Symbols of America

[peacetraveler22]

For the past few weeks, Ilya Varlamov has published posts incorporating photos from Moscow in the late 1980's - early 90's. I love these! Amazing to see how the country looked right before the collapse of the USSR. In today's post, I saw this photo from 1990. A massive queue to enter the first McDonald's in Moscow! I can't imagine such a scene, or how this fast food chain symbolized so much to people at that time. In 1990, I was 17. A senior in high school, getting ready to graduate and enter university, and closely following events overseas.

What other places, items and things did Soviet citizens associate with America before the collapse? My aunt visited Russia in the early 1980's, and she told me stories about locals asking her for bubble gum and wanting to buy her Levi's, straight off her body. This is no joke.

This is what makes Russia so fascinating to me - very rich and diverse history, constantly shifting and changing. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Not sure how most Russians feel about the current direction in which Russia is moving...I hope you feel for the better, because it's depressing and sad to live in a place where you feel absolutely no hope or prospect for the future. I have never once felt this way about my life in America...

Comments

Re: By the way

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I've walked in this area many times, but did not know that Boeing had a presence there in Moscow.

Re: By the way

[fox511.livejournal.com]

History of cooperation between Boeing and Soviet (Russian) design bureaus began at mid-60s. Firstly it were unofficial half-legal meetings between engineers at "neutral territory" - in Europe. For example Joe Sutter (chief designer of Boeing 747) in his book describes one of this meeting. US designers told Russian engineers about pylon engine mounting at airplanes, our - about titanium details productions.

Main landing gear bogie of famous Boeing 777 was designed in cooperation with Tupolev Design Bureau. This kind of structure was already designed before 777 at Tu-154 airplane.

At state level, officially and permanent Boeing-Russia cooperation starts at the end of 1993.

At 1998 was opened Moscow Boeing Design Center. That 12th floor building, which houses about 1000 of Russian engineers, working at all modern Boeing commercial airplanes projects

Re: By the way

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks for the Boeing history lesson as it relates to Russia. :) I very much prefer Boeing aircraft over Airbus. Esp. the 747! When I worked for United Airlines, I had the opportunity to sit upstairs on a 747 in business class for a long flight to Asia. So awesome!!