Living in a huge city makes you want to stand out from the crowd. A trendy and fancy outfit and way-out accessories can help with that, and the small store Friend Function is the place to find it all.
International brands are mixed up with the local ones, a variety of city backpacks share the room with shiny Moscow pins and interior decoration stuff like a concrete flower pot that resembles the iconic PO-2 fence (my favorite one). This place is definitely a find for those who seeking out-of-the-box gifts or urban stuff for themselves.
And here are some personal tips: If you travel in autumn or winter take a look at the Kusto caps - the guys from Cheboksary (a city in Chuvashia region of Russia) get their inspiration from Jacques-Yves Cousteau. And another uncommon piece of design is the Panelki project by local designer Nikita Anokhin. Inspired by Russian residential blocks, he created really cool stuff such as the Brezhnevka night light of the Khrushchevka jewelry box. To see the origins of these objects, get a metro and ride it a couple of stations away from the brown line.
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"Aquarium Garden" in Moscow takes me back to the pre-revolutionary era. You can find playbills and beautiful fountains and arches deep in the garden...
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"Triumph Gallery" is in the very centre of Moscow, and what I like most about it is the contrast between its contemporary art and the splendor around it...
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"Cheburechnaya Druzhba" in Moscow never changed in the last 30 years. hHre you can get authentic Chebureki, the 'national' Soviet middle-class fast food...
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"Cape Stroginskaya Kosa" is in Moscow's suburbs in a green park. It's a calm, quiet place with many trees, surrounded by water from three sides...
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If you ever dreamed of meeting a unicorn, you have the chance here in Moscow! This Neo-Gothic building actually inspired Mikhail Bulgakov...
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"Ekologiya Garden" in Moscow is a sculpture park right next to busy Arbat Street dedicated to ecology. It's a real open-air museum!
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"True Cost Live" is a restaurant in Moscow that has an entrance fee, but everything you order is priced at cost. It's not just cheap: I love the food!
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"Craftland Cultural Bar" in Moscow is a cool pub with red brick walls, extremely happy & helpful staff! I love the unusual beers & the 'Cocky Tony' burger.
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"Vanya Nalyot" in Moscow means 'Vanya will pour you a drink' - indeed he will. This bar is completely unpretentious and I love its terrace for a draft beer
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"Flacon", or 'design factory Flacon' in Moscow, used to be a Soviet crystal factory. Now it's a must-visit hotspot for hipster design & architecture
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"Gastroferma" in Moscow is an untypically hip food market with plenty of restaurants. Here I can find every kind of international food I wish...
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"Strelka" is one of the most trendy and lively places in Moscow. I love the lectures at the institute, but the rooftop terrace bar is also great...
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134 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 134 Insider Tips from our local Spotters