SEE, TOUCH, AND FEEL THE REAL RUSSIA BEHIND TODAY’S MEDIA STEREOTYPES.

For as long as he could remember, a Manhattan native with absolutely no Russian ancestry was told: "Russians are all spies," "Russians can't be trusted," “People are okay, but government bad.”

As a skeptical New Yorker, I decided to see for myself and took a photojournalistic skills on an unescorted seven-day trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg, arguably the historical and cultural heart and soul of Russia.

There I met , ate and slept with locals and took numerous behind-the-curtain images of everyday life.

My conclusion: Russia is NOT a politically-repressed country of disgruntled citizens surviving on a daily diet of vodka and potatoes. Rather, they are proud, engaging, hard-working, curious people, navigating their way through complex cultural and economic transitions.

Interestingly, after publication of 7 Days in Russia, the FBI visited my home on numerous occasions,. Presumably, to determine if I was a “double-agent.” Ultimately, they concluded I was a loyal native American who had done extraordinary things, and gave me a Department of Defense medal for my social contributions.

(Contains 150+ revealing four-color photographs).