Brighton Beach is a cultural hub with many Russian speaking people. There are so many fresh markets and pharmacies, and the city life is very different from the suburbs we are used to. The restaurant we visited had so many authentic meals, it was hard to pick which one to order! This city offered up close experience with the Russian language as well as getting insight on how different parts of New York compare. I loved seeing all the different desserts and thankfully Rebecca was there to help translate which pastry had cottage cheese and which had strawberry jam. I really enjoyed walking the streets of Brighton Beach and recommend others to stop by this boardwalk if nearby.
Hyla Lear
As someone who is so familiar with Chinatown, it was honestly eye-opening to be in another NYC ethnic neighborhood, experiencing the foreign culture and vibe of the environment. It makes me think about what people might initially feel when visiting Chinatown for the first time.
I noticed a lot of parallels between Brighton Beach and Indian communities in Edison. Whenever I go to Edison I usually have someone who lives there show me all of the best places to go and I was lucky that our group had a similar person when we visited Brighton Beach.