Moscow for Foreigners

Hi,
Here I am again. Blogging in Moscow chilling autumn. Temperature outside is -3 degrees. The cold weather is even a good excuse for me to stay in my hotel room.
I arrived here in June this year, the weather was very warm. My first time in Moscow was in October 2004. It was cold but not that cold like today. Many people told me that the temperature will drop further come December. And 30 degrees below freezing point is normal in Moscow. Well no wonder in Russian history many great generals failed to capture Moscow during winter. But Muscovites love winter I assume. I on the other hand struggling to cope with it. Not only with her winter but with Moscow herself.
In Moscow everything is hard. Not only for foreigners but also for the locals. Cost of living is very high compared to other European cities. Hotels are not cheap. Eating in a restaurant will cost US30 per person wine not included. I bet that there are cheaper eating places but still could not find one with the waiters able to speak English. But it you can take MacD everyday then it will be okay. It is a funny thing here that you can find MacD almost everywhere, and packed everytime you enter. Especially Russia was US enemy no 1 during the cold war.
Knowledge in Russian language is a must. One doesn't have to be fluent though. How about if you knows nothing about Russian language. No excuse no shortcuts you must learn it. At least know how to say "excuse me", "do you speak english", "i don't speak russian", and "thank you". Even if you don't speak Russian you must know a little bit how to read cyrillic. It is important so that you can know on what street you are, which shop is a restaurant, where the metro is, which metro to takes. It is even more important to learn Russian if you are not white.
While many Muscovites are nice and friendly there are also some who reserves certain degree of prejudice toward colored people. You will notice this once you touch down at Sheremetyevo or Domodedevo airports. The immigration will flag through the white causcassian after a few seconds. But many asians and africans will need to wait an average 10 minutes before their passports being stamped.
If you are colored, chances of you getting stopped by the police are high. They will stop you and ask for your passport. So always bring your passport around and don't lose it. If they arrest you take note the name of the police station so that you can inform your embassy. In other words always bring your mobile and store important contact numbers in Moscow.
If you are colored expect to pay different prices for things and services you purchased. The Muscovites "reserve" the rights to charge you differently from what they charge their fellow countrymen. So just pay them, don't try to argue even if your Russian is flawless. Just don't visit the shop the next time if you have found fairer places. Why lose energy on something you cannot win and cannot fully comprehend.
What else should I tell here. Many more actually. But I decide best not to tell them all. You should find out yourselves, and form your opinion.