We weren’t allowed

Vintage.es has a set of pix from Moscow in December 1959.

The first thing I noticed is the lack of snow. Obviously cold, but all dry.  (Not meaningful, just personally salient because I’ve been shoveling and raking 10 inches this week.)

The second thing is a group of workers putting up a statue of Sputnik, a proud achievement of REAL science training.

The third thing is CAPITALISM. The streets are full of people running independent kiosks and vending carts and vending tables. We weren’t allowed to see these pictures in 1959. Our schools and TV told us that Russians were strictly regimented and controlled.

The fourth thing is culture instead of rules. A kid is playing with a toy gun and nobody stops him. A cop is helping a stalled driver. Old ladies are using their Karen skills by sweeping the sidewalk.

In short, Moscow and NYC looked about the same. Lots of walkers, lots of vendors, lots of public transit, a few cars. Other US cities had more cars and less of the other stuff, which is an urban/rural difference, not a communist/capitalist difference.