Have you ever seen the rain

So today was to be archive day, but alas, it was not. Unfortunately, I neglected to note the hours of the reading room, which opened 3 hours later than the archive administration office. I realize this must sound surprising to some people - me, actually early for something. Of course, it took me a very, very long time to find the archive as there is a great deal of construction in the area, which apparently necessitates the removal of all street signs in the immediate vicinity of the metro station. So my carefully noted directions were almost useless. But I persevered and eventually found my way, and still arrived too early.

The area where the archives are located doesn't offer much for the average, or even non-average American, since it is largely a residential district. So I returned to my apartment and emailed my favorite archivist and advised him of my predicament. And as he is most certainly a wonderful man, he told me not to worry that it would be better to come on Monday anyways because he has located more documents that will be useful to me. Seriously, I think I must dedicate my dissertation to this man!

However, not spending the afternoon in the archives did leave me free to wander about the city, which I did and gleefully. Not only did I find a fabulous french pastry and coffee shop, but the city seems to be completely alive with music. For those of you that are interested in visiting, check out Le Pain Quotidien in Moscow (the locals call it Хлеб Насущный - khleb nasushnyi). It is a chain and they are in Europe, Japan, the U.S., etc. But, the coffee was great and so was the pastry. And best of all, they are only 2 blocks from my apartment.

Now on to the important part of my story - the music. On my way to the metro stop I was very surprised to see and hear what I think was a Peruvian band. They were decked out in full "native" garb - feathers, beads, and all. They were playing wooden flutes and the music was beautiful and completely unexpected. From the large crowd that had gathered around to hear them, it seems that I was not the only person enjoying their music. It was a peaceful respite from the pushing and shoving that you find on the metro at certain times of the day.

I finally made my way down to Old Arbat and there were quite a few rock and folk bands playing along the street. Old Arbat is this terrific pedestrian thoroughfare lined with shops, cafes, and street vendors offering everything from caricature drawings to palm readings. Musicians perform for donations from the crowd. The first group I came across was playing Credence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and they were really pretty good. Their lead guitarist handled the song pretty well, even if the lyrics were a little fuzzy in places. At one point in the song instead of "I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain," it became "oh no, have you ever seen the rain." I guess John Fogerty should have been more clear in his pronunciation. It makes me wonder how any group other than an American or British group could ever sing a Rolling Stones song. Never mind, most of us have no idea what Mick Jagger is actually saying even though English might be our native language. Come to think of it, does Mick Jagger actually know what he is singing?

To complete the multicultural experience, I also saw an Indian man playing a sitar. He had a large crowd gathered around him too. I guess Muscovites really appreciate good music.

I also found the restaurant "Goodman steakhouse" that comes up every time I search for Benny Goodman in Russia.  I guess he was just an inspirational man :)

That's all for now. I have a plate full of pelmeny stuffed with potatoes complete with sour cream and dill to eat.