The Brighton Beach area in New York is known among the general public as the place of the greatest concentration of our compatriots abroad. There you can meet people from all the former republics of the USSR. The area is famous for original local grocery stores, colorful advertising posters and a peculiar culture.
Location
Where is Brighton Beach New York located? The area has a very favorable geographical position. It is located on Long Island, which is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the southern part of Brooklyn County.
It is worth noting that time in Moscow is seven hours ahead of time in New York.
History tour
According to the initial plan of the businessmen who were creating the Brighton Beach area, it was supposed to be a resort where Europeans and the local population would become the main target audience. For these purposes, in the second half of the 19th century, in the immediate vicinity of the coastline, the chic Brighton Hotel was built , which was subsequently transferred due to the threat of a collapse. Also, for a comfortable rest of tourists, a long beach area with dressing cabins, showers and baths is equipped, a wide wooden promenade with seats for relaxation was designed, and a railway was built, which later became part of the subway.
All the ambitious plans of businessmen were justified, and at the end of the 19th century a stream of wealthy tourists from all over Europe poured into Brighton Beach (New York). By that time, the resort acquired its own racetrack, casino and other infrastructure.
The decline of the area
Decline came after the world economic crisis of 1929-1930, which was called the Great Depression. After him, the Second World War suddenly struck. For these reasons, wealthy tourists from Europe could no longer come to Brighton Beach. The resort place was no longer in demand, and luxury hotels began to rent rooms at very low prices and for a long time. Due to reduced housing prices, convenient location and developed infrastructure, a flood of poor people from all over New York poured here.
Waves of migration
In the second half of the 20th century, after the death of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev came to power in the USSR, the so-called thaw period began, as a result of which the "iron curtain" was opened. Thanks to this, some people of our country (mainly of Jewish nationality) were allowed to leave its borders and return to their historical homeland in Israel with the aim of reuniting with their families. But at the same time, the conditions must be met, namely, a citizen who leaves the country had to pay a fee in monetary terms to the Soviet government (supposedly for his training).
Thus, many Jews took advantage of this right and left for permanent residence in America. Following them, the so-called political dissidents reached out.
The second wave of migration of our compatriots to America occurred at the end of the 20th century and was associated with the coming to power of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev and the consequences of the perestroika that he had begun. The main goal of this political process was to reform the USSR, which as a result led to the complete collapse of the country.
As a result, Brighton Beach has become Little Odessa in New York City.
Cultural development
At present, the Millennium Theater, which is the real center of Russian culture in New York, is successfully operating on Brighton Beach (the Russian quarter). His repertoire consists mainly of Russian-language productions, performances by ballet groups and meetings of the Club of the Merry and Resourceful, and many Russian pop stars come on tour there. Among the frequent guests of the Millennium Theater are Lyubov Uspenskaya, Mikhail Shufutinsky, and recently Maxim Galkin has performed at the theater.
Also in Brighton Beach (New York) at the end of the 20th century the famous school of Russian ballet was founded, the popularity of which has long gone beyond the boundaries of this region. The best teachers from the former republics of the USSR work there. All residents of nearby areas seek to send their children to them for training. Every few months, pupils of the ballet school perform in the theater, delighting the audience with both classical productions and new trends in the art world.
It is worth a separate comment that there are several publishing houses within the district, thanks to which our compatriots in New York read newspapers and magazines in Russian.
Runglish
The real phenomenon of Brighton Beach is the language spoken by the locals, a mix of English and Russian. He was even given a name - "ruglish". This phenomenon is widespread not only in the Brighton Beach area, but also in modern Russia. The term itself dates back to 2000, when Russians and Americans worked on a joint space project. The author of the definition that has long come into use is the astronaut Sergei Krikalev, who, after talking with his American colleagues, gave interviews to reporters, where he noted that the conversation took place in a "rublesh".
Experts seriously fear the purity of the Russian language, as there is a mixture of cultures, and many English words leak into our language, firmly rooted in it.
Brighton Beach these days
Currently, Brighton Beach has begun to actively develop. The area has a very favorable location along the Atlantic Ocean and a long coastline of the beach. Therefore, in summer, residents from all over New York flock here to relax from the bustle of the city, have a cocktail and sunbathe. Enterprising businessmen decided to take advantage of this, who began the construction of modern residential complexes near the beach area. Many residents and wealthy Russians actively bought apartments in an unfinished complex. A successful project attracted investors, and it was decided to start the construction of a new residential complex.
Thus, Brighton Beach will soon acquire a developed infrastructure, which will include several modern residential complexes, restaurants and cafes, it is planned to equip playgrounds, and also consider a project to improve and repair the promenade and beach area.
Brighton Beach reviews
Many tourists, including our compatriots who visited Brighton Beach (New York), unanimously noted the unprecedented similarity of the infrastructure and life of the local population with the regime that existed under the USSR. That is, people who immigrated to America, fleeing the persecution and injustice of the Soviet regime, meticulously engaged in the device of their life here, creating an exact copy of the small Soviet Union. This can easily be understood by walking along the local streets, visiting grocery stores. Even the Millennium Theater, according to Russian tourists, is similar to the provincial Palace of Culture of Soviet times.
The general picture is complemented by funny advertising posters written in "rublesh", wary faces of compatriots, the names and assortment of cafes and shops, as well as pensioners who play board games all day and listen to pocket radio. Special telephone booths used by local residents for calls to their homeland are also in special demand. But when dialing a number, one must take into account that Moscow time is ahead of time in New York.
It is worth noting that many Russian migrants have never traveled outside Brighton Beach, their whole life is concentrated here. Also, the Russian diaspora, which has existed here for more than thirty years, is characterized by a widespread lack of knowledge of the English language. The only exceptions are young people who attended private schools, but they are in a hurry to leave Brighton Beach.