Larry here:

I'm amazed at how well I'm getting around here knowing so little Russian. I have shopped at the supermarket with a credit card, and have taken money out of our online account. I rode the Metro several times alone. When someone talks to me, I usually blurt out a stock Russian phrase like "please" or "thank you" that is inappropriate to the situation, or I just nod. Later the right phrase (ya niz nao,"which means "I don't know") comes to me. When I was the last one onto the metro car yesterday and my coat was stuck in the door for the ride to the next stop, a woman appeared to have some wry comment about it that I couldn't share in. Oh well. The coat is fine.
We are across the street from a great park, with huge monuments, and beyond that is a monorail line. We have just begun to explore it. From our window we see several high monuments there, including one of a spaceship heading into the heavens. We also see a ferris wheel from our window, which is said to be the third highest in the world, or the highest in Russia, or the world, depending on who you ask. Next door at the French owned hotel, Kosmos, is a 25 foot high statue of General De Gaulle, bien sur. When it snows, le president has snow on his shoulders.