Just on ET reading some old posts and it seems the majority hates Moscow and every post stays "bring a bodyguuard".... Is it really that bad? A 2 year contract postion for my wife came up working near the WTC area in Moscow and we were thinking about moving for 2 years...
One small advice do not go out by your self at night around 12ish. Even near the red square you can get robbed. Let me tell you a story about my uncle. He went out to take pictures and to walk through the city. Then came 11 o'clock, very dark. Then 3 guys came up to him with a kitchen knife and robbed him of his camera and money in the wallet. Funny thing is that they gave back the wallet with everything in there but, took the money. Not a smart bunch, because they did not take credit cards, etc. Thats it. Ok, let me tell you on thing the only people that will rob you in the city know that you are a foreigner, because you will stick out like a sore thumb. PS the people that robbed him where Georgians, or something in that nature, because he stated they couldn't even talk russian. Others, not to be offensive here but pure russians are loaded so, they don't really rob anyone. Unless, it's alcoholics. But, you won't find them in the center of the city. PS try to stay away from flea market. And if you are young, try to hit up couple of clubs. Trust me you will have a good time. Note: Moscow is very expensive city now. ANd, of course you will still have gucci, Burberry, and other unnecessary attire that we have here in the shops. It's a good city. Just don't walk by yourself at night, if you are in a group of 3+ people, you will be fine. Good luck, and Happy New Year.
'Pure' Russians are loaded?????? What a load of crap! Having been to Russia its the so-called pure Russians that are the problem!
'Pure' Russians are loaded?????? What a load of crap! Having been to Russia its the so-called pure Russians that are the problem! Ya znayu vas ...ya znakom s vami Mne ni gavari yirundu!
You won't know until you get there, it's as simple as that. I was born and lived in Moscow till 1992, still a frequent visitor nowadays. It is a lot safer than it used to be, but Moscow is still a high crime city. The area where you are considering to reside is within city centre & is pretty safe during the day, at night anything can happen, but IMO not much different to LA or NY. It is a true 'Sin City', you can party all you want, you can have a fantastic meal @ 3am, you got the best looking hookers pretty much on 24/7 standby, broadband for your no risk trading activities, diamonds for your Mrs, more Merc S600s than in Germany, etc. You will either love it or hate it, it will be an experience for sure.
I was born in former USSR and have been living in Moscow for the last 18 years (except almost 1,5 years for MBA in Western Europe). So, I'm insider ) Fact: Moscow is the best place in the Eastern Europe to make money. When you consider Western Europe, only London might be better place for investment specialists, asset managers, IB guys etc. But in terms of overall "quality of life" I don't think Moscow is a good place. Bad ecology, overpriced real estate, terrible traffic jams, far from perfect medical service etc etc... A lot of people here with good education and work experience that could easily be used in every other part of the world consider this city only as a place to make money. They just use the moment when commoditties prices are high and a lot of liquidity is coming to Russia and concentrating in Moscow.For retirement, they are looking for different places. But as long as you are here and have access to money, you can enjoy staying in Moscow (but remember, Moscow is not equivalent to the rest of Russia). Here is a good resource for expats that might be helpful: www.exile.ru If you have any questions, you are welcome
I think the OP is more worried about wether his wife is going to be raped than he is in getting a hooker. Russia is Number 5 in crime, and those are the old stats. It's probably inched up to the top 3 by now. http://www.geocities.com/dtmcbride/reference/crime_world.html In general, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa are places best avoided. More money can be made in North America than anywhere in the world and the best looking Russian Hookers are now all in Bombay and Dubai. Ahhhhhh....