An article written about the burgeoning suburb of Red Hook, to be published soon in a start-up e-mag. Eat, drink, walk and be merry.

1. Travel
Brooklyn
Red Hook
Have you ever wanted to know a place before it became ‘cool’? Before tourists started coming in
herds to gawk at the ‘cool’ locals in the ‘cool’ neighbourhood? Before the place gets written about
in the culture section in the New York Times under headings such as ‘New York’s Newest Hip
Neighbourhood’? Once that happens, it’s like the cool vacuum came and sucked out all the cool,
leaving very little behind. I swear I have found a place in it’s burgeoning infancy ready to blossom,
and it’s name is Red Hook.
Red Hook is a suburb only select few Brooklyners are talking about, which means most
Manhattaners won’t be aware of it. This means all the more for us, once you figure out how to get
there. I ride, but there is a subway that stops a long 25 minute walk away on 9th St on the F and G
lines. There is a bus that goes right through the centre of it but I haven’t taken it.
Walking around Red Hook is interesting; it is a place of industrial charm. You’ll see some
cobblestoned streets, lots of warehouses, empty lots that once housed thriving transport
companies but now house their carcasses. Dead, rusted trucks and machine parts, broken glass,
crumbling concrete and a big blue empty sky. In amongst all of this rubble you find the gems.
I recommend doing it like this: Go there on a Thursday around lunch-time, and go hungry.
Hangover optional. Get straight to the Hope and Anchor on the corner of Van Brunt and Woolcott,
and order a burger. You might even like a glass of beer or a cheeky cocktail, because hey, why not.
This place is so comfortable you feel like you’ve always been going there. The retro tables and
chairs have been loved over time and are ageing well, it’s light enough and also dark enough, the
music is familiar but new, the service is fast and fun. Like much of Red Hook it references the
suburb’s naval history, but only very subtly, and with enough class to really work. The food is good,
great for its price, and it will quickly become your go-to for cheap and cheerful relaxed eats.
From the Hope and Anchor I recommend taking in some fresh air and a little scenery at the Louis
Valentino Junior Park, at the end of Coffey Street. At the end of the pier you can see the Statue of
Liberty and the southern tip of Manhattan, you can also breathe in a bit of Federation history at
these sites of long-forgotten colonial battles. Celebrate American victory just next to the pier with a
key lime pie at Steve’s on Van Dyke, the most amazing key lime pie you will ever taste, made by a
native of Miami who brought this prized recipe with him (the secret is in the fresh squeezed limes).
After your lime/sugar hit it’s back to the tour, and you should not leave Red Hook without a visit to a
distillery that’s making waves around the world; Widow Jane Distillery. Tourists buy souvenirs, so
here is your souvenir shop - award winning, superbly crafted whiskey that you will remember long
after you drain that last drop from the bottle. It’s just around the corner from the key lime pie, at the
corner of Conover and Coffey streets.
Let’s say it’s getting a bit later in the day and you’re beginning to feel a bit peckish from all the
walking you’ve been doing. You can chose now between two amazing cultural choices - Brooklyn
Crab or Hometown BBQ. Brooklyn Crab on Reed Street is a massive joint always bathed in
sunlight, or so it feels with its fantastic balcony and sun-bleached wooden furniture. There is a

2. downstairs open-air bar big enough for everybody, an upstairs deck also very large and uncovered,
and a bar proper with real walls and doors for those so inclined. As you’d expect, crab is prominent
on the menu and should be enjoyed on the deck in the sun with a beer at hand.
If you’re in the mood for a different kind of Americana just down from the Crab joint is the
Hometown BBQ, a boxy windowless place that upon entering reveals a sprawling canteen of
smokey BBQ delights. Boasting a massive meat smoker this place is a must-go. The smokey smell
of roasting meats on an open grill and fresh draught beer make this place very hard to go past.
After dinner there are some bars you can go to for night caps, I recommend Botanica, just next
door to the distillery you stopped at a little while ago, if you can remember how to get back there. If
not walk down the street from BBQ or Crab to Conover Street, walk three blocks and there it is on
your left. Ask them for whatever is their signature cocktail of the moment, and you will not be
disappointed; they will make you a drink you have never had before and will want to try again.
After all of this excitement it’s probably time to call it a day, so either find your long way back to the
subway or do that true New York thing and get a cab. A day well spent.