By Maia Efrem
From a distance, the jogging figure looked like a bear in sneakers, holding a water bottle and running down the Coney Island boardwalk.
As the figure approached, it became clear that she was a young blond woman, wearing blue track pants and an ankle length brown fur coat. She ran slowly, past dozens of meandering Russian immigrants from the neighborhood. The only looks the jogger received were appraising, and approving glances at her coat.
With the sun glinting off the Atlantic, the boardwalk brimmed with activity. Young parents took their children out for walks, older men played chess on green wooden benches, and never too far off, their well-dressed wives stood gossiping together in Russian. Occasionally, a young toddler ran full speed at a resting seagull, chasing it off the boardwalk.
Coney Island, with such all-American landmarks as Nathan’s hot dogs and the Cyclone roller coaster, is home to Russian landmarks as well. Tatiana Restaurant is the place to see and be seen on the boardwalk. Steps away, Millenium Theater is host to the Bolshoi Theater Ballet Company and the occasional visit from the Moscow Circus — a taste of the old country. The latest fashion and expensive jewelry is displayed on every table.
The jogger moved on, in sync and in style.
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