Red Hook
This weekend we were finally blessed with glorious, spring-appropriate weather: sunny, cloudless skies and downright warm temperatures. An outdoor adventure was definitely in order, so my dude and I headed to Red Hook, Brooklyn. We had no actual agenda—other than to eat a mini key lime pie—but some of my favorite days have begun this way, and Saturday was no exception.
I've explored Red Hook a few times, mostly before or after a trip to IKEA. Once, I went to IKEA for nothing more than a $1 cinnamon roll, which is really as good a reason to do anything, in my opinion. Despite being very close to Lower Manhattan, Red Hook is pretty isolated in terms of public transit. The closest subway lines are the F/G, which we took to the Carroll Street stop and walked the rest of the way. There are buses, and of course the IKEA ferry from downtown, but the walk was lovely.
We headed straight to the waterfront, where we creeped on a old trolley car outside of Fairway, and I finally got to the Waterfront Barge Museum. The museum has very limited hours and isn't necessarily a destination on its own, but definitely worth a stop if you're already in the neighborhood. There are a few interesting pieces in their nautical collection, but it's really the barge itself that's the main attraction. The Lehigh Valley No. 79 "represents the only surviving all-wooden example of the Hudson River Railroad Barge from the Lighterage Age (1860-1960) that remains afloat and accessible to the general public."
There are no shortage of food / drink options in Red Hook, and I'm excited to come back and try some of the things that we didn't have time for, like a drink at Sunny's Bar (RIP Sunny). I had heard good things about Brooklyn Crab, but it was
SO
crowded (like college-spring-break-bro-crowded) that we only paused briefly to admire some vintage cars parked outside before moving on to Hometown BBQ, which was fantastic and totally worth the wait.
We eventually did make it to Steve's Key Lime Pies, our one pre-determined destination, and the chocolate-covered individual key lime tart, aka "Swingle," was every bit as delicious as I had remembered.
We walked back to the subway a different way than we had come, down the charming Coffey Street, past a chocolate factory and whiskey distillery and along Van Brunt Street, which is basically the Main Street of Red Hook. I love the mix of Civil War-era brick buildings, cobblestone streets and adorable little row houses—all with a view of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan, but just out of reach enough to feel like a bonafide adventure.