ATARAXIA

ataraxia \at-uh-RAK-see-uh\, noun:

A state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquility. (Dictionary.com)

This may be an unattainable state for me, but I feel pretty close to it as the past month has been primarily about exploring a new country and city, which requires that I just relax and be open to anything.

Sure. There have been stresses, stemming primarily from the inability to easily communicate with the locals.

But I am getting better with my pidgin Russian, and I may even enroll in language classes once we get to Moscow.

And as we are close to the end of our St. Petersburg sojourn, I thought it high time to photograph our living situation. I described much of it on our first few days here; how confusing I found the address system and the internal blocks and addresses within our “dom” or compound.

We live at Nevsky Prospekt 88. That is akin to living at One Mag Mile in Chicago or somewhere on Fifth Avenue near midtown in New York City. It is pricey real estate in the heart of a major urban landscape.

However, as you'll see from the photos, our area, compound and apartment certainly do not have the glitz, glamour or pricey good looks of those bastions. In fact, it looks downright slummy. But remember, it's Russia!

MOCKBA - MOSKVA IS A TRENDY AND GOOD RESTAURANT AT THE TOP OF THE NEVSKY CENTER THAT WE HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE. ANDREA WAS JONES-ING FOR A REAL BREAKFAST, SO WE WENT THERE THE OTHER DAY. CHECK THE LINK, BUT THE NEAT THING ABOUT THIS PLACE IS THAT THERE ARE CULINARY STATIONS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE RESTAURANT WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAKERS MAKE BREAD AND PASTRIES, THE SUSHI CHEFS WORK ON SASHIMI, COOKS PREPARING CHINESE FOOD IN WOKS...

LOOKING DOWN INTO NEVSKY CENTER FROM THE SIXTH FLOOR, OUTSIDE OF MOSKVA. ON THE FIRST LEVEL, THERE WAS A COFFEE SHOP. ONE DAY IT WAS OPEN, AND LITERALLY THE NEXT DAY, IT WAS GONE. THE SIGN SAID "STARBUCKS COMING SOON!"

STOCKMANN'S GROCERY IS IN THE BASEMENT OF THE CENTER. FOR OUR "MAJOR" GROCERY SHOPS, WE GO HERE.  WE ARE GOING TO MISS OUR STOCKMANN'S . THEY ARE A FINNISH OUTFIT, AND WE DO NOT THINK THEY WILL HAVE STORES IN THE ARBAT DISTRICT WHERE WE'LL BE LIVING IN MOSCOW. TOO BAD.

THE PRODUCE AREA. JUST LIKE AT JEWEL OR MARTIN'S!

THE CHEESE CASE AND ON THE LEFT, AISLES OF PRODUCTS. NO SHORTAGES WHATSOEVER. PRODUCTS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE SOLD IN A CLEAN, WELL-LIT ENVIRONMENT.

CHECK-OUT COUNTERS. PAY BY CREDIT CARD. ACROSS FROM THE COUNTERS ARE A DRY CLEANER AND A FLOWER SHOP. SUCH CONVENIENCE I NEVER EXPECTED!

NEVSKY PROSPEKT IS A LARGE THOROUGHFARE. THIS IS TAKEN OUTSIDE OUR MAYAKOVSKAYA METRO STATION LOOKING DOWN THE STREET TO OUR BLOCK.

NEVSKY PROSPEKT 88 - HOME SWEET HOME (COUGH-COUGH) IN SPB. ON THE LEFT IS OUR YOLKI-PALKI RUSSIAN RESTAURANT. STOCKMANN'S IS ABOUT A HALF MILE TO THE RIGHT. THE HERMITAGE, ADMIRALTY...IS TO THE LEFT.

CLOSE UP OF THE GATE ON NEVSKY PROSPEKT THAT LEADS INTO OUR COMPOUND. THERE IS A GUARD ON DUTY 24/7. HIS PRIMARY JOB IS TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE GATE FOR VEHICLES TO SQUEEZE THROUGH.

THROUGH THE STREET ARCH, YOU ENTER OUR COMPOUND. THERE ARE BUSINESS ON THE LOWER FLOORS OF EACH BUILDING. OUR APARTMENT BUILDING IS THROUGH THE NEXT ARCH.

THE ARCH LEADING TO OUR BUILDING, WHICH IS ON THE RIGHT. AT THE BACKGROUND OF THE PHOTO, YOU CAN BARELY MAKE OUT ANOTHER ARCH. THROUGH THERE, THE COMPOUND CONTINUES AND THAT'S WHERE THE LITTLE PLAY PARK IS.

SURPRISE! ON THE DAY THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN, THEY HAD BEGUN WORK ON THE LITTLE PLAY PARK  IT WAS A PIT BEFORE: BROKEN BOTTLES, LITTER, MUDDY DIRT, WHERE PEOPLE HUNG OUT TO SMOKE AND DRINK. IT'S BEING FIXED UP JUST IN TIME FOR OUR DEPARTURE!

BEHIND OUR BUILDING IS ONE OF THE PASS-THRUS INTO ANOTHER COMPOUND. THERE IS ALREADY A NICE PARK THERE FOR LITTLE KIDS TO ROMP AND PLAY IN THE BIG CITY.

THIS IS THE BACK OF OUR BUILDING. WE ARE ON THE VERY TOP FLOOR (SIXTH FLOOR) ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE WHERE THE TWO WINGS JOIN. YOU CANNOT EVEN SEE OUR TWO APARTMENT WINDOWS FROM HERE.

BACK TO THE FRONT. NIGHT FLIGHT STRIP CLUB ON THE LEFT. COPY SHOP ON THE RIGHT. WE ARE LESTNIZA 12, ETAGE 6, UNIT 99E.

OUR GLAMOROUS FRONT STEEL DOOR. THE LAMPS DO NOT WORK.

THE ENTRANCE FOYER WITH STEEL DOOR IN BACKGROUND AND ELEVATOR. I ABOUT *#%^ MY PANTS ON THAT RAINY WEDNESDAY FIVE WEEKS AGO WHEN I ENTERED HERE. WHAT HAD I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?

THE ELEVATOR CAN HOLD ANDREA AND ME. THAT'S IT. NOTHING MORE. OFTEN, WE HAVE TO WALK UP TO OUR SIXTH FLOOR CORRIDOR, WHICH IS THROUGH THIS SECURED STEEL DOOR ON THE RIGHT.

ONCE THROUGH THE STEEL DOOR, YOU ENTER OUR CORRIDOR, WHICH IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY OKSANA'S APARTMENTS. WE MET OKSANA'S HUSBAND, CHUCK, WHO IS ORIGINALLY FROM WESTCHESTER, IL (A CHICAGO SUBURB), AND I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG BEFORE. OKSANA RUNS THE SHOW. SHE IS NO SHILL! 

VIEW FROM THE FRONT DOOR UPON ENTERING. KITCHEN AREA STRAIGHT AHEAD, MY OFFICE CUBBY TO THE LEFT, COUCH AND TABLE TO THE RIGHT.

FROM THE COUCH, TV ON THE LEFT (DOOR IS JUST FARTHER TO THE LEFT) AND LOOKING DOWN THE "HALL" PAST MY CUBBY ON RIGHT AND BATHROOM ON THE LEFT IS THE BEDROOM. THE CONSTRUCTION HERE IS SHODDY. THERE ARE GAPS BETWEEN THE FLOOR BOARDS! I THINK ME -- MR. 10 THUMBS -- COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB OF MEASURING, CUTTING AND LAYING THESE FLOORBOARDS!

THE BATHROOM. EVERY SHOWER IS LIKE WALKING INTO A MINE FIELD: TAKES FOREVER TO GET HOT, THEN IT'S TOO COLD, THEN IT'S TOO HOT...

SHOWER ON RIGHT, WASHSTAND AND TOILET. BEHIND AND BELOW THE TOILET IS A CONTRAPTION I HAD  NEVER SEEN BEFORE. IT STORES AND "DIGESTS" HUMAN WASTE BEFORE IT ENTERS THE BUILDING'S PLUMBING SYSTEM. SOMETIMES, IT BACKS UP INTO THE SHOWER. YOU DON'T WANT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE BATHROOM AT OUR PLACE!

THE BEDROOM. THE WINDOW IS BEHIND ME.

THE BEDROOM WINDOW SHOT THROUGH THE SCREENS TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. NOTICE THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY A DECENT, SUNNY DAY! WE HAVE HAD SO FEW OF THOSE.

SCREEN SHOT OF ME "FACETIMEING" ON THE I-PAD WITH ALEXI IN MID AUGUST.

MR. BLOGGO SOMEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE.