The objective of our project was too explore Brighton Beach and record details about the area without displaying bias. In our experiment we each visited Brighton Beach at least three times total during the winter and early spring. During every expedition, we would take pictures of the surroundings, the type of people we’ve encountered, conversations with the locals, as well as record our five senses. Since we are Brighton Beach residents who have a strong connection to the area because we’ve lived there for over a decade, we tried to be as impartial as possible. To experience the five senses, we had to visit different restaurants; we covered every part of the beach and the boardwalk; we interacted with both tourists and locals; we dug deep for problems that haunt our community. Before we would go out on a quest to Brighton Beach we would first read some articles that would help us understand some of the modern problems or phenomenons that are occurring in the neighborhood. Comparison is the main theme that we focus upon in our experiment. We went to Brighton Beach both in the winter and the spring to compare the atmosphere of the community during these two different seasons and notice if anything dramatically changed, especially our five senses. Another comparison that we did was to compare the past of Brighton Beach to modern Brighton Beach. We made a timeline to list the history of Brighton Beach all the way from its early beginnings to the recent third immigration wave. Also, we compared pictures of Brighton Beach of different eras to show the audience how dramatically the area has changed in some aspects but not in all. Our project includes a lot of videos that demonstrate the five senses because our audience needs to visualize what we’ve encountered first hand. During the early formation of this website, we wanted to present our material as coherently and attractively as we could. We envisioned a website where the viewer can easily interact with our material without getting overwhelmed. Each of us contributed equally to gathering all the necessary information, sharing ideas, and utilizing the resources in WordPress to craft this website. First, we wanted to introduce ourselves to our audience in the “About Us” category. In that category, we tell the audience who were are, where we came from, and how we connect to Brighton Beach. Then, we incorporated our fives senses into our field notes. Next, we made an Instagram to connect with different people whether local or not and to show them visuals of our journey. Afterward, in our reflection papers, we summarized how our attitude towards Brighton Beach may have changed and how this magnificent experience may have altered our perspective of our community. Lastly, in the annotated bibliography we introduced all the sources that helped guide us in our tremendous examination of Brighton Beach as well provided information that we would not have discovered on our own. It was not easy analyzing Brighton Beach so extensively, but we’ve learned a lot in the process and want to show the world what we’ve learned.
Here is a Google Maps visual of Brighton Beach. We’ve covered the Brighton Beach Boardwalk, Brighton Beach Ave, and more.
