1. On Kreshatik, Kievans amble, even during rush hour; on Broadway, it’s generally frowned upon to or promenade at less than a frenetic pace.

2. On Kreshatik, when the sun comes out, everyone grabs an ice cream cone; the closest thing on Broadway would be tourists with their hotdogs.

Ice Cream on Kreshatik

3. On Kreshatik, locals stop to listen to street musicians. They actually listen, standing for the length of an entire set, calling out for favorites, and dancing two-by-two when a romantic song is played.

4. On Kreshatik, the entire length is closed to traffic from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, so that it becomes a wide, quiet pedestrian passage.

5. Kreshatik was built on a Soviet plan (after having been almost completely destroyed by the Red Army and Nazis in WWII), so it has a unified architecture and plan (government buildings on the north side, residential on the south side). Broadway is delightfully cacaphonous in its form and function.

6. Kreshatik is one of the shortest “Main Streets” of a country (1 kilometer); Broadway is one of the longest (20 kilometers inside Manhattan alone, 650 km if you follow it to the border of Canada).

7. Kreshatik is tree-lined.

8. Kreshatik in generally homogenous; Broadway is packed with people from every continent and culture.

9. Improbably for a thousand year old city, Kreshatik has far fewer pre-1945 buildings than Broadway, only 3 or 4, if you include the Philharmonic at European Square.

10. All the streets and squares around Kreshatik are known by two or three (or more) names, remnants the varied  languages and ideologies of the map-makers: Nationalist or Soviet, Ukrainian or Russian-speaking.

First  metro was in London, 1863, then Paris (1900), and Budapest (1902). There were several attempts under the tsars to build a metro to relieve congestion, but to no avail. Only in the 1930s did the country give the project serious thought.

It is said that citizens joined on Saturdays in the digging. At the opening in May 1935, Stalin and Kaganovich (who was head of project) made speeches. Latter emphasized that the soil (which contained underground mud-rivers, was part of a “hostile, old-regime geology” that only the soviet worker could defeat.

The “First Line” is more focused on engineering marvels than on architectural or design flourishes. The “Garden Ring” line, which was completed after WWII, is full of military iconography to celebrate great victory over fascism.

Architecture of the stations was to represent a new, heroic worker. Most were awarded to architects in open competitions. [Note the lack of identifiable people in sculptures of Stalin's time: dangerous to immortalize a hero who could quickly become an enemy. Thus, the generic "Soviet man and woman."]

Mayakovskaya – 1938

Considered to be the most beautiful metro station in the world. First in world to use columns in such a way to open up space. Was famous air raid shelter during WWII.

- 33 vaults full of mosaics representing 24 hours in the life of the new soviet country.

- Children would flick kopeks along the arches.

- Note the design forgot to highlight Mayakovski — this was later rectified with the addition of his verses and bust.

- Last mosaic was hidden for decades in service area, only recently viewable. Mayakovsky bust moved to upper entrance, along with his poem, “Moscow Sky.”

Teatralnaya – 1938

- Dedicated to the arts of the various republics: Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, etc.

- Largest porcelain statues ever – new technique had to be invented for female artist Natalia Danko.

-  Connected by walkway to Ploschad Revolutsii at later stage.

Ploschad Revolutsii – 1938

When Stalin first saw, muttered “they look so alive, almost alive.” Theme is to show history of soviet peoples. Original purpose was to lead into the Great Cinema of the Soviets, which was to seat 4,000 (never constructed).

- Twenty archways, four statues each, 80 life-size figures.

- Joke: “Q: How do you know these are true soviet people? A: They are all kneeling or sitting [in prison].”

- Traditions: Touching the dogs’ noses helps on exams; touching the girl’s foot will help a souring love affair. The guns and pencils have been stolen many times.

- Formerly a statue of Stalin, but removed in 1947 when new exit built.

- Sign “Exit to Street” in bronze is oldest metro sign in existence.

Kropotskinskaya – 1935

Was to be entrance to the great Palace of the Soviets, Egyptian antechamber theme. [Palace of Soviets: To be 415 meter tall building, on top 80 meter tall Lenin with searchlights for eyes and a 150 seat reading room in his brain.] Since this station is relatively shallow, more room to spread out. Also, massive numbers of people were expected to flood the Palace of Soviets, so this was necessary.

- When accused of basing this on the Temple of Karnac, Dushkin replied, “That temple was built for pharaohs; ours is for the people.” (catchphrase)

- Myth that the marble came from the demolished “Church of Christ Savior.” In 1960, led to great swimming pool (which was the foundation of the Palace filled with water after it became clear the original wouldn’t be built).

Komsomolskaya

One of the most beautiful, with chandeliers. Planned as gateway to Moscow, used pre-Revolutionary baroque motifs.

——–

Change Your Point of View
by Joe Gracia

You’ve probably heard of Stephen Covey, author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” He uses the word paradigm a lot, which simply means a belief, or a point of view.

Dr. Covey believes that you need to have a paradigm shift before you can make dramatic breakthroughs in your business success – or your life.

Here’s a story I heard a few years ago that illustrates the point perfectly.

Imagine you’re in London’s Heathrow Airport. While you’re waiting for your flight, you notice a kiosk selling shortbread cookies. You buy a box, put them in your traveling bag and then you patiently search for an available seat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies.

Finally you find a seat next to a gentleman. You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out your box of shortbread cookies. As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely. He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick up the cookie and bring it to your mouth.

Just then he reaches over and takes one of your cookies from the box, and eats it! You’re more than a little surprised at this. Actually, you’re at a loss for words.

Not only does he take one cookie, but he alternates with you. For every one cookie you take, he takes one.

Now, what’s your immediate impression of this guy? Crazy? Greedy? He’s got some nerve?! Can you imagine the words you might use to describe this man to your associates back at the office?

Meanwhile, you both continue eating the cookies until there’s just one left. To your surprise, the man reaches over and takes it. But then he does something unexpected. He breaks it in half, and gives half to you.

After he’s finished with his half he gets up, and without a word, he leaves.

You think to yourself, “Did this really happen?” You’re left sitting there dumbfounded and still hungry. So you go back to the kiosk and buy another box of cookies.

You then return to your seat and begin opening your new box of cookies when you glance down into your traveling bag. Sitting there in your bag is your original box of cookies — still unopened.

Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier, you had reached into the other man’s bag, and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake.

Now what do you think of the man? Generous? Tolerant?

You’ve just experienced a profound paradigm shift. You’re seeing things from a new point of view.

—————————-

More of my father’s wisdom and business advice is here.

They were “unsanctioned,” so the only way they could distribute their music was through cassette tapes sold on the street (I bought mine outside a metro in 1993) or passed around. (I still have the cassette, but no way of playing it.)

Rain — the May rain draped the sky with a ringing shroud.
Thunder — the thunder growled against the rooftops, scaring away the cats.
I opened the window and a cheerful wind swept everything off the table -
Vapid verses I was writing in the dull and suffocating emptiness.

The May thunder burst out and the revels, like a stormy intoxicating wave,
Doused us: “Hey, c’mon, jump up and follow me.
Go out in the yard and run in the puddles, till morning if you wish.
Watch how the blissful and blessed children run about.”

My dear friend Andy Selsberg has come out with a new book, You Are Good at Things: A Checklist. I’ve known Andy since college, and have always admired his writing and his existentially quirky observations about life and the universe. Anyone who had the good fortune to witness his amazing performances as “Citizen Truth” in the 1990s at Todo Con Nada or his stand-up routine in Madison, Wisconsin, will know what I’m talking about. Here’s what the professionals say:

You may be suffering from unrecognized awesomeness!

• You have the uncanny ability to always notice when someone has gotten a new haircut.
• You can make the last half-ounce of toothpaste last for a month.
• You’re a genius at getting stores to let you in even though it’s closing time.
• You’re a wizard at resisting the urge to eat all the cheese right after grating it.

This book is a celebration of all your secret skills and unheralded abilities. It calls attention to the way you’re able to give your kids names that will never appear on key chains at gift shops, and cheers your talent for wrapping presents using very little tape. In your own way, you’re a master, and the world should know it. Because let’s face it: YOU ARE GOOD AT THINGS! Get it here.

Andy Selsberg is a former staff writer for the Onion, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, GQ, the Village Voice, Salon, the Oxford American, and the Believer, among other publications. He is the creator of Dear Old Love.

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Eight years ago today I had big plans. My good friend, theater producer and political consultant, Chad Gracia, who lived in Soho at the time, was going to host one of his classic birthday parties. Nearly 100 people would gather in his large, bi-level loft … aptly termed the Soho Salon where he had hosted evenings with the likes of Shimon Peres, Eve Ensler, and psychologist Sheldon Solomon … for a huge celebration rife with heady chat, pricey wines and artisan cheeses.