Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008

5. O2 Lounge

At the base of Tverskaya Ulitsa, the busiest street in Moscow, sits the new Ritz-Carlton, and on the 12th floor of the hotel is the O2 Lounge, which Russians insist on calling the Oh-Two Lounge and not the Oxygen Lounge. The O2 Lounge is meant to make the people who go there feel important, rich and sexy. It usually accomplishes all that — by charging exorbitant prices for first-rate sushi and Champagne, served by beautiful girls whose job it is to make eye contact with patrons for just a little too long. After dropping 5,000 rubles (about $200) for a little California roll and some Ruskiy Standart vodka, step outside onto the balcony. Without a doubt, the best views of Moscow — including panoramic shots of the Kremlin and, in the distance, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior — can be found here. Take the red line to the Okhotny Ryad metro stop.