Russian section of NYC?

Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Poles, and Romanians seem to have sizeable communities in every major metropolis in the United States. Russians...not so much. So perhaps that's why someone said there aren't many Russian communities here.

I live in the Southwest and I only know four Russian-speaking people here; my grandmother, my father, a Jewish Russian female friend of mine who's from Odessa, and an Estonian-born ethnically Russian guy she introduced me to, believe he's from Tallinn.

My family is from Tartü and we are ethnically Estonian. Apparently we have a big community in Seattle, but I've never been. To my knowledge, in Phoenix where I live, there are actually more Estonians than Russians.

 

Romanians in the southwest? You sure? Most Romanians I know have gravitated to either coast. LA & NY for the most part. I don't encounter too many Serbs oddly enough nor Bosnians, or Croats. I know 1 Serb, 1 Ukrainian, 1 Gypsy, and too many Romanians. Where I live we have a large Asian and Mexican population. Which is as expected in Southern California.

 

Chicago has a very large Russian speaking community most of which are from Ukraine. We also have Ukrainian Village (although not as many Ukrainians live there anymore) which is a traditional American settlement of Western Ukrainians. There's also a descent number of Romanians, Croats, Serbs, Bosnians, and as most know a gigantic Polish community.

 

Come now, lads, we all remember line 5.
And Americans wonder why I don't call myself "Russian".

 

Definitely a Russian colony in Seattle...also in LA (mostly Jewish areas like Beverly/Fairfax), although when I went to a LA Kings hockey game we sat next to a young Russian season-ticket holder who lived 1/2 mile from Anaheim Arena would have nothing to do with the Disney Ducks

 

Plenty of Serbs/Croats in San Pedro (families have worked on the waterfront for generations)...

San Pedro has the feel of a steel town, not tinsel town (very in-bred)...

 

Because you're inferior to us? Hell, I'd call you a Ukrainian instead.

 

Methinks that in the name of aggressive posturing some regulars have forgotten one simple dogma :"What you call yourself matters hell of a lot less than what your children will call you, themselves and their children."

I had dat argie mit Shurik a few years ago, and peaceful resolution was achieved.
I do not get what any of you will get chitting and chatting on Ukies, Jews, Russians etc., shvyitsing - who is real, who is not, and so on.

So some regulars a la Alex Spike who had sumpm to say are gone, what good came out of dat?

I come to these boards to communicate mit common, yet rare souls - footie fans mit eastern Euro affiliation mit somewhat of an identity - transitional crisis.
Ask yourself - will Ganu's kids be Loko fans, will Z's - Z's, and I sure hope dat Dima is not allowed to reproduce - since we do not need anymore dimwitted "DedGazzayhuesosov", as hard as I'll try my maidalah won't probably give a kopendrert 'bout "T" after a while as well.
What legacy will you who "fraer" too much pass on - hate Ukies cause they hated Jews;
hate jews cause caused us tsures 200 years ago;
hate Lithuanians cause they wanted a land of their own?

I truly subscribe to a theory dat a kleine piece of camel drek can spoil a groiser barrel of honey; and it was less than 5% of population dat started pogroms, and not all Ukies were in Hmel'nitskiy druzhina, and dat a potz Id is worse den an Antisemite.
You kin all point at Shurik's ogorod - yet de gent (extremely loose term) has talent dat most or none of us own; is funny; and IMHO - harmless; so hwen you dat funny + well spoken + well meaning - start your diatribes - oderwise - IMHO,hmm, IMHO - rishpekt is der woid of the day.

 

hRACIAS.

 

Um, what? Why would you call me Ukranian?
For the record, I don't call myself Russian because in Russia, I wasn't.

 

That's a lovely sentiment, but sadly, a bit too new agey for me. Having recently had a conversation with a highly educated Polish girl about how one should "never marry Jews" because they "try to convert you" and "other stuff". Old hatreds, sadly, run deep. And the tendency to blame Shlomo Rabinovich for what ails Russia (first it was the revolution, then it was the destruction of the revolution) won't soon pass.
That's probably the reason why I have no interest at all in teaching my (future) kids to speak Russian. True, it will deprive them of the first and third chapter of Master and Margarita as well as Blok's Italian poems. But then again, I expect they will be able to read Marquez, Lorca and Calderon de la Barca in vernacular. I don't expect to regret the trade.

 

Well I did convert my shiksa wife, since I felt that fresh injection of sheine blood was MORE than necessary (well there were other reasons as well); I'd shudder thinking that her or mein maidalah will understand Russian - what a monster they'd think of me , myself and I.
As far as your Polish friend - immigrants many times reflect the primitive basis of their race's sterotypes, prime reason while Italians in italy look a lot less ITALIAN den someone chillin' next table to me at "Vento" in MPD, or Dmitriy sounds more like Zhirinovsky than the shmuk heself. Yet - what will dat girl's daughter think of Jews (frankly I do not really care), mass opinion only concerns me when it is influenced to the extreme - a la current American right - otherwise the history of the world was written by select few.
A few years ago - I was at the lecture of "supposedly" brilliant orator - whose topic that night was :"Let's do away mit all the nationalities, and become one TRUE melting pot". He got a standing O, I was scratching mein "repa".
IMHO - in the world of information overload, and extreme cocooning - too many identites might dissolve into nothingness, so my child - when the time comes - will be Jewish. Case closed, choice made, the name lives on (hopefully).

Now; Calderon, over Lope, and de Saavedra - interesting choice - why all the Spaniards over obvious Anglo candidates?

 

I very much wish that my South African Jewish girlfriend of 3 years was at least a little more Russian... She loved "Ironiya Sud'by" and "Master and Margarita", but quite obviously and naturally she doesn't quite get it the same way I do, and I wish this was different. I certainly hope my future kids will grow up speaking Russian fluently -- if only because I want them to be able to enjoy their grandfather's humor.

 

Now, I'll drag out me yashchik and throw in me $3.98 , please save the rotten eggs 'till the end.
Here's what mein repa comprehended so far :

1/ NPA kin shpiel medeival Spanish + Catalan, and will drive his kindele meshugge teachng him those tongues, may he whose name can not be uttered bless him for dat imminent effort.

2/ CMBLFC is a total mutt (in a good sense) ans is proud of - see NPA's blessing. Oh and C - you - one of us duuuuuuuuuuude - join the RFPL chit - you can't do worse den metros.


3/ Metros - podnasral shi ne ubral, or fulfilled the famous Odessa directive "Sdelal svoye delo i uhodi". Speak up Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.

4/ Yasik ain't planning to marry the devoted student of L.Vuitton institute - ' cause she won't let him near the kindele or Telly mit Footie for dat matter.

5/ 3 years ..... DKU has been getting South African trim lately - bohato odnako, sam ne imel, no... sam slyishal. See NPA for blessing.


So a few things not to ignore - your kid WILL have a brain, more choices you give him, less are the chances he'll choose a right one.
Your kid will want to do EVERYTHING - my maidalah wants to be in a choir, take singing lessons, take figure skating lessons, be on a synchroskating team, be on a ski team, play French horn; and if time allows play Little League and AYSO, don't forget school comes first and takes up a lot.
Just like in bidnest', or fashion, or design, or interior decorating, or writing, or investment porfolio - you'll have to edit, edit, edit and mit love, love, love - it ain't effen easy. Focus on what's important - OK superpuperduperimportant - the rest they'll get anyway.

Ancestry stoff - yes it is SHOCKINGLY important - and when they are ready - they should get it, my Family's ancestors boggle mein kopf, and my Daughter gets it - by teaspoonful - one day she'll get it all, but first I have to somehow get it all. Which brings another topic - Family is thrown around the world, so are the ancestral graves (so to speak) how'd you keep it altogether (yourself), d'ya really think that your kid'll get it 'fore 16 - 18?
My daughter already thinks that the Russian part of my family is weird (OK Unkle Yura knows only 2 words in English - "Oh Chit" and dem are forbidden in mi casa).How'd you teach them respect towards what is alien to them - not effen easy , make sure that they won't resent you.
It's a long and laborious road, which has rewards on the par mit enlightment (yes, I know conspiracy... BS), yet abandoning my career for it ,has never felt better.
Sorry for the patience torture - rotten tomatoes - as always are welcome.

 

My advice was to git a different goirlfriend altogether, ASAP, yet, you kin read it anyhweigh you want.
I think a trip to NYC is a wonderful present - I was dere meslf 'till last Saturday (although, it was a present to me - which I did not want), and will be dere again in coupla weeks - may be will catch Gold Cup semis.
It is outta control e-espensive though, and you'll have to shower 3 times a day due to humadididty, garbage on dem streets, local stinkeye, and smelly , shvyitsy body parts on public and non-public transportation; AND DAT'S BEFORE "VELIKIY I MOGUCHIY" on Brighton streets (which I did not visit).
On the other hand, hot + humid weather + local fashion , provides extreme exposures on the part of attractive aborigene females as opposed to unattractive semi-aborigene males in SF - so, how kin you go wrong?
Git extra dark Persoles to save your beytsim.

 

If me kindele can't read English, its going to be a bit of a surprise.

As for why Calderon? Porque la vida es sueno.