Brighton Beach, the Little Odessa of New York City

Brighton Beach is a stone's throw from Coney Island, but it's a whole different world.

Imagine that you are in Coney Island and, after a while, you say to yourself that it would be nice to have a walk along the beach, away from the crowds and the rides.

You head toward the aquarium and its playful sea lions but instead of going in it, you just keep going and suddenly, you see a much different population than the one you just left.

People are seated on benches or on chairs that they have brought to the pontoon. Often old, they talk loudly to one another, the men on one side, the women on the other. The language is incomprehensible even if sometimes, some sentences seems to be in English.

If you didn't know it, you have just entered Little Odessa. Soon, two Russian restaurants and their terraces confirm that the Coney Island fast food stands are far away.

Are you going to stop there to eat or do you continue further? You look at the menu, there are unknown names and dishes, but since there are people at the tables, it must be good.

Finally, you decide to go a little further and even take a small street on your right. 6th Street for example, and that's another surprise.

This time you come across Orthodox Jews, the well-recognizable men with their braids and hats, the women in dresses with a scarf on their heads.

You are a long way from where you started, but at the same time, you are only 30 minutes from Downtown Brooklyn and it only cost you a subway ticket.

At the end of the street, you join Brighton Beach Ave, the main shopping thoroughfare.

The storefronts are now covered with signs in Cyrillic. The street is busy and you come across some stores that sell take-out food. You can now see what you could only imagine in front of the previous restaurants and it makes you hungry.

There are not only dishes but desserts and you would like to taste everything.

Luckily, you had spotted a small park right in front of these stores so your decision is made, the weather is nice enough to eat outside, you are going to have a picnic in this park.

It will be difficult to find a place, there too the benches are full and discussions are going non-stop. There too, you see a lot of old people but anyway, you end up finding a place. You are looked at but it is with as much curiosity as kindness so that should be fine.

Once your meal is finished, you decide to continue the walk a little and you take a small street that goes into the neighborhood. It's quiet and residential until you reach what appears to be an interior bay lined with docks. There are fishermen and walkers there and it is no longer the same population.

You have indeed left Little Odessa and you are now in Sheepshead Bay which, until the 19th century, was a small fishing port. Fishing boats have disappeared, replaced by pleasure boats, but you can still feel their presence.

As you must be a little tired from all this walking, you are looking for a metro station.

Luckily, Sheephead Bay Station will be nearby and you'll soon be on your way to home.

To find more practical details about this walk, go to Walk in NYC # 17: Coney island, Brighton Beach & Sheepshead Bay.

Dominique is the creator of newyork.citywalks.space, 18 self-guided tours to discover the city on foot, on and off the beaten track.