Yegoryevsk

Map

March 21, 2010

I had a goal in Yegoryevsk.

To attain my goal, I had to surmount expanses of mud.

Jump over puddles.

Pass through a maze of courtyards.

Endure trial by signage.

Yegoryevsk is 231, finishing materials, linoleum and carpeting

Witness quotation mark horrors.

Photo 1: Z. N. Rakhmaninova Sole Proprietorship “Clothing.” Photo 2: Emergency Mental Health “Crisis Hotline.” Daily, except weekends and holidays, 12:00–6:00 p.m. We’re just a phone call away...

Marvel at ornamental patterns composed of concrete flower planters.

Note the nascent graffiti.

Sash

Establish that clear packing tape is the main means of hanging notices.

Photo 1: Bloodworms, maggots. Photo 2: Wallpaper remnants on sale. Discounts up to 50% off

Notice the Soviet letter stenciling on signs indicating the distance to the nearest gas line junctions.

Document vanishing artifacts.

Discover an underground slot machine parlor at 104A Soviet Street (behind the gray doors).

Yegoryevsk is 231. Beer Barrel

Find common ground with the people.

And only after all that—find what I came here for.

By some unfathomable stroke of fate, a “Pedestrian Crossing” sign remains intact in Yegoryevsk. Such signs stood on every street corner in the USSR from the late 1950s until the early 1970s.The sign was meant to be installed on top of a pole, so the decorative cone is an integral part of its plastic beauty (it logically crowned the top of the pole). The arrow was illuminated from within by two light bulbs.

I got to see this beauty with my own eyes. Didn’t come here in vain.

Today, instead of these signs, we see the familiar pedestrian symbol on a blue background at every crossing. A sign originally created for people has turned into a sign that is intended first and foremost to be noticed by drivers.