newyorkette

^{(My first attempt at oil painting last summer, inspired by my Coney Island Venus, came out rather unsurprisingly cartoony!) Image: carolita johnson}

Well, this is my favorite Brighton Beach babe, who I call my “Coney Island Venus.” But if she’s not to your taste, there are other “babes” to be seen on Brighton Beach against the Coney Island backdrop. Less bashful than your american babes, you’ll find speedo-clad male slavs, and the occasional tanga-clad female slavs.

Not everyone in a Speedo or a tanga really ought to be in one (summer’s variant on “not all that glitters is gold”), but diversity in body types is what makes the world go ‘round for an artist. That makes Brighton Beach a feast for the eyes. The hard-core Russians are already out. They seem impervious to cold weather and incapable of goosebumps, inclining me to indulge in romantic daydreams in which they’re all Dostoievskian escapees from the snows of Siberia.

Check out Gothamist’’s celebration of the the re-opening of Coney Island. True love means you’ll still come to Coney Island in the winter, but there’s no need to suffer now. Just stash a sweater and a good book in your bag and hop on the N,Q, D or F to Stillwell Avenue. Go straight across the street to Nathan’s and get your hot dog and fries, then take a shoreline or boardwalk stroll beyond Astroland to Brighton Beach. Cross over the boardwalk back onto the street there to pick up your favorite pickles and Russian specialities at the grocery stores, or stop for a quick vodka before getting back on Q or B train home again.

Posted Monday, April 10th, 2006 at 6:00 am under NYC. Feel free to trackback from your own site. All images on newyorkette.com are the intellectual property of Carolita Johnson, and you must ask (and receive) express permission to use them or reproduce them in any way whatsoever.