Moscow: Travel guide, prices and free housing · 2026

VBValeryia Brazdetskayalera.brozdetskaya · Dec 9, 2019Read

What can I say about Philadelphia? According to the internet, Philadelphia is the 5th largest city in America, with about 6 million people living in the city and its suburbs. It is also one of the oldest cities in the USA, so there are plenty of monuments and historical sites here. For example, the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed here, which the residents are very proud of. The western part of the city is called Old City, where it all began. Here you will find many old monuments, historical buildings, and cozy cafes. This area is home to the famous Independence Hall (where the first US Constitution was signed). The central part of the city impressed me, of course, with its skyscrapers. Before this, I had only seen skyscrapers in Moscow City, and I can't wait for my trip to New York. By the way, the photo shows not just a fountain, but a real geyser located right in the city center. In my opinion, the most beautiful area is the Art Museum. This is the famous museum that Rocky Balboa ran to. It offers a wonderful view of the city center. All tourists stand with their hands raised on the rocky steps to take the famous photo. Unfortunately, we were in Philadelphia for less than a day, but we managed to visit the main attractions of the city such as: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, walk through Love Park, find the Belarusian flag on the Avenue of Flags, and enjoy the beautiful view next to the art gallery.

YTYauheni Turavetsevgeniytyrovez · Dec 15, 2017Read

I want to warn you right away that you should take the issue of obtaining a visa at the US consulate more seriously than ever. Even those who think they know English at a high level should not rely solely on their own knowledge. I advise reading forums with frequently asked questions (it won't hurt), definitely knowing the pamphlet, and asking friends (if you have any) who have already gone through the interview to tell you in great detail about this stage. But with all that said, no matter how confident you are, you must know and be prepared for the fact that EVERYTHING, or almost EVERYTHING, depends on the consul, and at any moment you can get a REFUSAL (although I'm not sure anyone can ever be ready for that). So, let's go in order. Evening of April 10th. Spring-like warm and clear weather, a bus stop, a transfer shuttle, the four of us are heading to Moscow, and in a few hours our future will be determined – either YES or NO. A comfortable large Mercedes, you can sleep, but all thoughts are already there, in Moscow, at the US consulate. We all understood perfectly well that the chances of all FOUR of us getting visas were not high, and so we gave our word – not to fall apart! And here is the early Moscow morning, my first time in Moscow. The huge megalopolis made a big impression on me, but the main thing was getting the visa. After waiting three hours until 9 AM at the Belorussky railway station, already tired from waiting and anxiety, we finally ended up near the consulate. Two more hours of waiting, submitting documents for verification, and there it was – the coveted queue number for the consul, confusion in my thoughts, repeating the pamphlet, and a male consul. Everything ended very quickly. I didn't even immediately realize how and what happened. My initially unsmiling Hello most likely played a cruel joke on me. A couple more questions from the consul, a green slip, and my thoughts – what is this?! And it was a refusal ((((( If someone asks me to describe my feelings at that moment, even now, after everything I've gone through and experienced, I wouldn't want to talk about it. I can say one thing – it was a huge shock and disappointment. But at the same time, I was happy for my friends who got their visas. The result of the interview – two refusals and two visas. And even Moscow no longer impresses. First trip for a visa

IBIuliia Balchinovafdsapoiuytrewq · Nov 26, 2014Read

P.S. Good day!!!! I want to say that everything I will write below, i.e., in my blog, is the absolute truth. There will be no lies here about how everything in this journey is perfect and wonderful, or conversely, terrible and uninteresting. Noooo... I just want to tell the guys, future participants, what a wonderful chance this is to test yourself, to show what you are capable of far from home, family, and your usual lifestyle, in the epicenter of freedom, unbridled fun, sunsets and sunrises, parties, work, and everything else. Let's go!!!!!! "Everything is new." I didn't choose the title for the page for nothing. In this journey, a lot of things were truly new to me. To start, a little about me. Hehe. My name is Yulia Balchinova, I am from the city of Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia. Yes, yes, it's in Siberia, and yes, it's cold here) Our winters are long and cold, but the sun is always shining. I'm not joking) Our republic is even called Sunny Buryatia. I study at the East-Siberian State University of Technology and Management, and my major is Biotechnology) To be honest, I had been planning a trip to America for a long time. Well, how should I say, planning, or rather, dreaming. It all started with the movie "Titanic," where in the final episodes, after the shipwreck, Rose stands on the deck of the ship that saved her and others, and looks at the Statue of Liberty. It was then that I thought that when I grew up, I would buy a ticket and see the Statue of Liberty with my own eyes. Time passed, and now I am 20 years old and hooray, friends, I am going to America. HOORAY!!!!!!!!!! You can't imagine my emotions, the screams I let out after the phrase: "I approved your visa." And I am not going alone, but with my best friend, who, like me, was obsessed with this idea. So, the suitcase is packed (wrapped in tape), in my hands is a small bag with passports, a guidebook to America, notes in English, and a camera. I am ready. Phew....!! We pick up my friend and rush to the airport. As you yourselves understand, check-in for the Ulan-Ude - Moscow flight, hugs and instructions from parents. I am very glad that my parents let me go to an "unknown land" and supported me in every way throughout my entire stay there:))) 6 hours and we are in the capital of our Motherland - Moscow. This is where the many new events in my life begin. I am in Moscow for the first time, I rode the subway for the first time. Thank God, my cousin lives and studies here, and she gave us a tour. Now a huge number of people won't understand me, but Moscow didn't make a huge impression on me. Maybe because my thoughts were already far across the ocean, in anticipation of the most wonderful summer. Definitely... that's how it was:) 05/22/14, 6:30 a.m., Sheremetyevo Airport. Waiting for the flight to Rome. Yes, our path consisted of three flights: Ulan-Ude - Moscow, Moscow - Rome, Rome - NEW YORK!!). Although we were in Rome for only 2 hours and it was simply impossible to leave the airport, I say with pride that we were in Italy. Haha. Even if just passing through. The Italians are stunning. They are wildly emotional and charismatic. Oh yes, and also very handsome. During those 2 hours, we just ran all over the airport. The thing is, in Sheremetyevo, they didn't give us boarding passes for the Rome - New York flight. It was very difficult to explain this to the airport staff, which is why we were running around. Can you imagine a bunch of students muttering in a language unknown to them (we tried to speak English, but since we were slightly panicked, Russian prevailed). But we managed and happily boarded the "SHIP OF OUR DREAMS," namely, the plane that took us to the land of "freedom." The plane was very comfortable. You could watch movies, concerts, listen to music, and track the flight. The food was delicious. And sitting next to us were 4 Italians. You know, now I want to learn Italian too!:) My friend, who had barely closed her eyes the night before departure, s

АСАртём СелезнёвZellss · Oct 30, 2012Read

The first few days of my stay in America have come to an end. Now that the difficulties of these days are behind me and new ones won't arrive until tomorrow, I want to describe my first impressions. And I don't even mind the African American guy lounging on the bed next to me, blasting his strange music. When I was heading to Domodedovo, I expected to see a small, dirty room hastily equipped as an airport. In reality, it is a truly huge building that meets all international standards. State-of-the-art equipment, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi—honestly, even London's airport seemed less interesting to me. Initially, it was planned that I would go to the USA with a friend, with the only difference being that he would arrive a day later. The surprises started right at the beginning. I went online and saw a message: "Tyoma, sorry, I can't go, I won't have time to pass my exams." Fantastic)) Oh well, more for me then. After going through the check-in procedure, I ended up in Duty Free (a place where you can buy anything at cheap prices; alcohol is, of course, in the highest demand), where I met another lonely adventurer—Anatoly. Together we wandered through the nooks and crannies of Duty Free and boarded the plane. Have you ever flown? The takeoff itself probably evokes the most emotion. That feeling when you are literally pressed into your seat and you rise into the sky. It's great! Then, a beautiful view of vanilla clouds appears before you. At some point, you even feel like you're in Antarctica, where there is snow and blue ocean everywhere. The service on the plane is also top-notch. Smiling flight attendants, delicious food (salad, main course, and dessert), and equally tasty drinks (during both flights, I managed to try liqueur, real beer, and whiskey). For entertainment, there is a monitor equipped in every seat. On it, you can watch various shows, movies, the flight path, time to the destination, etc. There is only one downside: about 20 minutes before landing, the plane slows down, and apparently because of this, your ears pop and start to hurt a lot. Although, maybe it's just because I'm not used to it.

АНАлександр Недужкоgarfiled · May 24, 2011Read

The Consulate finally remembered me today and sent my passport with the visa:) Although I had my interview back on May 12th. Oh well, to hell with them!!) At least they gave it to me=) Now everything is going according to plan: buying tickets for Krasnoyarsk – Moscow and New York – Panama City) And the Moscow to New York leg is being purchased by IEC.Exchange. Packing my bags and saying goodbye to family and friends) Departure is exactly in a week: 31.05.2011. (24.05.2011)

АНАлександр Недужкоgarfiled · Mar 19, 2011Read

Phew!!)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) A huge weight off my shoulders=) A month of waiting, then the LM status, the employer called the sponsor in New York, everything was confirmed, and the status changed to OK=)))) Now it's time to wait for the DS-2019 and fill out the DS-160=) By the way, at the very beginning of the application, where it says "Select the location where you will be submitting your application," you need to select YEKATERINBURG!!! I didn't find it the first time because I assumed the name started with an "E" and chose Moscow instead. Interviews start in less than a month! So good luck to everyone=))) We will definitely make it!!!!! Not much left now=)) (20.03.2011)

ККсенияTrix33311 · Jul 22, 2012Read

I'm still in Moscow. There are 18 hours left until my flight. I'll have to spend almost as much time in the sky. Everyone keeps asking: are you scared? Are you scared, are you scared? Damn it, yes, I am scared! But the itch of anticipation for adventures and wonders has already started.

ЕЕкатеринаSunny_Sophie · Jun 5, 2011Read

Hi. So. Moscow. The Embassy. But first, about the train to Moscow. Fun. It turned out that 9 out of 13 people in our carriage were going to the interview. Two more in the next one. We just slept, ate, and talked. We ate, oh my god, so much. Moscow didn't exactly welcome me with open arms. I didn't have time to put on makeup or have breakfast. I bought a metro ticket and went through the wrong gate, so some guy slipped through using my ticket. What's it like when everyone is waiting for you? Well, I snuck in as a stowaway too. We found a 24/7 place on Novy Arbat. Went in, had some tea. Managed to get myself together. So. June 2nd. The Consulate: The last chance to get a visa this year for full-time students (June 7th in Yekaterinburg for part-time students). There were about 650 people standing in front of the consulate. Our city was 23rd in the list—the middle. Ulan-Ude were the last—42nd, poor things. Damn it, I should have worn a sweater instead of just a t-shirt to the consulate. It was cold. At least there was some food and toilets. We went through the metal detectors without any problems. We were filling out, or rather signing, the DS-2019 form, and I made a typo in the word 'Moscow'. I thought, 'That's it, I'm doomed.' Then waiting. Fingerprints. I said hello loudly, which made everyone laugh; in short, I made everyone laugh that day with my conversations with foreigners. And the agonizing wait for the consul. Feelings: cold, fear, fun, chatter, silence, more chatter, concentration, jokes, shaking knees—apathy, concentration, anger—joy! We waited 8 hours for the interview. During that time, I taught the Nizhny Novgorod group how to pronounce our city correctly. And a lot more. It's a middle city, damn it!!!! Approaching the consul, I was smiling. Sweet guy. I liked him. It was more like a conversation on a train. We just chatted. C: Hello. Me: Hi. Me: How are you? C: Fine. How about you? Me: Good, just a bit tired. But the weather is super. C: Where are you from? Me: From Perm. C: How did you get here? Me: By train. C: How long is the trip? Me: About 24 hours. C: (shocked) Where do you study? Me: PSU. C: Where are you going? I answered. And what is this? - A restaurant, with very sweet employers. - And why are they so sweet? - (here I hesitated while formulating the phrase) Because I was supposed to leave on the 23rd, and today is the 2nd, and they are still waiting for me. C: I see. C: He rummaged through the documents, scanned them like in a store. Signed them and said the cherished 'have a nice summer!!!' Hooray! Thank you, Sir! Goodbye! Have a nice day. I said it loudly and joyfully again, which made the whole audience laugh. Result. 70 percent rejection rate. From Perm, 3 out of 13; from Yekaterinburg, 8 out of 20; Rostov (they went after us), none out of three. Moscow, almost everyone! Damn it! We snuck through without soap! Hooray!!!! We walked around with the girls from Perm and ate. Threw away half of the spoiled food from the train. At 4:30, we came to the consulate and unexpectedly met our people. And more people were coming out. !!!!! We walked around Red Square and the park. I saw the girls off to the train, and I wandered around Moscow for another 2 hours. I was charmed by it. On the way back, the strap on my sandals broke. I sat at the station for another hour waiting for the train. In sneakers. :) I mean, I was in sneakers, not the train. Killed my feet. The return train—we traveled with guys from Yekaterinburg. A ballroom dancer, her boyfriend, and 3 other guys. I didn't talk to the 2 Perm girls who were in the same carriage. During all this time, I realized they were sour. The only thing I wanted was to finally take a shower. The train, compared to the branded Kama we took on the way there, is crap. Drafts from the windows. Sanitary zones and other delights of life. And now I'm waiting for Monday and the booking. Don't be afraid of anything!!!! Consuls aren't that scary. The main thing is a smile and a