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Published on Leave a comment on St. Petersburg Stadium
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Thanks to the game between Brazil vs Costa Rica, we got the chance to visit the Krestovsky Stadium the first day we were here. It was a totally different experience than in Moscow. Firstly, shuttle bus was easy to find and the signal to the stadium after getting off was very clear. On top of that, the crowd was orderly no matter they were on the shuttle bus or the road to gates. Secondly, it was really efficient for the staffs serving drinks and food outside or in the stadium. It only took 15 minutes to get water and hotdogs during halftime under the circumstance that more than 63,000 people went the game which surprised me. Krestovsky Stadium was open in 2017 and built at a cost of $1.1 billion. It is considered one of the most expensive stadiums ever built, so I would really recommend all to experience this brand new stadium.

Published on Leave a comment on No three stadiums are alike (Series Post 3 of 3)…

The statue is V. I. Lenin outside the main entrance to the stadium.

The flags of Mexico and Germany on display at the players enter the field for the start of the match.

The view of the stadium from my seat.

A view of the stadium from across the Moscow River.

This is the final post in a series of three in which I will review the three stadiums in which I have attended FIFA games. The final stadium is Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, home of the World Cup final.
Luzhniki Stadium - Mexico v. Germany - June 17,  2018.  First constructed in the mid 1950’s, this stadium has seen several facelifts throughout the years, including most recently for the 2018 World Cup. The seating capacity for this venue is approximately 81,000 people, making it the largest stadium in Russia and one of the largest in all of Europe.
The stadium is located along the banks of the Moscow River and is easily accessible by metro.  From the outside, the facade of the stadium reminds me of classic Roman and Greek architecture with columns surround the venue with concrete bricks providing texture and depth to the building. As you approach the main entrance to the stadium, you are greeted by the statue of V. I. Lenin. With the array of sponsor booths and signage surrounding the leader of the Russian Revolution, one cannot help but think about what Lenin would say today if he encountered such capitalistic themes surrounding his city and country.
My seat for the game was in the top row of the stadium and getting there took a bit of effort as there was no escalator to get you to the top. It was straight man power using my two legs to carry me up 6 flights of stairs. I’m sure there were elevators but I did not put much effort into finding them as I could always use the exercise. Security into the facility was not a big deal and was a pretty quick and easy process compared to that of Spartak and St. Petersburg. The stadium is completely open allowing for the movement of air to help keep you cool on warm summer afternoons.
As I said, my seat was in the final row at the very top of the stadium but in no way did I have a bad view. The sight lines were spot on and there were no issues with tv screens or columns blocking my view of the game action below. This was my favorite of the three stadiums I attended and the game itself, a Mexico win, was one of the best sporting events I have ever attended. I truly look forward to watching the World Cup final from the comforts of my apartment in DC and harken back to my experiences at this stadium.

Published on Leave a comment on White Nights of St. Petersburg

Late night sunset in St. Petersburg, Russia.Our trip to Russia is only my second time ever leaving the United States, so I’ve been especially excited about the unique experiences I’ve gotten to have abroad. Last night we attended St. Petersburg’s Scarlet Sails event, during which approximately 80,000 of the highest-ranked students in Russia travel to St. Petersburg alongside their families and teachers to celebrate their graduation from school. Some of my classmates and I took a boat ride to watch the 10:30 PM sunset and the Scarlet Sails fireworks from the water. We had an incredible view and got to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Fireworks from St. Petersburg’s Scarlet Sails festival.

Published on Leave a comment on Sushi love

I am definitely a self proclaimed sushi fanatic and my face shows the clear excitement I felt after consuming a lovely amount of tuna sashimi. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything Russia’s culture has to offer, but always appreciate the international aspect big cities have to offer. No matter how far I am from home in Seattle (where there’s always a sushi restaurant just a few minutes away), I love that I can always find my favorite things!

Published on Leave a comment on Meet China fans at St. Petersburg stadium

Even though China didn’t make it to World Cup, we still can see those Chinese fans in Russia. On our way to the St. Petersburg stadium to watch Brazil vs. Costa Rica game, we encountered a group of Chinese fans, they come from different parts of China. Sisi is one of this big group who came from Hong Kong. She took horse from Moscow to St. Petersburg!!

If China qualify to World Cup one day, there must be way more Chinese fans than there are right now!

Published on Leave a comment on Train station

When I first arrived in Moscow I was all alone. I needed to take two metros to arrive at my hotel and I was pretty nervous. I could hardly speak Russian and reading it was even more of a struggle. Through navigating the stations and asking people questions I noticed how beautiful the different stations are. Metro stations had pieces of art, and sometimes marble lined stations displaying different pieces of history. The Moscow Metro opened in 1935, and was originally used to enact propaganda among the Soviet Union, showing a bright future through the murals and busts of Soviet heroes. Each station looked different and I loved taking the metro because it was also very reliable.

Published on Leave a comment on Escaping the rain!

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The majority of our class attended the Poland Senegal game, which was a little further out of Moscow, in a bit smaller stadium. On our walk there, we got caught in a torrential downpour. We still had a while before the game, so we sought shelter under a bridge. What the atmosphere lacked in weather, it definitely made up for in spirit and culture! We were all in awe of the passion and sheer joy exuding from the Senegal fans, linked above is a video showing their never ending cheers and songs!

Published on Leave a comment on Visa Hotel

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We had the opportunity to visit the Visa hotel in our last full day in Moscow. We walked through and like the Bud hotel, the hotel was completely rebranded to fit Visas mentality. Everywhere you look you could see blue, a trademark of Visa, with the rest of the hotel being very clean and modern. Our guide told us that Visa is in fact a technology company, and hey really showed that off in the hotel. Above is one of my classmates participating in an augmented reality machine. He even scored high enough that he won a replica match ball!

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