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What is real Brighton Beach: a dream district within a huge metropolis

Alexander Loev

Guide to New York and America

'12.09.2020'

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It is unusually interesting to read reviews of Russian tourists about Brighton Beach. Without a doubt, almost none of them even guesses what the spectacle is actually opening up before them. Most importantly, they do not at all realize that they are dealing not with wondrous exoticism, but, on the contrary, with the most typical corner of America. Because in the USA there is a mass ethnic zones with no less colorful originality. And how can they not be, because all the peoples rushed and rush here. This is and will be the Promised Land, and Brighton Beach is only a small part of it.

Photo: Shutterstock

Of course, there are some differences. For example, statistics show that among all immigrants, the number of those returning to their homeland averages 15-25%. That is, people openly come to earn money, and then Home Sweet Home. Moreover, only an insignificant part of those who left returned to the Soviet Union or Russia. Moreover, the process emigration from most post-Soviet countries is only gaining strength. However, only in Russia did the contemptuous concept of “sausage emigration” gain a foothold for compatriots.

Do you know why America became a great country? Thanks to the initial phrase of the Declaration of Independence: “Everyone has the right to life, freedom and the achievement of personal happiness” (literally translated - even to “pursuit” personal happiness). The above, without any false pathos, means that a person has the primary right to a decent life for himself and his family. The rest - even the homeland and patriotism - is all later.

And Brighton can really provide a full-blooded, and not just a well-fed life for its inhabitants.

It's funny to read reviews from tourists from Russia.

“People walk around the street in clothes reminiscent of the clothes that were under the Soviet Union, a mat is clearly heard, and there are a lot of gray displeased faces around”

“Time froze here, people are stuck in the past. It all looks depressing. Unsmiling people in Chinese consumer goods. ”

“The place makes you sad. Everything is very miserable and ugly. ”

“That's where the scoop left from our country.”

And at the same time, there are completely different reviews.

“I like the atmospheric place.”

“The place is very nice, it touches me. Grannies with styling and tattooing in expensive sunglasses. ”

“I do not agree with negative reviews. There is a special atmosphere of happiness, peace and prosperity. We walked awesomely along the ocean, admired the endless beaches and imagined how cool it is in the summer months! Then you immediately feel that you are at the resort. And free wifi. Be sure to visit another New York and take photos at local stores. Even across the ocean they are lower than our Auchanovskys. ”

On the subject: 'This is a small, comfortable USSR': how Russians live on Brighton Beach

Why are the reviews so different? The fact is that Brighton Beach is not only a geographic concept. It is also a symbol, sign, ideologeme, as it is fashionable to say now. By and large, this is a mirror. And the "scoops" in many ways consist of those tourists who come from that huge "scoop" that has not gone anywhere, it remained in the same place. And people see what is in them. They, poor fellows, are not at all aware of their wretched arrogance and arrogance (of imperial origin, of course).

To this is added a very funny confusion. It is on Brighton that the mass of visitors from the post-Soviet space is concentrated in order to earn money. They are illegal because they have no right to work. But heavy black unskilled labor is paid incomparably better here than even the work of professionals at home.

They save on everything in order to provide for themselves and their loved ones in the homeland for a long time. So they walk in Chinese consumer goods, and the expressions of their faces are not at all joyful. And that they populate the numerous eerie hostels of Brighton Beach Avenue.

Here is another reason for the “unsightly” street. Some tourists are not impressed by the stretch of Avenue somewhere from the first to the tenth crossing streets. In contrast to the streets crossing and leading to the ocean, it is here, on the Avenue, that those old 2-storey houses are located, where on the first floors there is a continuous strip of various businesses, and on the second there are the same hostels or other businesses.

Art Deco house on Brighton Beach Avenue. Photo by the author

At the same time, the majority of Brighton businesses are very, very successful, which is simply conclusive evidence of the overwhelming cost of commercial rents. It is here that the eternal cycle of people and ideas of an extremely active Russian-speaking community takes place. What is the greatest success of our immigration in America.

Once upon a time I got my hands on the issue of the authoritative Wall Street Journal for 1984 or 1985. There was an article summarizing the centuries-old experience of immigration to America. The conclusion was striking: it turns out that the diaspora from the Soviet Union became the most successful at that time. This was explained by the fact that our community was already self-sufficient at that time, and social dependence manifested itself in us much less than in other communities.

Translated into everyday language, this meant an elementary achievement of well-being, even prosperity. This can be seen if you move further along Brighton Beach Avenue in the direction of increasing numbers. After crossing glorious Coney Island Avenue, “High” or “Noble” Brighton begins. The spectacular colony of 17 modern luxury Oceanana condominium buildings opens up immediately.

Oceanana is a complex of 17 high-rise buildings on Brighton Beach Avenue - Boardwalk. Photo by the author

Then there are two high-rise prestigious Seacost Towers, followed by various cooperatives in an eye-catching Art Deco style (spacious rooms, high ceilings) and all this turns from one side to Corbin Place, and on the other - to the glittering super-elite quarters of Manhattan -Bich.

Two houses of the Seacoast Towers cooperative. 92% of Russian speakers. Author photo
Photo by the author
Photo by the author

The long Corbyn Place with rows of cozy private houses was named after the wealthy landowner August Corbyn, who lived a century and a half ago (just at the time of the intensive settlement of South Brooklyn). Recently, a scandal erupted: it turned out that this type protested and resisted the settlement of Jews here. We decided not to change the usual name, but officially consider that we are talking about another historical figure - Margaret Corbin, the heroine of the War of Independence. Political correctness, however.

On the other side of Brighton begins the main thoroughfare of the Manhattan Beach area - Oriental Boulevard. Streets intersect it strictly perpendicularly, thus creating one of the best places in the whole of New York.

Very wealthy people live here in their luxurious villas and cottages. Among them there are a lot of the same representatives of our community. And yes, here at every step there are architectural, if not masterpieces, then at least the most beautiful examples of different styles and their different combinations. Amazingly, there are also genuine palaces. Everyone knows that they belong precisely to our nouveau riche or, if you like, outstanding talents who have achieved everything solely thanks to their own selfless work.

Manhattan Beach is picturesquely bordered by the narrow and long ocean Sheep's Head Bay. This historical name has passed on to another fashionable area of ​​Sheepshead Bay, which is also a natural and closest continuation of Brighton Beach.

Here you can clearly feel the romance of the sea: a wide variety of ships moor along a long row of piers. They are intended for those who like fishing, for walks in the ocean and on flowing rivers, for family celebrations, and more. In the evenings, here you can buy the freshest fish right from the fishermen, and they will also clean it. And the coastline here is made up of expensive condos and great restaurants serving seafood from the day's catch.

The local views are very good: straight Mediterranean panorama, Cote d'Azur. Naturally, housing here is expensive, but ours can handle it. It is so beautiful here that even a large flock of swans that have settled in the bay does not fly away for the winter.

Unlike the handsome swans, many of our people move to the south for the winter. Pensioners, of course. Here they receive so many benefits, “benefits”, benefits (sometimes even without having worked in America for a day) that it is quite affordable for them. A significant number of Brightonians, and not just the elderly, have their second apartments in Miami, where they fly throughout the year.

Actually, there is no great need for this: the climate in New York is mild, the city is located at the latitude of Sochi, Tashkent, Nice - even a little to the south. You can swim in the ocean for three months for sure. A beautiful clean beach - it is interesting to watch how late in the evening a cavalcade of cleaning combines move along the beach, resembling ... ships of the desert.

On the subject: Charming beaches, disgusting service and Kashpirovsky: what is it - real Brighton Beach

Another advantage of the Brighton beach, which is extremely rare for the ocean coasts, is the almost complete absence of waves - this place is, as it were, closed on three sides. And the water is so clear that on the edge of the beach fishermen gather to drive off bathers.

A little further along the coast along the mouth of the river that flows into the ocean, are the private homes of the Mill Basin zone, where the owners' yachts are moored directly to the decks of the houses. From the same decks you can fish without leaving your home.

Although small yachts are quite affordable, comparable in cost to an average car.

Now let's return to Brighton and walk along the promenade called Boardwalk. Oh, how beautiful this real pearl is! Where else in the vastness of a gigantic city can you breathe so well, no - drink the air saturated with the freshness of the sea breeze. And this is not a poetic image - it has long been proven that the number of negative ions beneficial to health in an arithmetic progression decreases with distance from the coastline. Can you imagine what advantages the Brightonians have over even the Manhattan snobs?

Retirement home on Boardwalk. Author photo

But this is not the main advantage of Boardwok, far from this. Its value lies in the fact that here you can meet acquaintances, chat with friends, sit in a cafe, ride a bicycle, roller-skate or scooter, admire our wonderful children.

A definition has long been found for all this - “the luxury of human communication”. Yes, we are most interested in communicating with our own. There is nothing unusual here. All peoples in America communicate very closely with their own. At the same time, most Brightonians work in American enterprises and institutions, make friends with Americans, marry them, and even more often - in romantic relationships.

But that is why this country is so great that we can enjoy American well-being here while preserving our culture. This unique opportunity delights and makes life full, comfortable, relieves depression and all kinds of complexes. There are clubs with hobby groups, such as Shorfront, its own theater and concert hall Master-Theater. It hosted meetings with E. Ryazanov, V. Voinovich; the entire troupe of the Theater of the Modern Play presented their wonderful version of The Seagull. And more than three thousand students have passed through the Brighton Ballet Theater. The house of the brilliant Konstantin Kuzminsky (compiler of the 9-volume Anthology of Contemporary Russian Poetry; he is also the guru of the famous St. Petersburg Mitki) has survived on the already famous Corbin Place; there was a vast hall in basement where cultural life was in full swing.

Photo by the author

Here is such a "soviet ghetto"! And all this is an expression of love for Russian culture. Do Russian tourists really not appreciate their own culture ?!

How much New York respects non-English speaking cultures is illustrated by the following example: a few years ago American parents from the city department of education came to the parent meeting of one of the local schools. They began to convince the parents of Russian children to send them to bilingual classes so that they would not forget their native language.

How different this is from what it was in the Soviet Union. Here is an indirect, but very revealing example: up to Perestroika, the only center of culture of the vast Ukrainian diaspora in Moscow was a nondescript Ukrainian book store. And that's all.

For a complete cultural overview of Brighton, we return to Boardwalk and head in the opposite direction from the “high” Brighton. After a series of high-rise buildings with heavily subsidized housing (mainly for our retirees), we come close to the huge New York Aquarium building (the oldest in the USA, occupies 6 hectares), recently expanded and improved. Historically America's very first amusement and amusement park begins immediately behind it.

For a century and a half, the legendary Luna Park, Dreamland (Land of Dreams), Steeplechez Park, Astroland (Land of Space) existed here in parallel or replaced each other. Especially on weekends, hundreds of thousands of people flocked here, and these parks were known all over the world, they were mentioned by all the classics of American literature. Even Gorky and Mayakovsky spoke of them with admiration. During the World Wars and the Great Depression, parks faded away, but then revived. They still make us happy.

By the way, it is a myth that parks calmed down during general disasters; in fact, their competitor was progress and all sorts of innovations: first cinema, then television, two World Exhibitions EXPO, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center ... The parks were rapidly becoming obsolete, because they were the legacy of the almost medieval tradition of fair booths.

Another beautiful myth is also not true: the idea of ​​Disneyland was not born here in the parks of Coney Island. In reality, Disney parks are a completely pioneering genius concept of one of the country's prominent figures. America is a land of discovery, and this is its greatness.

However, the parks were so good that they attracted even prominent politicians and national heroes; Charles Lindberg’s statement about his stronger impression of Coney Island’s attractions than his first ever transcontinental flight to Europe is known.

It must be admitted that, nevertheless, a powerful modernization potential was laid in the idea of ​​local attractions: entertainment here was not passive, as before, but became active for their participants. That has given already in our time the opportunity to give the attractions a modern look. However, the former well-deserved sights, now with an official status, are also lovingly preserved here: the Cyclone rollercoaster - roller coaster; Wheel of Miracles - Ferris wheel; Parachute Tower (though not yet restored).

On the subject: Brightness and poverty Brighton Beach: how the legendary "Little Odessa" lives

And then the paradise for sports fans begins, the newest baseball stadium "Kispan".

Brighton has a unique dignity: where else on the planet in direct accessibility from the resort (50 minutes by subway to the center of Manhattan) there are museums, halls, palaces of the greatest capital, one might say, of figurative and performing arts.

Bordvok ends (4,6 km from the beginning) with another super-elite zone: Seagate, Sea Gate. This is a completely closed isolated zone of hundreds of private houses with its own yacht club and others, one would like to say, nishtyaks.

But it's not just the Brighton elite. Is it not obvious evidence of the abundance of the broad masses according to such statistics: 38% of local children attend paid private schools, compared with 13% on average in New York.

And since we mentioned New York again, the most important positive feature should be noted the whole metropolis, and it is called decentralization. This means complete autonomy in terms of self-sufficiency. We do not need to travel to the “center of the universe,” that is, Manhattan. We have enough jobs, and in terms of service, trade, business, medicine, we will still give odds to other areas of the city.

Residential building right at the end of Brighton. Photo by the author

In conclusion, one of the fundamental myths about Brighton should be debunked. Allegedly in its present form it was created and settled by Odessa residents, because they could not imagine their life without the sea. In fact, it all started much earlier.

The exodus of Jews from the Russian Empire to the United States from 1870 to 1915 amounted to almost 3 million people unprecedented in history. People fled not only from terrible pogroms, but also from inhuman laws. Few people know (although many have read Tevye the Milkman) that Jews in Russia were forbidden to live both in cities and in villages; they were allowed to live only in so-called small towns. In fact, this meant condemning an entire people to hunger and poverty. And the Exodus began.

After the initial settlement in Manhattan in the very cramped Lower East Side, Jews rushed to the least populated area of ​​Brooklyn at that time, the farthest from Manhattan - Coney Island (geographically Brighton belongs to it). Even the newly built Brooklyn Bridge became known as the Juish Highway. After World War II, Brighton was home to most of the 55 Holocaust survivors who ended up in New York.

But in America, a completely clear pattern has been operating for a long time: each ethnic community initially firmly clings to life together, and having risen to its feet and having achieved prosperity, it is settled throughout the country. This happened with Brighton during the so-called golden age (1950-1960). Then emigration from the Soviet Union arrived in time. It should be noted that in America, along with government agencies, the corresponding ethnic organizations are actively involved in accepting immigrants. They decided to fill the emerging shortage of Jews in Brighton with Jewish refugees from the USSR.

On the subject: Opinion: 5 reasons why I no longer want to live in Brighton

However, that was a long time ago. The strongest demographic changes have taken place. Even 20 years ago, the Jewish presence dropped to about 15%, but a wave of them poured in from all over the post-Soviet space with renewed vigor. Worked old paradigm of forced Russification of peoples. Remember how with the beginning of Islamic resistance in the CIS and in the world, the Russian language very often became the unifying tool of combatants. So in Brighton there were many Ukrainians, Georgians, Uzbeks, Belarusians.

And this will continue for the foreseeable future. It all depends only on the immigration policy of the States. How many will be allowed in - so many will arrive.

Photo by the author

But here it is impossible to refrain from commenting on, to put it mildly, the strange policy of the Russian leadership. In the city of New York, there are 600 thousand Russian-speaking, and together with the suburbs - there are already 1 million 600 thousand. And there are such organizations in New York as "Maison de France", "Casa Italiana", "Austrian Center", German "Goethe House", "Ukrainian Institute (Center) of America" ​​- they are countless. But there is not even a semblance of some hypothetical center of Russian culture capable of uniting people and peoples and at the same time really promoting their cultural values ​​and achievements.

And, again returning to Brighton, for objectivity it should be noted the shortcomings. We clearly lack racial diversity. For example, before the Soviet settlement of Brighton, 13% of African Americans lived here, now only 1%. How useful here is the well-known Soviet and Russian sincere love for blacks!

Another circumstance noted in the reviews about Brighton is that there are many old people here. This is understandable: in America people live longer, much longer. In addition, even very elderly people here are extremely mobile, they are not locked in four walls and lead an active life.

Well say goodbye. I will say in Odessa: “So that you live as you live on Brighton!”

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