People enjoy life much more deeply and feel more security and confidence. Strewn in the wake of Russia's upheaval are legions of beggars, orphans, homeless, jobless and impoverished elderly, confronting daily deprivation with scant hope for improvement. But swept up in the frenzy of a building boom that coincides with grandiose anniversary celebrations climaxing the weekend of Sept. 5-7, Muscovites seem to be walking a bit taller these days. Hurtling along with blue lights flashing, these bankers, businessmen and government luminaries enter a Moscow whose old outer shell remains intact. But changes are evident everywhere.
Signs herald new restaurant or store openings daily.
Haphazard kiosks that sprouted like weeds a decade ago are being ripped out and replaced by more permanent convenience shops and bistros. Hard-hat workers who face regular grillings by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov are rushing to finish Europe's largest shopping mall just outside the Kremlin. Key roads are choked. With 2.1 million cars, Moscow's traffic flow has nearly tripled since 1991. Swank boutiques and clubs are making historic Tverskaya Street even glitzier.