Scams and Warnings

A small, cautionary word about finding a roof to go over your head in Moscow since recent surveys list it as the most expensive place in Europe for accommodation. We were very angry to arrive tired and weary at the Travellers' Guest House in Moscow one public holiday in June to be told by a very rude manager that he did not offer discounts to ISIC card holders. When we pointed out that his establishment was listed in the ISIC 1995 World Travel Handbook, he laughed at us. When we made a protest about false advertising, the manager retailiated by insisting that if we paid by credit card there would be a US$15 fee on top of the room costs `because that is what we are charged by the banks,' he said. Since it was a public holiday (ie. no banks were open), we had no choice but to pay the extra money or spend the night on the streets. To add insult to injury, the dorms were cramped, insecure and double-booked; there was no hot water so the baths were truly freezing; and the hostel travel bureau was quoting prices almost double what a foreigner would pay in a train station. We were far from the only travellers to have experienced this rip-off - the travellers' logbook at the (far superior) St.Petersburg Youth Hostel was overflowing with similar tales about the Travellers' Guest House. So, save yourselves money, hassle and frustration and stay at the Hotel Molodezhnaya (ph. 210 4556) at Dimitryevskoe Shosse 27 (a moderate walk north of Timiryazevskaya metro - it's the huge blue edifice). You should get something for around US$35 a double - the same as the Traveller's Guest House will charge for a dorm!

Tate Britain

LOCATION: Millbank, near Vauxhall Bridge, in Westminster. Wheelchair access via Clore Wing. CONTACT: 7887 8008; www.tate.org.uk. TUBE: Pimlico. AUDIOGUIDES: £1. TOURS: 1hr. Free. Highlights Tour: M-F 2:30, 3:30pm, Sa 3pm. Turner: M-F 11:30am. TALKS: Frequent evening talks by contemporary artists, usually W or Th; call for details and ticketing. Regular events include: Gallery Talks, W-Th 1:15pm; Painting of the Month, M 1:15pm and Sa 2:30pm; Friday Lectures, F 1pm; Slide Lectures, Sa 1pm and first 3 Su of month 2:30pm. OPEN: Daily 10am-5pm. ADMISSION: Free; special exhibitions £3-5. The original Tate opened in 1897 as a showcase for "modern" British art---modern being extended back to 1790 to allow the inclusion of the Turner bequest of 282 oils and 19,000 watercolors. Before long, the remit had expanded further still to include contemporary art from all over the world, as well as British art from the Middle Ages on. Despite numerous expansions, it was clear that the dual role as national museum of both British and modern art was too much for one building; the problem was resolved in 1999 with the relocation of almost all the contemporary art to the new Tate Modern at Bankside. At the same time, the original Tate was rechristened Tate Britain, and rededicated to British art---a tag which also includes foreign artists working in Britain and Brits working abroad. Not content with cosmetic changes, Tate Britain also embarked on a massive new expansion project: the Tate Centenary Development, due to be completed in late 2001, will provide six new exhibition galleries. Once the building work is completed, the gallery will be entirely rehung, arranged chronologically with themed subdivisions. The Clore Gallery will continue to display the Turner Bequest; other painters to feature heavily are William Blake, John Constable, Joshua Reynolds, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Hodgkin, Lucien Freud, and David Hockney. Sculptors are less well represented, though Jacob Epstein's Jacob and the Angel (1940-41), in the Sackler Octagon, is a favorite with the crowds. Recent BritArt is mostly absent, having been transferred to the Tate Modern. However, the annual Turner Prize for contemporary art is still held here. In recent years the prize has gone to less controversial works---after a decade that saw Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, and Rachel Whiteread take the prize, an apparent backlash started in 1999 when Tracey Emin's unmade bed famously failed to win. The shortlisted works go on show from early November to mid-January every year.