NPR's Anne Garrels reports in an audio postcard from Moscow that despite all the reports out of Russia about economic hardship, crime and corruption, there is much to enjoy in the Russian capital ...

So, I made it to Russia. Landed in Moscow from Helsinki, and was set upon by a swarm of vultures disguised as taxi drivers. Ha ha, you fiends, I’m not going to be taken in by you! I know how you work.