Photo for August 28, 2006.

arbat_portrait_copyright_themoscowtimes, originally uploaded by nazarian.

I came across this photograph on www.TheMoscowTimes.com. They have a 'photo of the week' section that hosts weekly photos from life in Russia, mostly from Moscow.

This photo really cracks me up. I wonder where the tourist is from. Probably Volgograd.

For the people who haven't been in Moscow: Arbat is a pedestrian only street in central Moscow where artists sell their wares. It's probably the most pleasant place to be in Moscow. When I was there the last time, there were quite a few Armenian artists making a living doing portraits. This was during the pre-independence era. I'm sure there are a lot more Armenians making a living there since a lot of people have emigrated to Moscow.