One thing that I find fascinating from a city planning and sociology standpoint is the Russian attitude toward sidewalks. Russians--like most Europeans--are much more inclined to walk than Americans, and a 15 or 20 minute walk to get to work or school is considered perfectly normal. By contrast, American urban planning considers 1/4 mile--about a five-minute walk--the maximum distance people can be expected to walk to get from place to place. Russians also love to gulat (walk without a destination, stroll), and a real progulka can last an hour or two.

But, by US standards, the pedestrian infrastructure in many places in Russia is awful. My neighborhood has very few sidewalks, and the sidewalks that do exist frequently dead end or are built in such a way that they flood when it rains. So, there are many "unofficial" paths that have been cut into the grass, and these are fine when the ground is dry or frozen. But when it rains, these paths turn into giant mud mires. These paths are clearly very well worn, and they are used by thousands of people of day, but they remain unpaved and unimproved year after year. Now I understand why everyone stressed how important a good pair of sturdy shoes is in Russia--everything gets filthy and wet and muddy very quickly just from the walk to the bus stop.