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Young Russians Show Their Love for New York

Jul 24, 2017 - 12:00 pm

A group of girls walking to a music festival outside Moscow. The girl on the left is wearing a New York Yankees baseball jersey. Todd Prince / For MT

A cook from Nizhny Novgorod was making burgers at a music festival while wearing a Brooklyn hat. Todd Prince / For MT

Twin brothers Victor and Kostya walk through the center of Moscow in nearly matching hats but for the initials — one says NY, the other, LA. Construction workers from Moldova, they said they bought the LA hat because the shop was out of NY hats. Todd Prince / For MT

Three or four years ago, it was rare to see women in Russia on skateboards. High heels, not sneakers, were the footwear of choice then. Once sneakers became fashionable. This young woman was riding a longboard in front of the Hermitage dressed in an NY shirt. Todd Prince / For MT

Kristina, 14, wearing a Brooklyn sweater, said she was Russian by nationality, grew up in Finland and just moved to St. Petersburg. Todd Prince / For MT

Yana was taking a sunset stroll near the boardwalk in Sochi. She said she grew up in the Caspian Sea town of Aktau in Kazakhstan, but comes to Sochi every year to visit her grandmother. Todd Prince / For MT

Anastasia, dressed in a New York shirt, was headed out for the night with friends in St. Petersburg. Todd Prince / For MT

Jamshid (R) and his friend were both wearing New York hats while waiting for the Moscow metro. Natives of Uzbekistan, Jamshid wants to be a cop, his friend a photographer. Todd Prince / For MT

Sergei, 18, was skateboarding with friends in front of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg in his NY hat. When he isn't skating near the Hermitage, he is studying at a culinary school. Todd Prince / For MT

Even street musicians are in on the NY thing. These guys were playing on one of the business side streets in St. Petersburg, right next to the Church on Spilled Blood, one of Russia's most iconic churches. Todd Prince / For MT

Mikhail, standing next to Lenin's Tomb, boasted a New York hat with his Mickey Mouse shirt. Mikhail, who lives about 200 km from Moscow, was in town to visit his sister. He said he is a member of a stunt bike team, which is like football on motorbikes with the exception that the ball is much bigger. Todd Prince / For MT

Relations between Russia and the U.S. may be bad, but that hasn't stopped young people from wearing New York-themed apparel. Shirts and hats with "Yankees" or "Brooklyn" can be seen from Moscow to Novosibirsk.

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