When we think about going to the beach in Brooklyn, the first thing that comes to mind is Coney Island, with its toothless carnies, delicious Nathan’s hotdogs and hordes of locals and tourists. We tend to forget that just a few yards down the boardwalk is Brighton Beach.

Nicknamed “Little Odessa,” Brighton Beach is still heavily influenced by immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Many of the storefronts are written in Russian, little red-haired old ladies and old men huddle together to gossip in their native tongue, and the younger guys tend to look like they are either members of the Russian mafia or auditioning to be on a Soviet version of the “Jersey Shore.”

This lesser-known beach neighborhood is far more peaceful than its super-hyped Coney Island cousin, and though it lacks the greasy fair food and midway, Brighton Beach is still worth a trip on the Q train.