It's been over a year since our first trip to Coney Island. As you might recall, our trip was less then spectacular. Recently, Kitty and I were inspired to go back because the area has been purchased by a big developer and after this season, the area will be demolished and "disney-fied." According to some of our fellow New Yorkers, it will lose all its charm.
Rather than reprise the same sad trip, we went down last weekend on a Sunday after Mass. It was a bright sunny day- one of the first of the year. Armed with a sense of optimism, we started our trip in Brighton Beach. The plan was to go through Little Odessa, a neighborhood that we had not yet explored, catch up with the boardwalk and stroll down to Coney Island.
Signs, Signs, Everywhere is Signs...
The drive there wasn't too shabby. Of course, road signage in the 5 boroughs is absolutely terrible. While we were trying to off of Interstate 278, I saw a lane marked "To Belt Parkway." GREAT! I think, I'll go where the arrow points. At fifty-five miles per hour, I switch into the center lane of the highway. I position the car underneath the giant arrow and, do my eyes deceive me? I see a concrete median, not a road. The arrow wasn't pointing to the Belt Parkway, rather to some awful tragic death! I have a few seconds to make the correct decision. I can veer to the right or to the left of the concrete wall that is fast approaching us. I flinch and break to the right. It was the wrong choice. We end up heading towards Staten Island. After several more attempts to get back on the highway, we ended up driving by back roads. A twenty minute trip turned into an hour, thanks to the helpful NYC Department of Roads.
What does that have to do with the price of milk?
The first thing we noticed in Little Odessa was the inexpensive and incredibly fresh produce. Getting good produce in the city can be challenging. You can pay premium at Whole Foods or buy second class produce from your local grocery store. There are other options, I suppose, but it involves having a car and going to Washington Heights, which might as well be Maryland.
Little Odessa is named for its concentration of Russian and Slavic immigrants. I suppose it is almost as foreign as Chinatown. It is home to some of the most inexpensive luggage stores in the city. Where is the connection between the Russians and travel supplies?
We grabbed a bite to eat at a grocery and deli that specialized in Russian food. The woman behind the counter spoke minimal English and I tried to ask her questions. In the end, though, I acted out "What do you like?" and "Only vegetables and fish." My charades skills are still rather good and we ended up with a nice sized plate of food that Kitty and I shared on the rooftop veranda. We ended up with steamed salmon, Russian-style potato ravioli and a fantastic cabbage salad.
Fortified, we headed off to the Boardwalk. Unlike our last trip, the Boardwalk was full of families and sunbathers. There were musicians playing and it felt like a different world.
As we arrived at the heart of Coney Island, we grabbed a beer and sat to watch the world go by. Those run-down games that we saw before seemed fresher with people actually playing. Now, instead of "Dunk the Geek", the game had been updated to "Shoot the Geek." A young man dressed in body armor and a helmet hid behind obstacles and popped out slowly while people shot at him with paint-ball guns. It was a bit of a downer to watch people cheering as they shot the guy. Especially with the major shooting that just took place in Virginia, it seemed offsides. I suppose it is this one of the roughest edges that will be smoothed out as Coney Island becomes a corporate playground. On a brighter note, we saw the Coney Island Side Show Theater. It features sword eaters, pierced people, bearded ladies, etc. Not enough time to stop in, but since we are counting on heading back soon, we'll make a trip and I'll try to post some pictures.
We headed back to Little Odessa to get the car and decided to do some grocery shopping while we were at it. We picked up fresh veggies and whole wheat bread from a bakery. After that we headed to one of the specialty shops.
Get out, Don't need money.
Our first stop in the shop was the bulk food aisle. Back in the day, Kitty and her friends used to roam the aisles of bulk at the local grocery store and "sampled" to their hearts content. As we walked the three narrow aisles, a voice thundered out, "NO SAMPLE! NO SAMPLE!" Kitty's and my eyes got wide and we looked at each other to see if we were the offending party. "NO SAMPLE! BUY SOMETHING!" a Russian woman was yelling out.
A young man with a thick Brooklyn accent said, "Look at all dis stuff I'm buyin'?! I'll eat one damn piece of candy if I want to."
The Russian lady screamed, "GET OUT. DON'T NEED MONEY."
Typically, if someone is caught in the sample aisle, you sort of slink off an make a bigger purchase than you were going to. It's embarrassing but these things happen. Not that it's ever happened to me or anyone I know.
This guy, though, is absolutely resolute about his right to free samples. He starts telling her how he just won't buy anything and she keeps throwing out that kicker, "DON'T NEED MONEY!" He tosses his bag of goodies on a tub of honey-roasted peanuts turns and walking out the door as he curses her out.
What you've been waiting for...
Our final stop in Little Odessa was a full-service grocery that had a selection of specialty smoked meats, sausages and cold cuts. Since Kitty is a vegetarian, I don't bring home these kinds of treats very often but seeing the bounty laid out before me, the German blood in me could not pass it by! Of course, the language was once again a barrier. I asked the lady if she had any recommendations. No response. I asked what her favorite was. I got a puzzled look. Soon, I start with the charades and the sentence fragments, raising my voice and trying to act it out. She started to get hostile. I ended up leaving the store with a small piece of kielbasa and some salami that I'm guessing was of Slavic origin. Please email me if you have any ideas on how to act out "Your Favorite Authentic Eastern European Meat Products." It can get kind of ugly if you are just winging it.
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