In Moscow- day one

We arrived in Moscow tired, but no worse for the wear. Luckily our driver was waiting for us at the airport and we were on our way fairly quickly. We were headed directly to the American Medical Clinic to have our blood drawn to prepare for our 8 Doctor Medical visit tomorrow. Yes, I said EIGHT doctors. Once there we were joined by the family that traveled with us on our first trip. Our drive to the clinic from the airport was about an hour, but theirs had been three. YUCK. Travel is crazy here in Moscow; bumper to bumper. Unlike in Chicago or NYC during rush hour, in Moscow drivers don't signal and regularly change lanes. After having our blood drawn (which was an event in itself... ask me sometime) we had to wait for our chest x-rays. It seemed more like a mammogram to me, as I had to strip down to the waist. It will be interesting to see if we have to get completely naked tomorrow for our medicals. I actually shaved my legs just in case. We arrived to our apartment on New Arbat street at about 6pm Moscow time. We unpacked a little and then ran out to do some quick sightseeing as we tried to find a market. We plan on cooking in our apartment as much as possible to save money. I had packed some cereal and Kraft Easy Mac. We walked quite a while on New Arbat street and an adjacent side street. We found out the main thoroughfare outside our apartment used to be lined with casinos. The remnants of the decorations are still apparent. The government banned all casinos several years ago and higher end shopping took the vacant spots. There were quite a lot of people out strolling (the weather was beautiful in the upper 60s) and taking in the various vendors and street musicians. We found a Sbarro (the same one Kathy told us about) and both ate a slice of pizza (each slice was just over $1). On our walk home we found a vendor that sold water and pop and purchased them. We were disappointed we couldn't find one of the larger supermarkets we frequently saw during our drives to and from the clinic. Tomorrow we plan to venture out again in the morning to try and find a market and get a donut from Dunkin Donuts across the street. Our apartment is small but very clean and comfortable. We have an excellent view in two different directions. I am glad that the girls aren't with us and we don't have the boys yet; the windows open wide with no screens and we are on the 19th floor! I have taken several pictures during our walks and posted one of the Hard Rock Cafe. We found a Cinnabon, Subway, and McDonalds last night as well. My goal is to try and post something daily, we will see if it happens once we get the boys! Feel free to leave comments!