In the nineties, due to the many kiosks and stalls selling cheap Chinese consumer goods there, the street was dubbed simply "Commercial" or “Shopping Street.”

However, in the new century, it transformed; the atmosphere itself changed on the street – which descends directly to the sea, into the Sports Harbor. Sparkling fountains, distinctive raised garden beds, and convenient benches appeared. The historic buildings along the street house cozy cafes, trendy shops, and budget hostels.

The Arbat has already established its own traditions: friends get together here; business meetings are conducted and romantic rendezvous take place. In the summer, there are often street performers, and the interior courtyards of “Millionka” – the preserved environs of the early 20th century Chinatown – surely attract fans of historical arcana and oriental exoticism.