Anne in Moscow...

We’ve got Moscow on the brain, and fortunately Inside DVF contributor Anne McNally was there last month for the Biennale and gave us the inside on where and what we’ll be doing when we go for the DVF restrospective next month!

STAY: For modern amenities with a twist of history stay at the Park Hyatt, which overlooks the Bolshoi Theatre. Once home to the metro pole, be sure to check out the dining room dating back to the 1930s. Or try Diane’s personal fave, The Ritz-Carlton.

EAT: Baccarat, where Russian fashion designer and doyenne Dasha Zukova, gave her pre “garage” bienale opening dinner there. Designed by the world renowned Philippe Starck, this eighteenth-century building was Europe’s biggest pharmacy, by decree of Czar Peter the Great. It’s worth checking out even for a drink. 19/21 Nikolskaïa Street.

Vogue Café is the Pastis of Moscow, a great place for people watching just steps from the Bolshoi Theater and not far from Red Square. Kuznetsky most ulitsa 7/9 , tel. 495-623-1701

Stop by Arbat Street 3/9 for lunch and a mid-afternoon Bellini, the taste is as good as the price (cheap)! Another good lunch spot is Cafe Shop and Bar, a favorite spot amongst the youth of Moscow and visit the funny t-shirt store above.

“Bon” located on the waterfront is another restaurant designed by Philippe Starck, serving an interesting combination of European, Russian and Asian Cuisine.

TO DO: Lenin’s Mausoleum, better known as Lenin’s Tomb, and located in Red Square it is the mausoleum that is the resting place of Vladimir Lenin. After visiting Lenin’s Mausoleum take a tour of the neighboring Kremlin.

Visit the “Seven Sisters” the English name given to a group of Moscow skyscrapers built by Stalin between 1947 and 1953 to compete with American buildings.

Make sure to take a ride on the subway, which has the most beautiful stations in stain glass, marble, stucco and ceramics….a Moscow must!

SHOP: Gum, a beautiful shopping arcade right off the Red Square, with a plethora of international shops. And of course, visit the DVF shops

KEYWORDS: Anne McNally diane dvf Moscow Restrospective