Having been doing a lot of this:

Between St. Basil Cathedral and the mausoleum at the Red Square

...I was quite pleased with my last-minute decision to get off the subway at a station where I did most of my sports, such as figure skating, as a child. After all, in addition to what some have termed "late Soviet nostalgia," this is the location of a 400+-year-old New Maiden (Novodevichii) convent with imposing, fortress-like walls of red and white brick. While the structure is a world-heritage site, it is somewhat off the beaten path as far as tourism is concerned, making its quiet park, lush with greenery this time of the year, a welcome change of pace.