Moscow (Russia)

I am currently based in Moscow. I am colored and thus I am writing this based on my experience as colored people here.
I first came to Moscow during fall of 2004. It was cold, and immediately understood why Napoleon and Hitler lost. It was cold in 2004 and colder now. Being colored here makes you stand out as foreigner here. Imagine after standing 3 hours in queue at Sheremetyevo just to get your passport stamped, you were asked to step aside by the immigration officer and wait another 20 minutes before your passport get stamped. The officer scrutinized my passport trying to find something that I didn't understand. Asked me in Russian, stared at me before I gain my rightful entry to mother Russia. I thought that was the only time I got that kind of treatment. I am wrong, I still had that same kind of treatment until now every time I was at the immigration checkpoint. Amazing since other white tourists that sit next to me in my flight always has easy access.
Special treatment that is extended to me by the immigration officer is also extended by the police on the street. They saw you today, checked your passport/document and found there was nothing out of order. Still they wanted to arrest you if not because your accompanying Russian friend came to your defense. After a few days the same policemen would try the same act with you again. You begin to wonder whether they have short memory or they want something. My guess if you want to go anywhere go with a local.
I guess you might think that special treatment is extended only by people in uniform. Well not entirely true. I also find out that if you are a colored foreigner you may get "special" price for any good or services that you purchase. Many Russian sellers or service providers (such as hairdressers) believe that they have the right to charge you more if you are a foreigner. And they even have more rights to do that if you are colored. My advise is that don't argue just pay and find another shop.
Reading the news here you will find that foreigner bashing, killing whatever, is quite common here. But the police in many cases just classify the cases to be hooligan instead of racial crime. Strange and scary for me.
But I would like to stress here that like in so many other places good hearted people always outnumbered bad people. There are many Russians who are kind and willing to share this 1270 Km square of land called Moscow.
Even though many Russians you met on the street in general do not smile and look serious, they are actually nice people. Perhaps live during Soviet time made them what they are today. I don't know and will not try to explain.
Try to go restaurants during lunch. You will notice unlike Parisiens that take time to finish their lunch, the Muscovites take short lunch. The restaurants in Moscow are expensive, very expensive. Dining out in fancy restaurant is an obligation for many nouveau rich here. Expensive does not guarantee that the food must be good. Food is expensive because there are always people who are willing to pay in order to make social statement. So choose your restaurants wisely, follow your taste bud not the crowd. There are also cheaper restaurants if you care to ask your local friend.
Same thing can be said about shopping. Shopping for souvenir in central Moscow is expensive. Try Ismailuvsky for matrioshka or anything uniquely Russian.
How about tourist destinations here. Here is something interesting. Every time I asked any Muscovite where I should go, he or she immediately tell me Red Square and then take a few moment to suggest 2 or 3 parks. Either they are workaholics who commute only between office and home or they are really telling the truth. I believe that there are many more places for tourist only the publicity is not done properly. But I dare not walk alone with all the special treatment that I might get, and the news about racial killing that I read. So I guess whatever mental images I have now about Moscow will stick with me for quite some time to come.