I've only been to Brighton Beach once and did not get much of an impression of it. After reading Maria's proposal and listening to our class discussions about Brighton Beach, my view of it is of a Russian dominated neighborhood. I would picture a place would many Russian stores and people. I do think I will feel very much like an outsider during our tour, and learn a lot about Brighton Beach since I don't have much knowledge about it to begin with.

Chinatown, on the other hand, I have been to many times with my friends and parents. Strangely though, I find myself getting lost or not able to find the places I want to go to. I guess I'm not really all that familiar with it. Growing up, my parents always brought me and my brother to Flushing (in Queens) instead. I only actually started going to Chinatown in high school since my school was near it. What comes to mind when i think of Chinatown...I think of cheap knock-offs and cheap Chinese food. In addition, I think of crowds of people on the streets. Even though I am Chinese, I dont feel a sense of belonging in Chinatown because I don't speak Cantonese or Fujianese. In comparison with Flushing, Chinatown is definitely older and dirtier.