Brighton Beach is largely Russian—as if its nickname, Little Odessa, weren’t a dead giveaway—but the marine life inside the New York Aquarium (Surf Ave at 8th St; 718-265-3474, nyaquarium.com) comes from every corner of the seven seas. Standing by the “Alien Stingers” exhibit, Williamsburg twenty- something Fred and Prospect Heights nine-year-old Carlos bond over pulsing, iridescent sea nettles. “Watch out, kid,” warns Fred. “Like most pretty things, it’ll leave you stung bad.”

Though she spends her days with sharks, octopi and crustaceans, aquarium worker Florence still loves to dine on seafood. And when hunger calls, she strolls up the boardwalk to Tatiana Grill (3152 Brighton 6th St at Boardwalk; 718-646-7630, tatianagrill.com). “You step inside and it’s like you’re in a fish tank,” says Florence. The nautical-themed Russian restaurant sports a transparent Plexiglas floor that’s actually an aquarium filled with almost a thousand tilapia, eels and other waterborne creatures.

Off the boardwalk, food markets line Brighton Beach Avenue. Tatiana patron Alex stocks up on his favorite Slavic delicacies at the two-floor M&I International (249 Brighton Beach Ave at Brighton 2nd St, 718-615-1011). Packed with pierogi, pickled vegetables and pastries, the shop, says our insider, “is like a Russian Dean & DeLuca.”

For Slavic music and movies, walk a few doors down to RBC Video (269 Brighton Beach Ave at Brighton 2nd St, 718-769-8605). Bashful employee Max offers a few recommendations. “Yulia Savicheva is like Kelly Clarkson, with good music and lyrics. And B2 is somewhere between Coldplay and the Killers.” When asked about fey Latvian pop star Vitas (whom I’d discovered on a previous Brighton excursion), Max forces a polite smile and says “They call him ‘the siren’ because of his high-pitched voice.”

For more itineraries, go to timeoutny.com/subwaytours.