10 Ways to Feel Summer & Free in Red Hook: So Interesting, So Still Undefined

A re-post: You've gotta love Red Hook. I mean, whether you're a buttoned up banker from Brooklyn Heights or a sailor from Sheepshead Bay, Red Hook simply has a distinct flavor to it.

It's worth a visit to see how great this corner of Brooklyn can feel -- unscheduled, inconsistent, sort of old and organic . (It's not so easy. Here's how to get there by hook or by crook..)

With so much waterfront, open sky and those fabulous old warehouses, it's a sort of dreamy-grungy getaway. Red Hook's a place where, if you aren't hyper-focused on getting in and out of the Chelsea Nursery or Fairway, you feel curiously free.

Not sure what to do in Red Hook? Here are some faves:

1. You can sip coffee with the Statue of Liberty at the very back of Fairway, in the cafe.
2. Or check out the BWAC art show.
3. Explore the waterfront park behind IKEA.
4. Marvel at the imagination of the folks who've turned an old barge into a museum and showboat.
5. Take a ferry boat to Manhattan, the South Street Seaport, and back again.
6. Hang at the soccer fields and try some snacks made by the now-famous Red Hook food vendors there.
7. Check out a handful of historical houses, little shops, bakeries and restaurants around and off Van Brunt Street.
8. Play pool, have a beer, maybe hear jazz at a low key pizzeria.
9. Make a pilgrimage to Sunny's Bar, which bless its heart still has a listing on its website from May 2009.
10. Gaze at the old trolley tracks and trolleys behind Fairway (see a photo here),  think about how Brooklyn was before Robert Moses.

And, this summer you can go kayaking off of Louis Valentino Jr. Pier Park as well, for free. Get info on the free kayaking program.

In other words, if you've got some time to meander, uncrowded, quirky Red Hook's just a great place to do it

.And, a post script, which is thanks to the vigilant folks of Red Hook, who helpfully pointed out some necessary corrections (now made) in the above!