To Russia with Love
Just a ten minute walk from Coney Island lies Brighton Beach, New York City's own Little Russia, where you can find seaside views, a hearty bowl of delicious borscht and an outdoor stand solely dedicated to selling caviar!

A Bit About Brighton Beach…
Brighton Beach, like its neighboring seaside destinations of Coney Island, Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay, began to develop into a wealthy resort area in the late 1870's. In the early 1900's, Brighton Beach had four major (and many smaller) hotels along its shore, high-class vaudeville entertainment at the Brighton Theater, and exciting performances at the Brighton Beach Music Hall. On warm summer days, tourists lounged at the magnificent Brighton Beach Hotel or flocked to the Brighton Baths, a 15-acre wonderland of swimming pools, tennis courts, shuffleboards and entertainment. Unfortunately, by the mid-1960's, many of the neighborhood's residents had moved to other areas. Brighton Beach had fallen into decline, but was quickly uplifted by the sudden arrival of Russian immigrants.

Little Russia
In the late 1960's and early 1970's, as emigration policies relaxed, Russian Jews, most from the Ukrainian city of Odessa, came to the United States and settled in Brighton Beach, which, as the story goes, reminded them of their hometown on the Black Sea. The community flourished, becoming a draw for Russian speaking individuals from areas outside of Odessa as well.

Today, wander down two of Brighton Beach's main thoroughfares - Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue - and you will encounter signs greeting you in Cyrillic lettering and stores selling Russian language books, art and music. Daytime diners head for the local cozy cafes in droves for hearty ethnic foods (like stroganoff, pirogue or borscht) rarely seen outside of Moscow or St. Petersburg, while Brighton Beach's unique supper clubs like The National (273 Brighton Beach Avenue), Imperator (207 Brighton Beach Avenue), Odessa (1113 Brighton Beach Avenue), Atlantic Oceana (1029 Brighton Beach Avenue) and Tatiana (3152 Brighton Beach Avenue) serve up live glitzy entertainment (think cabaret singers and dance performances) alongside delicious Russian fare every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night to a well-dressed nocturnal crowd.

Getting Here:
Subway B/Q: Brighton Beach Avenue and 7th Street
F: New York Aquarium/ West 8th Street
Parking Municipal Parking on Brightwater Court between Brighton 4th Street and Brighton 2nd Street