It's Monday, which begs the question, "What did Pauline do this weekend?" The short answers is that I hopped the Q train to Brighton Beach, which is one of my favorite places in all of New York City. I know I'm usually all about Manhattan, but if I had to live in Brooklyn, I would head straight for Brighton Beach. Ideally I would have a beach-facing apartment in The Oceana and I would eat the meat-filled breads that they sell on the street every day.
The key to going to Brighton Beach is not to treat it like it's some sort of novelty. Yes, I realize that everyone's speaking Russian, the signs are in Russians and that the stores are full of Russian products. It is assumed you speak Russian and you will be addressed in Russian. Even though my friend and I were mellow and well behaved, I am pretty sure that there are a lot of non-Russians who come to Brighton Beach and treat it like they're in some kind of Cold War fantasy land, as if they've stepped back behind the Iron Curtain -- and what a hoot it is! And I bet this really annoys the people who live and work in Brighton everyday. Just an observation...
Back to the photos...
Two Russian men playing chess on the boardwalk.
Two kids playing baseball
The boardwalk, headed towards Coney Island. I took a few shots at Coney Island but since it's such an over-photographed (and slightly depressing place) you can just check them out here.
Lookin' sharp on the boardwalk.
Eat, Pray Love, In Russian
Paris Hilton is the same in all languages.
