Bucer's...

[Don Kaag <dkaag@turbonet.com>]

Visionaries:

Bucer's is a nice place.  I am a fairly conservative guy, although I 
hold pretty liberal views on some things as well, and my friends and I 
go there often to drink wine, talk, listen to music, browse the books, 
and enjoy the ambience.

It is the kind of place you don't see often.  A place where senior 
citizens will sit down to play chess with teenagers, and people feel 
comfortable bringing their babies as they drop in and have a cup of 
coffee or tea.

It is one of the few places in Moscow where you can go and listen to 
good music of great variety, and relax with friends in a quiet 
atmosphere, without worrying about bar fights and obnoxious drunks.

I have never felt uncomfortable.  I have never observed anyone else 
being confronted and made to feel uncomfortable.  The staff are nice 
people, and will talk to the customers about common interests (Military 
History, for example.) if they are not too busy at the counter.

I have had some fine conversations with people I have met in Bucer's.  
It is an accomodating and friendly place, and the people who go there, 
are friendly and open as well.

The only problem I have found is that their collection of used books is 
way too eclectic, and when I take my wife there for lunch, we end up 
spending more on books than we do on food.  (And yes, conservative 
folks often eat quiche...)

In short it seems to me to be the kind of place where anyone, despite 
religious affiliation, country of origin, race, gender,  or sexual 
persuasion, could go and enjoy themselves.  Holding hands, with 
whatever gender you prefer, does not seem to be to be an act which 
spreads cooties.  In fact in much of the world the majority of people 
find nothing odd with friends walking down the street and holding 
hands, whatever the sexual mix.  It is just a friendly thing to do.  I 
cannot imagine the folks I know at Bucer's would object, and embarrass 
someone, over such a thing.  I am guessing that it never happened.

Regards,

Don Kaag