Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, just to the east of Coney Island, is a fascinating and fun place in which to explore another of the many ethnic communities of NYC. The extra bonus is that it's seaside so you can go for the beach as well and stroll the boardwalk for the sea breezes. Brighton Beach (BB) is a great place for a day trip.

BB is a living breathing community that echoes many aspects of Russian culture and lifestyle. That culture is very social and centered around family and friends. You will see groups of older Russian women sitting on chairs outside their apartment houses and, on pleasant evenings, multi-generational groups of families will promenade the wide boardwalk making it a bustling place. You will hear more Russian spoken than English.

Getting to BB is easy by Subway (consult a subway map) and you may also drive. If going by car consider that parking is available but is not always a snap.

Brighton Beach Avenue is the main shopping drag and the elevated subway runs noisily overhead. It is one block north, and parallel to, the Boardwalk and beach. There are lots of shop signs only in Russian and many things in the food shops that are unfamiliar. By all means browse and buy what catches your eye. (See the note about service below.)

During summer the wide white sand beach is lifeguard protected but watch out for flags marking sections without lifeguards before entering the water. It is an ocean beach with large waves and tides and sometimes rip tides so exercise caution, particularly if ocean swimming is unfamiliar to you.

The BB Boardwalk is more of a neighborhood boulevard and not a seaside resort so there are no typical boardwalk attractions and amusements. BB is really a neighborhood whose backyard is the Atlantic Ocean.

1. Parking in Brighton Beach

There is a Municipal Lot at Brighton 2nd St at the Boardwalk, just south of Brighton Beach Avenue at $1.50/hr in 10 minute increments with a five hour limit. The fees run till midnight daily but with Sundays free. Caution: a big part of the Municipal lot is restricted to permit holders so be sure to park in sections where signs clearly show hourly rates. Therefore what may seem like a bunch of open parking spots may actually be off limits.

Buy a parking ticket from one of the many machines and place it on the driver's side of the dashboard. The ticket machines take quarters, dollar coins, and major credit cards.

As you might expect, there may be a some times when spaces are hard to come by. Sundays are free at the meters all over the neighborhood, too, which may ease the strain.


2. Eating at Brighton Beach

One of the reasons to visit Brighton Beach is to experience the Russian ex-pat culture and food is one aspect of it. Alas, the quality varies especially if one is not a Russian speaker and able to navigate the menus. You may or may not get much help from the servers.

There are a group of restaurants on the Boardwalk between Brighton 4th and Brighton 6th streets with outside dining that gives a wonderful view to people watch and enjoy the sea breezes. That's the main reason to patronize them. I wouldn't recommend the Cafe Volna (Brighton 4th St) primarily because of the awful service. The food may hit the mark at the Volna (as in cold dishes and salads) and vary on the prepared dishes. The adjacent competition may be better. (See the comments on Service below.)

Expect to pay at least $25-40/pp before tax & tip and watch out for the hidden service charge tucked in on the check. Ask if it's there and reduce your tip accordingly.

As a less expensive dining option, try the large deli/market/cafe M&I International at 249 Brighton Beach Ave. Upstairs is a cafeteria to dine in as well as a fancy pastry bakery. Plenty of cooked foods, salads, baked goods, and a huge variety of sausages at the ground floor stalls to take out and eat on a bench at the Boardwalk a block away. In the back of M&I's ground floor are lots of prepared foods of all kinds. M&I is very big so look it over before you make your selections.

There may be some language issues if you don't speak Russian but keep trying till you get what you want.


3. Service for the Tourist in Brighton Beach: Welcome Back to the Soviet Era

Service all over BB sometimes seems like a holdover from the Soviet era--rude, indifferent, unhelpful, and sometime hostile. This is not universal but it is hit or miss and hits too many times. If it doesn't get too much in your way, you may later laugh it off as part of the ambiance. Remember, in general what you want may be available at a competitor so vote with your wallet and your feet.

If you learn to say please and thank you in Russian it may be a bonus.

If you have a car and some extra time for exploring, head east along Brighton Beach Avenue and onto Oriental Boulevard into Manhattan Beach, a lovely residential area of fine homes.