Red Hook Waterfront

We admit it. We love Red Hook. But we also know that getting there can seem daunting, especially for first-time visitors from other boroughs. Or so they tell us when they break our lunch date at Fort Defiance.

BY SEA

The NY Water Taxi Ikea Ferry offers the most picturesque approach, with its views of the lower Manhattan and Red Hook waterfronts. The ferry leaves from Pier 11 in lower Manhattan, where Wall Street meets the East River, and lets you off in Erie Basin Park, behind the Ikea. Check the schedule, though, before you decide on this option: ferries run once or twice an hour, 2pm–8pm on weekdays and 11:20am-8:40pm on weekends.

G train Red Hook

BY SUBWAY AND/OR BUS

If you’re coming from somewhere other than lower Manhattan, subways and/or buses may be your best choice. To figure out the best way to get there from where you are, you can check out the MTA Trip Planner (mobile) or HopStop (mobile)–but we’ll give you the broad strokes below.

The nearest subway stop to Red Hook is the recently renovated Smith-9th Street Station, serviced by the G and F lines. With an elevation of 87.5 feet, it’s the highest subway stop in New York and, in terms of elevation above ground level, the highest in the world.

Why have a subway station so high? You can thank the tall-mast ships that once navigated the nearby Gowanus Canal. Fortunately, the station now features escalators and offers views of Brooklyn, lower Manhattan, and even the Statue of Liberty.

Smith 9th Street Station

When you get off the train, head away from the Gowanus Canal in a westerly direction towards Court Street.

Court Street Bus Stop

That’s where you’ll find the stop for both the B57 and B61 buses. You get a free transfer here, as long as you use the same MetroCard you boarded the train with. You can easily walk the distance to the waterfront, but a free anything in New York City is something you should always accept.

About these buses: If you’re coming from South Slope, Downtown Brooklyn, or one of the BoCoCa neighborhoods, you can skip the subway and just take the bus. The B57 bus connects Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Carroll Gardens with Red Hook—basically going down Court Street, turning around at Ikea, and then going back up Smith Street (before going up Flushing Avenue to Queens).

The B61 is the southern half of the route that follows the old Crosstown Line streetcar route, which goes from Park Slope to Red Hook and then up to downtown Brooklyn. (The B61, like the Crosstown line used to continue all the way through Williamsburg and Greenpoint to Long Island City. Tragically, in 2010, this enormously useful route was split in two, with the northern half becoming the B62 line. But we digress.)

B57 Bus

Get off at the IKEA bus terminal at Beard Street to begin your tour of the Red Hook waterfront.

B61 Bus

Next page: Runners, cyclists, and by car >

RUNNERS AND CYCLISTS

The Brooklyn Greenway Initiative is constantly refining its route for runners, cyclists and pedestrians that runs along the waterfront all the way from Greenpoint to Shore Park. The route takes you through Brooklyn Bridge Park on the way down to Red Hook, so you may want to burn some calories before you chow down on pupusas or key lime pie!

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Photo by Benny Wong via Flickr

BY CAR

For what, you don’t have GPS? Basically, here’s what you need to know–the nearest Brooklyn-Queens Expressway exit is Hamilton Avenue, though if you’re going West towards Staten Island it may be easier to get off at Atlantic.

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Photo by Matthew Rutledge via Flickr
  • From BQE West (I-278W): Take the Atlantic Avenue exit, keep left at the fork, and take a left onto Columbia St. Take your first right onto Degraw, then an immediately left onto VanBrunt, which takes you through Red Hook, with Fairway at the end of the street.
  • From BQE East (1-278E): Take the Hamilton Avenue exit. Go straight on Hamilton, then take a left on Van Brunt, which takes you through Red Hook, with Fairway at the end of the street.
  • From Downtown Brooklyn and other neighborhoods to the north: both Court St. and Henry St. will take you in the right direction and cross under the BQE, after which you can take a right on Bay St. at the ballfields, left on Columbia, and right on Beard. Or, if you’re near the river, take Columbia St. south, take a left on Degraw, and then an immediate right onto Van Brunt.
  • From Gowanus, Park Slope and other neighborhoods to the east: 9th Street is your best bet for crossing the Gowanus Canal. Take a left on Court Street directly before crossing under the BQE. Then right on Bay, left on Columbia, and right on Beard.

Next page: Now that you’re here >

NOW THAT YOU’RE HERE

Walk along Beard Street in a northwesterly direction and head toward the biggest building you can see–the Red Hook, Merchant, and Beard and Robinson Stores at 480-500 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY.

Red Hook, Merchant, and Beard and Robinson Stores

The Red Hook Stores are also the home of the Fairway Supermarket.

Fairway Supermarket

Fairway is not the sort of supermarket you normally see in NYC, with its expansive inventory of fresh and healthy choices. They have a deli counter and maintain a tented waterfront seating area with tables and chairs. Since you’ve been traveling–you might want to grab a coffee and a sandwich and take a load off.

Fairway Supermarket

It’s easy to get lost in Fairway, which takes full advantage of the enormous footprint the 1870’s vintage Red Hook Stores building offers. Pictured above is the cooking oil department, lit by yellow bulbs which won’t damage the bottled fluids. Bet you don’t see that at your corner bodega.

Brooklyn Crab

You may now be suffering from a fuzzy head from the myriad of choices at Fairway. Time to relax at Brooklyn Crab, just across the Fairway parking lot, with its amazing food and drink specials. During the summer there’s also Mini Golf and Cornhole!

Overview Red Hook Waterfront

From here, you can explore more of the waterfront, wander up Van Brunt street with its myriad bars and restaurants back up towards Carroll Gardens or Brooklyn Heights, or stay through dinner. You’ll be wondering why you don’t come here more often.

There you have it. We’ve helped you figure out how to get to Red Hook. The question now is how you’re going to convince yourself to leave.

A version of this post originally appeared on RedHookWaterfront.com


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