Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Brooklyn, New York
Take a trip to Brooklyn's Brighton Beach and you will feel that you have traveled much further east. To Eastern Europe, that is. Often called "Little Odessa," the boardwalk and sands of Brighton Beach are lined with signs in both English and Cyrillic, and the after-dark beach scene is all about borscht, vodka, and a Slavic sense of leisure. Russian and Ukrainian nightclubs, markets, and restaurants give character to the Brighton Beach boardwalk. Elderly men challenge each other to rounds of chess, and the sands are astir with families from the Old Country. Just a short walk east from the hubbub of Coney Island, Brighton Beach is often quieter and less chaotic. Brighton Beach is a cultural coastal experience, an informal foray into one of New York's last Old World communities.
The swimming at Brighton Beach is as enjoyable as the ambience. Lifeguards are on duty during the summer months and sunbathers can generally stretch their towels without bumping into their neighbors. For the best swimming at Brighton Beach head to the far end of the sands where you will find a small, almost deserted (and relatively unknown) beach, with more tranquil waters.
Despite its unassuming appearance, Brighton Beach has always played a star role in American culture. Larry King (of Larry King Live) proudly hails from Brighton Beach, and Neil Simon's play, Brighton Beach Memoirs, won two Tony Awards. The film Lord of the War (starring Nicholas Cage) was shot in Brighton Beach, and Sara Goldfarb, a main character in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, lived in Brighton Beach. The list of pop-culture references is as long as Brighton Beach's five-mile stretch of land.
To get to Brighton Beach, walk down the Coney Island boardwalk until you hit the Brighton Beach sands, or hop on the B or Q train in Manhattan to Brighton Beach. Parking is also convenient, with street parking and a beachside parking lot.
True to its name, an excursion to Brighton Beach will brighten a vacation weekend. Cross into Brighton Beach from Coney Island, step out of the Manhattan subway and you enter a pleasantly distinct parallel reality: A sunny, Slavic day at the shore.