CS/HC Tues Meeting, 15 July 2008

[Ziyi Dai]

Dear CS Moscow Members, Friends and Visitors,

As today's meeting coordinator Ira Danilkina has indicated, it would be best and more democratic to hold today's meeting at the open and free All-Russian Exhibition Centre (VVTs), which is a sprawling 2.4 million sqm property just off the Metro VDNKh on the northern part of the orange Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line. Imagine, that's actually an area bigger than the whole of Monaco itself. (I mean, how many Monacos can actually be contained in Moscow or in Russia?)

Burak has given a link to VDNKh and you can check out the photos, so there's probably no need to give more history to the place. (Just don't miss a few things: the titanium monument to space flight; the Vera Mukhina statue on the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman (Рабо́чий и колхо́зница); and the fountains). However, I heard from people who were there just yesterday that everything is boarded up and under reconstruction that it might be hard to appreciate the beauty of the place.

Here are the details:

All-Russian Exhibition Centre (formerly VDNKh)
Metro: VDNKh
Address: VVTs, Prospekt Mira, Moscow 129223
Place: At the turnstiles near the Metro entrance
Time: 07:30pm, 15 July 2008
Map: adresa.yandex.ru/company.xml?company=1958273&region=1
Coordinator: Irina Danilkina
Cell: +7 (926) 239 7515

Всероссийский выставочный центр (бывший ВДНХ)
Метро: ВДНХ
Адрес: 129223, Москва, Мира Просп., ВВЦ, владение 119
Время: 19H30, 15 июля 2008 г.
место встречи: У турникета возле входа в метро
Карта: adresa.yandex.ru/company.xml?company=1958273&region=1
Координатор: Ирина Данилкина
Телефон: +7 (926) 239 7515

I ask you to do remember that special shoot by Channel 3 to report on CouchSurfing, featuring Nikolay Ganaylyuk's life as a CSer. I won't be there in the meeting, but I am sure every CSer is a potential star just waiting to be discovered. Just don't ham it up too much.;)

Now since it doesn't seem like there would actually be inclement weather today, we won't have any alternative site. Small print: Those who feel like going to VDNKh can call and come over to my place for a beer.

Let me just remind you that drinking alcohol in public places is actually banned and although everyone in Russia violates the ordinances against this, it doesn't mean the police would not find it interesting to see loads of foreign-looking people as cows ready for milking. Just ask our Russian members and take their cue about what to do for drinks.

Best,

Deric
Moscow Group Co-Moderator
CS Ambassador for the Russian Federation

* ham it up
Oh stop hamming it up! — Хватит тут разыгрывать комедию
Your story is very funny but there is no need to ham it up — Твой анекдот смешной, но не надо так жестикулировать
(Lingvo)