Thanks for the photos and the comments. I just hope you could post a map and the house address, so in my next visit to Moscow I can just jump onto the Metro train.  As for survival techniques, every major city has its tricks.  Having grown up half of my life in Mexico City (20 + million inhabitants and counting...), I can tell that I can survive just about anywhere and under any circumstance.  It certainly help me survived in the country I moved into, and during my trips abroad.  Moscow is delightfully changing; it was already a First World city with its pluses and minuses, and now is facing the challenges of accelerated grow.