good am tour mac miller

Mac Miller Announces the “GO:OD AM Tour”

The hip hop artist, Mac Miller, has announced a fall U.S. tour, called “The GO:OD AM Tour,” to support his new album, GO:OD Am. The tour will feature a variety of support including Tony Lanez, Goldlink, Domo Genesis, EarthGang, Michael…

Digital Tour Bus

The hip hop artist, Mac Miller, has announced a fall U.S. tour, called “The GO:OD AM Tour,” to support his new album, GO:OD Am . The tour will feature a variety of support including Tony Lanez, Goldlink, Domo Genesis, EarthGang, Michael Christmas and Alexander Spit. You can check out the dates, details and poster, after the break.

Sep 20 Stage AE – Outdoors Pittsburgh, PA Sep 22 the Fonda Hollywood, CA Sep 23 REGENCY BALLROOM San Francisco, CA Sep 26 Espace Montmorency Laval, Canada Sep 27 The Bowery Ballroom New York, NY Sep 29 The Garage London, United Kingdom Sep 30 VK Club Brussels, Belgium Oct 01 Le Trabendo Paris, France Oct 02 TivoliVredenburg Pandora Utrecht, Netherlands Oct 04 Bi NUU Berlin, Germany Oct 06 Mac Miller Rochester, NY Oct 07 Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY Oct 09 House Of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH Oct 10 Bogart’s Cincinnati, OH Oct 11 LC Pavilion Columbus, OH Oct 13 The Intersection Grand Rapids, MI Oct 14 The Fillmore Detroit, MI Oct 15 Marathon Music Works Nashville, TN Oct 17 Orpheum Theatre Madison, WI Oct 18 Mill City Nights Minneapolis, MN Oct 20 The Pageant St Louis, MO Oct 21 Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Indianapolis, IN Oct 23 Minglewood Hall Memphis, TN Oct 24 Mercury Ballroom Louisville, KY Oct 26 The Lyric Oxford Oxford, MS Oct 27 Cain’s Ballroom Tulsa, OK Oct 28 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, OK Oct 30 Freaky Deaky Bridgeview, IL Oct 31 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO Nov 01 TOYOTA PARK Bridgeview, IL Nov 02 The Complex Salt Lake City, UT Nov 04 Revolution Concert Hall and Event Center Garden City, ID Nov 07 Knitting Factory Spokane Spokane, WA Nov 09 Showbox SODO Seattle, WA Nov 11 Roseland Theater Portland, OR Nov 12 Knitting Factory-Reno Reno, NV Nov 17 Brooklyn Bowl-LV Las Vegas, NV Nov 18 House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA Nov 20 Rialto Theatre-Tucson Tucson, AZ Nov 21 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, AZ Nov 23 Mac Miller Austin, TX Nov 27 Warehouse Live-Ballroom Houston, TX Nov 29 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA Dec 01 The Ritz Ybor Ybor City, FL Dec 02 The Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL Dec 04 The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater Miami Beach, FL Dec 05 Hard Rock Live Orlando Orlando, FL Dec 07 The Orange Peel Asheville, NC Dec 08 The Fillmore Charlotte, NC Dec 10 The National Richmond, VA Dec 11 The NorVA Norfolk, VA Dec 12 The Fillmore Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Dec 13 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD Dec 15 The Paramount Huntington, NY Dec 16 Terminal 5 New York, NY Dec 17 House of Blues Boston Boston, MA

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How Mac Miller Dropped The Jokes And Became A Rapper To Respect

“Ain’t nothing but a brand name.”

The hook on Mac Miller’s latest single, “Brand Name,” perfectly sums up the Pittsburgh rapper’s toughest career obstacle: To the average hip-hop fan, Mac Miller wasn’t a skilled rapper/producer/artist — he was a burnt-out frat rapper trying to stay relevant with his Jackass wannabe show on MTV . Fast forward to the release of his third studio release,  GO:OD AM. The days of battling the “post-high school troublemaker” image are just about over.

In a five-year span, Mac Miller has been able to shake that image and craft his own lane. But that path was far from linear, navigating through some classic mixtapes, album flops, addiction, depression, and everything in between. He’s emerged with his own style. In his early mixtape days, Mac’s style was the equivalent of a rap starter pack for kids; sugary instrumentals behind bars that rarely went beyond the “who you know that’s iller than Mac Miller” message. On tracks like “Nikes on my Feet” and “The Spins,” Mac had an uncanny ability to connect with his niche audience of college-age party-goers. He captured the essence of the party, the hangover, and everything in between like no other backpack rapper could. This isn’t exactly high-brow music, but Mac had real musical talent – a keen ear for beats, a strong enough flow and a relatable presence on the mic.

Mac was building a strong following with this indulgent style, but at a cost. From the same high school as Wiz Khalifa, Miller became known as a white knock-off of his Pittsburgh peer to outside observers. He mirrored Wiz’s “Taylor Gang” crew with his “Most Dope” brand. Mac would even go on a nationwide college campus tour with Wiz, as if he wanted to flaunt and exploit every stereotype on one cross-country trip.

Mac’s popularity screamed for a full studio album, which Mac delivered. His independent debut,  Blue Slide Park , was essentially a polished, (slightly) higher-budget mash of his mixtapes, anchored down by stricter sampling restrictions and wiped clean of the carefree rawness of his mixtapes.

In spite of his impressive sales — it debuted No. 1 as an independent release — BSP was poorly received by critics, earning a  Metascore of 58 . For the first time, Mac had failed — and it hit him hard. He took the industry’s rejection personally, turning to drugs to deal with his depression. It wasn’t just the music that didn’t vibe with hip-hop heads — it was Mac Miller, the person, that no one wanted to associate with, as he told Billboard :

“A lot of the reviews were more on me as a person. To be honest, that was even worse. You’re 19, you’re so excited to put out your first album, you put it out—and no one has any respect for you or for what you did.”

At the risk of fading into irrelevancy, Mac had to make serious changes to his style and image to ever be taken as a serious artist. Keeping up his frantic pace, his  Macadelic mixtape dropped in the spring of 2012, exposing the drug-induced haze he had put himself in after the failure of BSP. Gone were pregame anthems, in were airy, dreary beats and introspective lyrical content. Mac stopped rapping about how much fun he was having and started to question his own identity.  “Sometimes I wonder who the f*ck I am,” he bluntly asks in the opening bars of “The Question.” Mac wiped the slate clean, focusing more on what  he wanted to make than what his fans were looking to play at house parties. 

This 180 degree change also had some fallout; Mac fell out of the more lucrative pop-rap scene and lost a fair share of fans in the process. For Mac, however, staying true to himself was the only way he was going to stand the test of time in the vicious music industry. The tape helped Miller gain a footing in the underground scene, but he would take the full plunge by moving to Los Angeles, where he distanced himself from the “old Mac” while making connections with the blossoming West Coast rap scene. He allied with members of Odd Future and Top Dawg Entertainment, along with similar-minded young emcees such as Vince Staples and Casey Veggies — many of which would land on his sophomore LP.

Watching Movies with the Sound Off  mirrored the tone of  Macadelic,  but with significant developments in production and content. Mac produced most of his own tracks for this album, developing a slew of rich, cashmere-textured beats that captured the quirky, darker direction he was going in. As much progress as Mac was making, he was still a ways off from coming into his own. He delivered in a monotone, as if he was unsure if his bars could hold up as well as he thought. His sound had made the transition to the underground, but his monotone started to sound more like Earl Sweatshirt than Mac Miller.

After WMWTSO,  Mac took the volume approach to further crafting his sound. Before coming upon  GO:OD AM , Mac created nine albums for himself while dropping another 24-song mixtape,  Faces.  When he wasn’t playing to the camera on his MTV show, he was locked in the studio, often for days at a time, as he told Grantland :

“Every different project was just a state of mind I was in, and some of them were made over months, some were in four days. It wasn’t like I kept trying and missing; it was almost like I was pushing off making the album I knew I needed to make. At that time, I just wanted to be weird and make sh*t without any stipulations.”

Mac’s compulsion to find the perfect sound, combined with his troublesome drug use, forced him to Rick Rubin’s house to detox . Overcoming his drug problem helped produce some of Mac’s densest, most compelling tracks to date. On “Perfect Circle/God Speed,” he depicts how his mother and friends would react to an overdose, before questioning the afterlife on “Ascension.”

On  GO:OD AM,  Mac checked off all the remaining boxes that held back  Watching Movies with the Sound Off . His delivery is as confident and hard-hitting as it’s ever been. Using more jazz sounds and upbeat instrumentals, Mac seems to be out of his drug haze, more self-aware than ever. He is quick to remind everyone that he is “on the top of his game” on “When in Rome,” which is essentially a more mature version of the Blue Slide Park single “Smile Back.”

Mac even (finally) addresses the ridiculous comparisons to Eminem — while acknowledging his tendency to escape from public eye for years at a time because of his race with some witty wordplay:

PA’s baby, I ain’t been to PA lately See, I left, they call me shady I’m a white rapper, they always call me shady Got no idea what I’m contemplatin’, I guess

With GO:OD AM,  Mac Miller is now embracing his new, balanced life and the little things that come along with it — even something as small as waking up at a decent hour. And at just 23 years old, he is just hitting his stride. He narrowly avoided career suicide, escaping the jaws of hip-hop irrelevancy by constantly evolving.

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Mac Miller Announces Sprawling North American Tour For Upcoming 'The GO:OD AM' LP

In case you haven't heard, Mac Miller 's getting ready to drop his third studio album  The GO:OD AM this fall, which means it's high-tide to announce a supporting tour. And that's precisely what he's done today, rolling-out a massive list of dates for his forthcoming  The GO:OD  AM  tour, which jumps off in Rochester, NY and runs straight through the month of December, hitting ballrooms and amphitheaters in every corner of the continental US of A. While no new sounds or sights have surfaced just yet, you can jump back a few weeks and rock with his Sean Price-collabo "Pet Sounds" for an added jolt.  The GO:OD AM  hits stores September 18th via Warner Bros. Records and can be preorder on iTunes today. Here's hoping that it'll, at least in part, resemble the brilliance he displayed on the Schoolboy Q-assisted, Pete Rock-produced hazy days special "Melt." Peep the full list of forthcoming Mac Miller dates below.

Tour Dates:

10/06 @ Water Street Music Hall - Rochester, NY

10/07 @ Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY

10/09 @ House Of Blues - Cleveland, OH

10/10 @ Bogart’s - Cincinnati, OH

10/11 @ The LC Indoor Pavilion - Columbus, OH

10/13 @ The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI

10/14 @ The Fillmore - Detroit, MI

10/15 @ Marathon Music Works - Nashville, TN

10/17 @ Orpheum Theater - Madison, WI

10/18 @ Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN

10/20 @ The Pageant - St. Lous, MO

10/21 @ Egyptian Room - Indianapolis, IN

10/23 @ Minglewood Hall - Memphis, TN

10/24 @ Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY

10/26 @ The Lyric Oxford - Oxford, MS

10/27 @ Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK

10/28 @ Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK

10/30 @ The Cotillion Ballroom - Wichita, KS

10/31 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater - Morrison, CO

11/1 @ Freaky Deaky - Chicago, IL

11/2 @ The Complex - Salt Lake City, UT

11/4 @ Revolution Center - Boise, ID

11/6 @ McDonald Theater - Eugene, OR

11/7 @ Knitting Factory - Spokane, WA

11/8 @ Vogue Theater - Vancouver, BC

11/9 @ Showbox Sodo - Seattle, WA

11/11 @ Roseland Theater - Portland, OR

11/12 @ Knitting Factory - Reno, NV

11/13 @ The Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA

11/14 @ Odd Future Carnival - Los Angeles, CA

11/17 @ Brooklyn Bowl - Las Vegas, NV

11/18 @ House Of Blues - San Diego, CA

11/20 @ Rialto Theater - Tucson, AZ

11/21 @ The Marquee - Tempe, AZ

11/23 @ Emo’s - Austin, TX

11/24 @ Alamo City Music Hall - San Antonio, TX

11/25 @ Bomb Factory - Dallas, TX

11/27 @ Warehouse Live Ballroom - Houston, TX

11/28 @ Joy Theater - New Orleans, LA

11/29 @ Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA

12/1 @ The Ritz - Tampa FL

12/2 @ Florida Theater - Jacksonville, FL

12/4 @ The Fillmore Miami Beach - Miami, FL

12/5 @ Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL

12/7 @ The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC

12/8 @ The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC

12/10 @ The National - Richmond, VA

12/11 @ NORVA - Norfolk, VA

12/12 @ The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA

12/13 @ The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD

12/15 @ The Paramount - Huntington, NY

12/16 @ Terminal 5 - New York, NY

12/17 @ House Of Blues - Boston, MA

12/18 @ Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg, PA

12/20 @ Sound Academy - Toronto, ON

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Mac Miller Shows His Newfound Maturity on ‘GO:OD A.M.’

With an extensive discography that rivals some of the more seasoned veterans in the game, it’s hard to believe that Mac Miller is only 23 years old. The Pittsburgh native has continuously released project after project for almost as long as one can remember, all while touring across the country like a madman, activities that can take a toll on a person both physically and mentally. And with the release of his third studio album, GO:OD AM , Mac shows a maturity beyond his years, all while tackling the highs and lows that come with the life of fame and fortune in the music industry.

GO:OD AM kicks off in fitting fashion with the Tyler, The Creator-produced “Doors,” a “good morning” track of sorts in which Mac croons that he’s “been through all the highs” and “seen all the lows” over dreamy production that features airy synths and glittering keys. This song sets the tone for the rest of the album, a project that serves as a sort of point of reflection for the 23-year-old, in which he speaks on the hurdles he’s had to overcome (and hurdles he’s stumbled over) to get to where he is now.

Mac’s well-documented battle with substance abuse and depression is referenced throughout the album; whether he’s “drinking whiskey out the bottle ’til [he] black[s] out” on the Juicy-J-inspired “ Break The Law ," or he’s “stoned all week,” on “ 100 Grandkids .” But it's on the second track of the album that Mac has a moment of clarity where he realizes that he doesn’t want to join the infamous “27 Club,” which houses deceased musical legends including the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse (and, for the hip-hop set, Fat Pat, Freaky Tah and Jean-Michel Basquiat). This blunt honesty points to a maturation of sorts for the rapper, something that hasn’t been seen quite as clearly on his previous projects.

The album has its fun moments as well. On “Cut The Check,” which features one of Chief Keef’s best feature verses in recent memory, Mac Miller puffs his chest out, flowing effortlessly on a menacing flurry of hi-hats and booming kicks with bars like: “I'ma get it ’til there ain’t shit left to get/No stress running suicides don’t even break a sweat/I’m a threat, code red when your line get pressed/You getting fucked by your contract, what the fine print says.” And on “When In Rome,” Mac's rhymes over an epic trap beat makes you wish that he channeled his inner “Trap Wiz” and released an entire trap project, like fellow Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa did last year on 28 Grams .

The production on the album leans more towards the jazzy/soulful production that Mac has favored over the course of his career and features producers such as the previously-aforementioned Tyler, Sha Money XL, ID Labs, Sounwave and Frank Dukes, who produced the nearly 8-minute standout track “Perfect Circle/God Speed.” But it's also clearer than his previous effort,  Watching Movies With The Sound Off , less muddied by lean nightmares and screwed up slow downs.

The album contains a total of five features; Ab-Soul on “Two Matches,” Lil B, who delivers more of a sermon as opposed to an actual verse on “Time Flies,” Miguel on the end of week anthem “Weekend,” Chief Keef on the aforementioned “Cut The Check” and Little Dragon on the album finale “The Festival.” The features all serve their purpose, and all enhance the respective tracks in their own unique ways.

Despite the fact that the album contains a lot of what has made Mac Miller a fan favorite—stories of drugs, groupies and the debauchery that ensues—this project represents somewhat of a new Mac Miller, one that has become more self-aware of both his own status and his surroundings. Whether he’s speaking about love on “ROS,” talking about making a promise to his mother to give her grandchildren on “100 Grandkids,” or realizing that he wishes that he knew back then what he knows now on “Jump,” it’s clear to see that Mac Miller has grown, not only as an artist, but as a person. And what results is a great all-around album. — Marvin Jules

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By Tayler Montague

Warner Bros.

October 8, 2015

Who is Mac Miller? On Blue Slide Park , he was a childish "frat rapper" who made dumb jokes about smoking weed and referred to the vagina as a "cooter." On the claustrophobic Watching Movies With the Sound Off , he was rapping in a pitched-down voice alongside Earl Sweatshirt and Ab-Soul about friends lost, drugs consumed, depression, and the trappings of success. And on the transparent, relaxed GO:OD AM , he sounds like someone’s troubled little brother made good: from the album’s opening horns, you can sense that this is a victory lap for Mac, a homecoming.

From start to finish, this is his most refined and well put-together project. Getting through the 16 tracks on Blue Slide Park was like an endurance test, and even the deeper and much-improved Watching Movies started to sound interchangeable before it ended. The beats on GO:OD AM have a New York, boom-bap feel, with lots of jazz samples and harder drums, and it’s both more varied and more upbeat, from the trap-sounding beats of  "When in Rome" or the Chief Keef -featuring "Cut the Check" to love songs like "ROS" or the Miguel collaboration "The Weekend". Miller said he recorded 400 songs for Watching , and sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder about the selection process ( "Objects in the Mirror" ?) but on GO:OD AM , he’s learned to self-edit.

Lyrically, Mac offers a music industry "Scared Straight". "I’ve seen some motherfucking shit," he warns on "Two Matches". The interlude before "God Speed" includes a voicemail from his brother, checking in on him at a low point in his life, and later on in the song, he admits: "White lines be numbing them dark times/ Them pills that I’m popping, I need to man up/ Admit it’s a problem, I need a wake up/ Before one morning, I don’t wake up." It’s funny to hear a 23-year-old who just kicked his habit and could be considered a kid himself refer regretfully to "all the kids doing drugs" on "In the Bag", but Mac has enough of his sense of humor intact to keep the album from playing like a D.A.R.E. campaign on wax.

On "God Speed", the album’s standout track, he pays tribute to the close friends in his Most Dope Family , especially his right hand man Q, and it’s genuinely touching. "Everybody saying I need rehab/ So I’m speeding with a blindfold on/ It won’t be long before they watching me crash/ And they don’t wanna see that," he raps, thanking the people that got him through the toughest time of his life. He’s never preachy, though: He sounds refreshed and rejuvenated, like someone who has been going for daily walks, eating veggies and drinking fruit smoothies every day.

Many songs here reference his status as a white rapper, signaling his awareness of the rap game’s perception of him: "I’m a white rapper/ They always call me shady," he says on "Brand Name", just a few minutes into the album. "I know niggas think you white and you not about to go in with these bars," chimes in Domo Genesis  on "In the Bag". There’s a kind of authenticity to him that has been there since the beginning, if you look for it: He doesn’t rap about breaking the law, because he’s not about that life. He’s a corny white rapper (meant as a compliment) who loves his family, friends, and hometown. We might not learn a lot of specifics about him, but there’s a lot of honesty in his music if you look for it.

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Mac Miller Announces 'The GO:OD AM' Tour

Goldlink, Tory Lanez, Domo Genesis, and more will be on the tour with Mac.

Image via Complex Original

Mac Miller 's  GO:OD AM  album is due to drop next month, and with the hype already high with his fans, he just announced a full tour to go along with the project. The tour, which kicks off at the beginning of October, will also include sets from  Tory Lanez ,  Goldlink ​,  Domo Genesis ,  Earth Gang ,  Michael Christmas , and more.

The tour is set to run all the way through December and will include stops in New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and many more. Ticket information for the tour can be found here , while the full list of dates can be seen below. Pre-order Mac's new album on iTunes here , before it drops on September 18. 

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Mac Miller Announces 'The GO:OD AM Tour'

In anticipation of his upcoming album, Mac Miller is taking the show on the road. The Pittsburgh rapper has announced dates for “The GO:OD AM Tour.”

The nearly three-month trek kicks off Oct. 6 in Rochester, New York, and travels across the U.S. and Canada, with shows in Chicago, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New York, and Boston, including a stop at the Odd Future Carnival in Los Angeles on Nov. 14. It all comes to a close on Dec. 20 in Toronto.

The GO:OD AM Tour. Tickets available at https://t.co/XQza1lw5Bo pic.twitter.com/49p8t4zJFF — Mac (@MacMiller) August 24, 2015

He will be joined by special guests Tory Lanez, Goldlink, Domo Genesis, Earthgang, Michael Christmas, and Alexander Spit.

Before he launches his fall tour, Miller will release his major-label debut GO:OD AM on Sept. 18 and launch a series of release shows called “A Night with Mac Miller” on Sept. 20 in his hometown.

Tickets are now available for pre-order at haveagoodam.com . See dates below.

Dates A photo posted by Mac Miller (@larryfisherman) on Aug 24, 2015 at 11:11am PDT

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Shooter Files by f.d. walker

Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides

Apr 24 2017

City Street Guides by f.d. walker: A Street Photography Guide to Moscow, Russia

*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!

At over 12 million people, Moscow is the largest city in Russia and second largest in Europe by population ( Istanbul is #1). An urban, cosmopolitan metropolis with more than enough glitz and glam to cater to the elite, but without losing its fair share of Soviet era roughness around the edges. It can be fast paced, brash, busy, and trendy like other big cities, but it has its blend of West meets Russia atmosphere and beauty that provides plenty of unique interest. The Red Square is as famous as it gets, but there’s so much more to this city, including the most beautiful subway system you’ve ever seen. It would take years to capture all of Moscow, but that means you have an endless amount of areas to discover.

So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Moscow has to offer before you even arrive!

• Patriarch’s Pond
• Old Arbat Street
• Maroseyka Street
• Tverskoy Boulevard

Top 5 Street Spots:

1. red square.

The Red Square is the most famous square in not just Russia, but all of Eastern Europe. The name actually doesn’t come from the color of the bricks or communism, but from the name in Russian, Krásnaya, once meaning “beautiful” before its meaning changed to “red.” This large plaza is what you see on the cover of guide books and magazines for Moscow, with St. Basil’s Cathedral being the center piece next to Lenin’s Mausoleum surrounded by the Kremlin Wall. Of course, the Red Square attracts hordes of tourist due to the main attractions, but all that activity around an interesting atmosphere does provide street photo opportunities. It’s also the central square connecting to the city’s major streets, providing a good starting point to explore outward.

You’ll also find the popular pedestrian only Nikolskaya Street connecting the Red Square to Lubyanka Square. This line of expensive shops includes plenty of activity, while also leading you to another popular square. Filled with history rivaling any city, the Red Square and surrounding areas are the heart and soul of Russia.

2. Patriarch’s Ponds

Patriarch’s Ponds is one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Moscow. Despite the name being plural, there’s only one large pond, but it’s worth a visit with your camera. It’s a popular spot for locals and expats to come relax or take a stroll around the pond. You get an interesting mix of young and old too, from young love to “babushkas” feeding pigeons. It’s a very peaceful park atmosphere in one of the nicer areas within the city center, while bringing enough activity for street photography. 

The pond is shallow and in the winter becomes a popular spot for ice-skating too. The area is also well-known for the location in the famous Russian novel, The Master and Margarita. 

3. Old Arbat (Stary Arbat)

Old Arbat is the most famous pedestrian street in Moscow, and dating back to the 15th century, also one of its oldest. Originally, it was an area of trade, but soon became the most prestigious residential area in Moscow. During the 18th century, Arbat started attracting the city’s scholars and artists, including Alexander Pushkin. Cafes lined the streets and impressive homes filled the neighborhood. Since then, New Arbat street was created as a highway in the area, while Old Arbat was paved for a 1km pedestrian only walkway.

Due to the historic buildings, famous artists that lived here, and the bohemian atmosphere, Old Arbat has become a big attraction for tourists today. Now, there’s a mix of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, street performers, street merchants and other attractions for visitors, and some locals, to come enjoy. It can get really busy here and there’s usually something interesting going on so it’s a good street to come walk with your camera for guaranteed life.

4. Gorky Park

One of the most famous places in Moscow is Gorky Park. The official name is Maxim Gorky’s Central Park of Culture & Leisure, which gives you an idea of what goes on here. When built, it was the first of its kind in the Soviet Union. Divided into two parts, it stretches along Moscow River. One end contains fair rides, foods stands, tennis courts, a sports club, a lake for boat rides, and more. This end brings more active life due to its number of attractions, while the other end is more relaxed, where you’ll find gardens, trees, older buildings, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Gorky Park attracts mostly locals so it’s a good spot to capture the non-tourist side of Moscow life. Muscovites come here to escape the city and unwind in a picturesque setting. The park remains alive outside of the warmer months too, especially when the lake turns into the city’s largest outdoor skating rink. I’d recommend taking the metro out here to spend at least half a day exploring the massive park’s life with your camera.

5. Maroseyka Street

Maroseyka Street is a popular area not too far from the Red Square. The long, winding street turns into Pokrovka and is lined with restaurants, cafes, bars and places to stay. It’s actually where I like to stay when I’m in Moscow due to its location and solid street photography opportunities itself. You have Kitay-gorod station near and if you keep walking southwest, you’ll get to the Red Square. But if you walk northwest, as it changes to Pokrovka, you can find a long street of activity for photography with its own interesting atmosphere.

6. Tverskoy Boulevard

Tverskoy Boulevard is the oldest and longest boulevard in Moscow, beginning at the end of Nikitsky Boulevard, and finishing at Pushkin Square, a spot to come for activity itself. The boulevard is made up of two avenues, with pedestrian walkways in-between. You’ll find grass, shrubbery, trees, benches and more walking it’s almost kilometer length. Many people come here to enjoy some relaxation, walk their dog, or just to use it to walk wherever they’re going. Its center location also provides a nice place to walk with your camera near plenty of other spots you’ll want to check out anyway.

Sample Street Walk:

For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Moscow:

• Start your morning walking around the Red Square (1), while exploring the surrounding area, including Nikolskaya Street
• Then walk northwest to Patriarch’s Ponds (2) and slowly walk the pond and surrounding area with your camera
• Next, walk east to the Pushkin Monument and stroll down Tverskoy Boulevard (6)
• Once Tverskoy Boulevard (6) ends, it will turn into Nikitsky Boulevard. Follow this down until you get to the start of Old Arbat Street (3), across from Arbatskaya station
• After you’re done walking down Old Arbat Street (3) for more street photography, spend some time checking out Moscow’s beautiful metro stations
• To finish off the day with more street photography, get off the metro near Red Square (1) again, Maroseyka Street (5) or wherever you’re staying for the night.

3 Things I’ll Remember about Shooting in Moscow:

1. museum metro.

The Moscow metro system was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union and today includes 203 stations across 340km of routes. The elaborate system has some of the deepest stations in the world too, with escalators that seem to go on forever. None of this is what makes it so special, though. Many of its stations feel like stepping inside a museum, making it without a doubt the most interesting and beautiful metro system I’ve been in.

When built, Stalin wanted to make the metro stations “palaces for the people” with marble, chandeliers, and grand architecture. The best part is the variety of architecture and styles used, making many of the stations a completely different experience visually. You could easily spend a whole day traveling the stations and there are even tours available for people who wish to do just that. My advice, though, would be just to buy a ticket and hop on and off at different stations, while exploring different lines. The museum-like surrounding mixed with the crowds of characters can make for a great photography experience.

Since there are so many stations, here are some of my favorites to check out:

• Novoslobodskaya
• Mayakovskaya
• Elektrozavodskaya
• Komsomolskaya
• Ploschad Revolyutsii
• Dostoyevskaya
• Prospekt Mira

2. Moscow is Big

It’s no secret that Moscow is a big city, but it can feel even bigger with how spread out much of it is. This is especially true if you compare it to cities outside of Asia. If I compared it to cities in Europe, I’d probably say only Istanbul would warrant more time to really discover the depths of this city. Most only explore around the Red Square and surrounding area, but that is such a small part of the city. Although, that central area does give you plenty to see on its own.

Fortunately, I had a good friend living in the city to show me around, but it opened up my eyes even more to how much there is to discover in Moscow. It’s a big city with a variety of atmosphere that can take you from “east” to “west” and trendy to rugged depending on where you go. I’d imagine you’d have to live here a while to really know the city.

3. Cosmopolitan Mix of East meets West

Modern skyscrapers mixed with amazing architecture, a world-class metro system with museum-like beauty, trendy fashion and chic clubs, Moscow is a rich mix of Russian culture and history in a more western cosmopolitan package. There is a push to keep the Russian culture, while also pushing forward with a modern metropolis the whole world will envy. This comes with an impressive skyline, that continues to grow, and endless modernities, but with soviet nostalgia and atmosphere mixed in for good measure.

Mixed in with this grand western cosmopolitan atmosphere, is a strong national pride in Russia. This includes their famous leader, Vladimir Putin. Maybe no other place will you see a country’s leader more often. All over, from the pricey tourist shops to the underground walkway stalls, you’ll find goods with Putin’s likeness covering them. From t-shirts to magnets to Matryoshka dolls. There’s a strong national pride that can be seen around the city, which also extends to their leader. Moscow is many things. It’s East meets West, modernizations meets Soviet era, and a whole lot more.

What To Do For a Street Photography Break?:

Eat at a stolovaya.

Stolovayas are Russian cafeterias that became popular in the Soviet days. You grab a tray and walk down the line of freshly prepared local dishes, and select whatever you want from the chefs. They’re usually inexpensive and a much better value than restaurants, while giving you the opportunity to try from a wide selection of everyday Russian food. They’re also very tasty. I always include some borsch on my tray and go from there. The places themselves are all over Moscow and usually come with Soviet-era aesthetics to complete the experience.

Street Safety Score: 7

*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!

Being the 2nd largest city in Europe with over 12 million people, you’re going to have your dangerous areas, but for the most part, it feels safe walking around. Russia is statistically higher in crime compared to most of Europe, but this generally doesn’t apply to tourists and visitors. Around the Red Square and surrounding city center, you should feel completely safe walking around. Pick pocketing can happen, but no more than other touristic places. I always explore Moscow freely without coming across too much to worry about. It’s a spread out city, though, so of course it matters where you are. Just use basic street smarts, know where you are and Moscow shouldn’t give you a problem. 

People’s Reaction Score: 7

Moscow is fast paced, big city life, which usually means people aren’t too concerned with you, or your camera. I don’t find people notice or pay much attention to me when I’m out taking photos in Moscow. For the most part, people just go about their day. You shouldn’t get too many looks or concern. But it can depend on the area you are in. The more you stick out, the more you might get noticed with suspicions. I’ve never had any problems in Moscow, or Russia, but just be careful who you’re taking a photo of if you get out of the city center. Other than that, it’s about average for reactions. 

Street Tips:

Learn the alphabet .

Much of Moscow, including the metro system, doesn’t use english. The Russian alphabet uses letters from the Cyrillic script, which if you aren’t familiar with it and don’t know the sounds, can be hard to decipher the words. This is most important for street names and metro stops when trying to get around. It can save confusion and make it easier getting around if you learn the basic alphabet. At the very least then, you can sound out the words to see which are similar in the english conversion, which can help matching them to maps. When out shooting street photography, getting around is as important as anything. So save yourself some time and frustration by learning the Russian Alphabet.

Use the metro

While Saint-Petersburg feels very walkable for a city its size, Moscow can feel very spread out, even for its bigger size. Outside of the Red Square area, you can have plenty of walking before getting anywhere very interesting, so you’ll need to take the metro a lot if you really want to explore the city. Maps are deceiving here too, it will always be further than it looks.

Another reason it’s less walkable than Saint-Petersburg is its completely different set-up. Moscow’s streets are mostly contstructed in rings with narrow, winding streets in-between. This is common with medieval city cities that used to be confined by walls, but you usually don’t have it in a city this massive. Saint-Petersburg has a more grid-like pattern that also uses the canals to help you know your way around. When it comes to navigating on foot in Moscow, it can be more difficult, so bring a map and take the metro when needed. It’s why Moscow’s metro carries more passengers per day than the London and Paris subways combined.

Explore other areas if you have time

Moscow is really big. While most people stay around the Red Square within the Boulevard Ring, there’s so much more to the city. I covered some other spots outside of this circle, but if you really want to see the city, you’ll need time. If you do have time, some other areas I’d check out first are Zamoskvarechye, along some of the south and western Moscow.

Inspiration:

For some more inspiration, you can look through the Street Photography of Moscow photographer Artem Zhitenev  and check out 33 of my photos taken in Moscow .

Conclusion:

Moscow’s name brings a certain mystique, but once you’re there it might bring a different atmosphere than you expect. It’s big and sprawling, but beautiful in many ways. It can feel like a European capital on a grand scale, but you can definitely find its Russian side in there.

The urban sprawl of Moscow can be intimidating, but give it enough time and you’ll be rewarded with plenty to discover. All with the world’s best metro system to take you around.

I hope this guide can help you start to experience some of what Moscow contains. So grab your camera and capture all that Moscow has to offer for Street Photography!

If you still have any questions about shooting in Moscow, feel free to comment below or email me!

(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)

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A History of Moscow in 13 Dishes

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Moscow Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

Our 60 most popular moscow trips. compare tour itineraries from 45 tour companies. 308 reviews. 4.7/5 avg rating., popular moscow tours.

St Petersburg & Moscow in Style - Winter

• Explore the majestic St Petersburg & Moscow on private city tours
• Admire the rich Russian history, art and architecture
• Travel to Moscow on a highspeed train
• Enjoy the local cuisine in stylish restaurants

Lower Volga Voyage

• Visit magnificent Red Square and Kremlin and examine the collection at theKremlin’s State Armory.
• Experience Russia’s diverse musical traditions at lively folk music performances
• Explore Volgograd, the site of the decisive battle of World War II’s eastern front

Volga Dream Russian River Cruise

St Petersburg & Moscow in Style - Summer

White Russian - 7 days

• Discover Moscow's UNESCO-listed Red Square, home to spectacular St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin's Mausoleum and the historic GUM Department store
• Explore the grounds of Moscow's mighty Kremlin, with its numerous governmentbuildings, gold-domed cathedrals and the giant tsar bell
• Celebrate New Year's Eve in Moscow!
• Take in the highlights of St Petersburg including a guided tour of the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood, Peter & Paul Fortress and Cathedral
• Take a guided tour of the remarkable Hermitage Museum at the Winter Palace

Vodka Shot - 6 days

• Explore the beautiful city of St Petersburg, including the exquisite Church on Spilled Blood, Peter & Paul Fortress and Nevsky Prospekt
• Marvel at the dazzling array of art and exhibits in the world-famous Hermitage Museum, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg
• Discover a lavish residence of the tsars on a day trip to Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo (winter: mid-October to April) or Peterhof Palace and gardens (summer: May to mid-October)
• Take in the highlights of the capital on a walking tour, visiting Moscow's famous Red Square, home to the historic GUM Department Store, Lenin’s Mausoleum and spectacular St Basil’s Cathedral
• Take a guided tour of the Moscow Kremlin, Russia’s political power house. Stroll around the grounds of this fortified complex, visit the Kremlin's cathedrals and see the mighty Tsar Bell

Route of the Romanovs - 10 days

• Learn about the last days of the Romanovs in Yekaterinburg, visiting the sites where Tsar Nicolas II and his family were assassinated and buried
• Straddle two continents at the famous obelisk Europe/Asia border marker in Yekaterinburg
• Experience the Trans-Siberian railway on an overnight train journey from Moscow to Yekaterinburg

New Year's in Moscow - 9 days

• Visit Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo on Christmas Day and marvel at the incredible Amber Room
• Spend a night in Novgorod, an ancient city by the Volkhov River - explore the kremlin, cathedral and other sights and enjoy a traditional Russian banya (sauna)

All Moscow , expedition cruises, self guided adventures and vacation packages. Find the best guided and expert planned vacation and holiday packages. Read more about Moscow

Small Group Moscow Tours

Back in the USSR - 7 days

Russian Revolution - 9 days

• Visit historic Novgorod, an ancient city which straddles the Volkhov River. Explore the attractive riverside kremlin and experience a traditional Russian banya (sauna)

The Snowball - 6 days

• Visit Catherine Palace at Tsarkoe Selo and marvel at the incredible Amber Room

Mood for Moscow - 4 days

• Head underground to visit a Stalinist-era Soviet Bunker on an optional excursion
• Stroll to the vibrant Izmailovo Market, which lies behind the walls of an ancient Kremlin, and shop for an array of souvenirs

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Moscow reviews & ratings, capitals of the north.

some hotels could have been better

It was jam packed with every place I wanted to go and see. I especially love my photo of us setting out on the night time river cruise in St Petersburg and the Peter...

I really did not buy much and what I did buy was small gifts for others .

Johanna-Marie

Good hotels, some better than others. Interesting itinerary

Too rushed. Optional tour rather too short

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Best things to see and do in Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. It’s rich and complex history is a constant reminder of its strategic position between Europe and Asia and makes it one of the cities you should visit once in your life. In terms of the many iconic landmarks, the delicious cuisine, and the characteristic, colorful architecture it has, Moscow is full of surprises for first-timers and seasoned travelers. Apart from the main attractions, it has like the Kremlin or Red Square, Moscow has many hidden gems for you to discover on your free walking tour with your local guide. 

On any of the free guided tours we offer in Moscow , you will be able to find a selection of many tours which are available in different languages and at different times of day, like the morning, afternoon, and evening. Since Moscow is such a large metropolis, getting your bearings by doing a guruwalk with a local guide who will show you all Moscow’s hidden gems is a great idea. This way you get to learn as much as possible about the local culture and way of life. A trip to Moscow wouldn't be complete without visiting iconic places like St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, or the State Historical Museum, before getting some fresh air at Gorky Park, the medieval church of Kolomenskoye, or shopping at Izmailovsky Market. Don’t miss visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Bolshoi Theater, or checking out the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. 

Many travelers have left their r eviews and opinions about the local guides , gurus, and the routes they walked. If you have any questions about the routes or what is included in the tour, check out their opinions. 

Free walking tour near Moscow

Others cities to visit after moscow, where are you traveling to.