[adamrmcd]

I was in Moscow in 2008 and one of my fondest memories was visiting GUM (pronounced "goom") right in Red Square. Three or four stories of shops ranging from perfume to electronics to butchers.

I remember arguing with my mom loudly in English in its halls, and kids would come up to us to practice their english and try to help us :)

At the Motorola store in GUM I bought an unlocked Motorola ROKR with Cyrillic T9 keys, for the equivalent of US$200.

Our tour guide smiled on how much GUM was such a social hub for Russians since the 1920s. I couldn't comment on how the haves and have-nots viewed the location, or what it stood for over the years or today, but it was obvious to me its social status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUM_(department_store)

[hyakosm]

A mall across the Lenin mausolee in Soviet Union, pretty intriguing

> Several times during the 1960s and 1970s, the Second Secretary of the Communist Party Mikhail Suslov, who hated the idea of having a Department store across the Mausoleum of Lenin, tried to convert GUM into a Exhibition hall and Museum showcasing the achievements of the Soviet Union and Communism, without the knowledge of General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. Each time however, Brezhnev was tipped off and put a stop to such plans.[8]