90's was quite a mess – and it immediately reflected on all the public places, especially those dealing with people from all social groups.
As I said, taking a walk in "Kurskaya" area was not the best idea back in 90's. You could've get yourself in a real trouble – and there wouldn't be anyone standing by your side, as the cops were too busy taking bribes from all the shops around. However, little by little, thanks to mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the area began to clean up.
Sure, all those bums didn't just disappear overnight, and there are some even up until this day. However, you could finally get out of metro without being too much at risk. The area of the terminal itself is messy even today day, but trust me - it has improved a lot since the times of "Perestroika"!
So, once life began returning to those shadowy lands, businessmen realized the place had a huge potential. So, they decided to build a shopping mall right next to the metro exit and frankly – not many believed that something good will come out of it.
Me too was skeptical. I was pretty sure that Moscow Atrium will be flooded with bums and other unwanted people right after its opening. After all, Kurskiy is right in front of the building, and there's no reason on Earth why all those smelly guys would not want to take a visit. Well, I was wrong!
Somehow, the management succeeded in creating efficient face-control system that filtered out the "undesired elements", as we said in the Soviet Union. Of course, officially this system doesn’t exist, but I believe that the mall simply didn’t have any other choice. Think for yourself – would you attend a place infested with bums? I don’t think so.
While I don’t have anything against the homeless people, I think they should get a proper care somewhere else, not in one of Moscow’s biggest malls. By the way, if you look closely, you’ll see there’s a passage connecting Kurskiy rail terminal with Moscow Atrium building. If you look even closer, you’ll realize that the passage is closed, so if you need to get to the train – make sure you have some spare time.
Don’t be upset, you’re not out of luck. You see, that passage has been closed right since the place opened. And of course, you want to know why it was built. Well, I’m not sure, but I think it was the demand of Moscow government. After all, all the public places belong to the public, and should be easily accessible – that is one of the most basic laws I believe every city has.
However, doing so would invite all those who consider the terminal a home right into the mall, so the management decided to play a little trick – they agreed to create the passage, but they never let a single person actually pass through it!
Christmas tree in Atrium
(by ppz)
If you want to get to Moscow Atrium from the terminal building, you’ll have to get through a passageway blasted with cars, and go around a fence that stands right in the middle. It’s extremely inconvenient, but I believe even the fence was put there on purpose. This way, the security guys will be able to spot the people they don’t want to let it long before they approach the entrance – and thus avoid the inconvenience for visitors like you and I.
Oh, I see that frown on your face already. Right now you must be picturing the mall as the place guarded by Nazis who only let it the true Arians. However, you wouldn’t even notice all of that if I haven’t told you. Trust me, Moscow Atrium is a very friendly place unless you’re someone who can ruin other people’s experience, and I’m going to prove that.
First things first. By now you must’ve learned that I’m a big fan of movies. Guess what – there’s a cinema right inside the mall! And mind you that it’s not just a cinema, but one that belongs to famous “Karo-Film” network. It means you will always see the latest movies, both Russian and foreign, in great quality for a very reasonable price. All the newest films together with world's famous blockbusters will surely be there, all you have to do is buy a ticket...
Don’t forget, though, that all foreign movies are dubbed, so if you don’t speak Russian – get to specialized cinemas like “Dome”, where all films are in English. Personally, I'm against dubbing, as I think it ruins most of the experience. However, many Russians don't speak English, and they are not willing to read the subtitles as well.
In the past, I used to think that Russia is the only country to show dubbed movies in cinemas, and that it was the legacy of Communist times. However, later I became aware that many countries do that – Germany and Austria, for example. I remember when I was in Vienna, there was a movie I wanted to see. I was really disappointed to find out everything's shown in German, and so I had to change my plans. Well, tough luck...
However, even if you can't go to "Karo" because you don't speak any Russian, don't be in a hurry to leave, as there are lots of other things you can do!
First of all, Moscow Atrium obviously has a lot of very nice stores that sell anything from cosmetics to world-known clothing brands. However, I would say they're slightly expensive, so unless there's something you really like, I wouldn't advise to buy there.
As far as I know, it's much cheaper to buy clothes in Europe and US than in Moscow, especially if you're talking about known brands. I don't know the exact reason of such pricing difference, but facts are facts. So, while it's sure nice to look at the glamorous storefronts, you should mostly buy in other places such as numerous clothing markets and mini-malls spread across the city.
However, even though buying clothes is not the best option, there's still a good way to pass your time. Namely, restaurants and cafes. God I love those!
There are so much of them around I don't know where to start! Of course, there are plenty of Russian fast-food chains present, like "Kroshka - Kartoshka" with their delicious potato dishes, "Pelmeshkina and Cheburekos" that serve Russian pelmeni, and "Rostik's", which is basically a Russian version of McDonalds, although not a very successful one.
If you have enough time, I suggest you go for the real restaurants, like "Il-Patio" with their delicious Italian pizzas, and my personal favorite "TGI Fridays". Ahh, I can talk about this one forever! After all, that restaurant is the ultimate incarnation of everything unhealthy!
Each time we go there, my wife tells me I will have to work out for at least a weak after the meal, because the place is just swarming with calories. Heck, you can get fat by nearly breathing the air there, but that's simply the best restaurant I've ever attended! Ahh, the burgers, the fries, the ice-cream....why, oh why wasn't I born an American??
If you're a sweet-tooth like me, there's also "Shokoladnica" restaurant on the premises. It serves probably the tastiest chocolate pancakes in Russia that will leave you begging for more. Definitely worthy to check out!
There's also a very nice cafe on the ground floor, right by the fountain. See? Right there, near the lift, in front of the entrance. The waiters are slow at times, but it serves great cappuccino and cheese-cakes. If you've had a busy day, and don't have time to walk around – just have a sit at that comfortable spot, and have some quality time!
I could talk about Moscow Atrium a lot, but I believe you have to see it for yourself. So, hop on the metro train, take a ride to "Kurskaya" – and have a pleasant evening. Oh, and if you like to stay up late – the mall is open till 11PM.
Enjoy! 
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