GL has gotten word from Cesar Fuentes, who is the representative of the beloved Red Hook food vendors, that a meeting with the Parks Department that was scheduled for yesterday has been postponed until Friday afternoon. We assume this is a good sign in that the Parks Department may need time to come up with […]

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This is a shot of Halleck Street in Red Hook as it intersects with Beard Street. Ostensibly, new sidewalk and curbs are being put in, but it seems to be too much of a coincidence given the opening of the Ikea next year across the street. (We also worry, long-term, about the health of the […]

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If you’ve ever spent time on Columbia Street in Red Hook, you’ve possibly noticed the former industrial area that’s been partly reclaimed by wetlands vegetation. It’s next to the Ikea and is also a great spot for some graffiti and street art. Most of the structures that were in there have been removed and so […]

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Thor Equities tear down of the old Revere Sugar Plant in Red Hook is quite the job. Workers have been at it since December, when they started on the iconic Revere Dome. Then, they moved on to other tanks on the property and, then, brick buildings. It looks like they’re be at it for most […]

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Will the beloved Red Hook vendors be subjected to a competitive bidding process that could result in the loss of yet another Brooklyn institution? Cesar Fuentes, the head of the vendor’s group will be meeting on Tuesday with Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe (who has so far been silent on an issue that has been prominent […]

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It was anything but a typical Saturday at the Red Hook Ballfields as Sen. Charles Schumer dropped by to demand that the city drop plans that could lead to the eviction of its Latino food vendors. The vendors’ most prominent and politically influential advocate was joined by Red Hook Vendors Committee director Cesar Fuentes, Assemblyman […]

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Here is a video clip of Sen. Charles Schumer at the Red Hook Ball Fields yesterday. He asked the Parks Dept. not to put the permit they use to be in the park up for competitive bid, possibly evicting them. (YouTube has been slow to generate an image for the vid, we apologize for the […]

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Oh, yes, the plight of the Red Hook vendors has clearly gotten some attention. Sen. Charles Schumer is going to be on hand at the Red Hook Ballfields today at 1PM to protest the wrongheaded Parks Dept. plan to force the vendors into a competitive bidding situation. Porkchop Express–which has done the best job in […]

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Our beloved Red Hook food vendors have heard your support and that of readers at many other blogs. We found a note from Cesar Fuentes, who is Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park Inc. He writes: Dear Friends, Thanks so much for your concerns & support for our current situation […]

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We don’t know if this is going to be an ongoing blog–we hope that it is–or just something with one or two entries, but the awful Parks Department threat to the beloved Red Hook Soccer Fields food vendors has even spawned a blog called Save Soccer Tacos. It has contact information for Parks Commissioner Adrian […]

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More than once, we’ve looked at the Red Hook Ballfields and wondered how long the food scene and vendors would be able to survive, especially with the behemoth Ikea opening next year. They may only last until September, according to the depressing news first conveyed by Grub Street: The Red Hook ball fields, home to […]

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Every few weeks, it seems, there is news to convey about the slow burn known as the city’s plan to convert the Red Hook Piers from a container port into something that is, well, quite different. The ideas have already gone through many iterations, and various parts–including housing–have fallen off or been removed. Now, Sarah […]

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These renderings, which went up on Curbed late yesterday afternoon, may be some of the most depressing we’ve ever seen. A Curbed reader commented that the project they represent is dead and, if so, that’s a good thing. We’ve joke more than once about how Ikea represented the New Jerseyfication of the Red Hook waterfront, […]

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Historian and tour guide Francis Morrone offers some tips for those unfamiliar with Red Hook in today’s Sun. Here’s a sample: For the curious, here’s what I suggest. Begin at Carroll and Van Brunt streets. It’s a few blocks from the Carroll Street station of the F and G trains. You can also get there […]

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Now that the summer is basically here–okay, late spring–the outdoor events are stacking up. One of our favorites is the annual Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival. The 2007 edition will take place on Saturday, June 2 and there will be some changes. Instead of happening at the end of Beard Street it will move to […]

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Brooklyn tour season is upon us, and there is much coming up. Here are two pending events. One takes place today (5/19) and is sponsored by BCUE, which keeps up a full schedule of superb Brookly tours. The other comes from the Municipal Art Society, which always offers incredible panels and excursions. 1) The Red […]

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Here’s a few minutes at the Red Hook Ballfields as the food stands are looking for the 2007 season. Click here if the embed isn’t working for you.

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That exciting line of thunderstorms the other afternoon apparently was too much for the Great Blue Wall of Red Hook. Chris Curen, who hit us off with all these photos, reports that “a bunch of sections fell down.” He adds that Ikea did better in the cleanup phase than Thor Equities: Now, I’m not saying […]

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The new Ikea in Red Hook was topped off several weeks ago and the building is, well, sitting there on Beard Street, awaiting its blue and yellow exterior. The way Ikea does its buildings, it will probably be finished quickly. The view below shows what the area looks like now that a large part of […]

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We kick off another semi-regular feature today called “What Were They Thinking?,” which is something that will be limited only by our own ability to shoot enough photos and to get enough reader submissions. “What Were They Thinking?” buildings come in all sizes, shapes and forms. The only thing that qualifies them is that they […]

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We made our first visit to the increasingly well-known Red Hook Ball Fields this weekend. The scene is going strong and, this year, they’ve moved the food stands into the park, which gives it a nicer, more open feeling. If you’re not seeing the slideshow, you can go over to the flickr photoset here.

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Among the many places those new glassy bus shelters have popped up in recent weeks is Columbia Street in Red Hook. We’re still not sure how we feel about them as part of the streetscape, although we suppose we more like them than not. We like that they’re labeled as to location of the stop, […]

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Don’t look now, but Red Hook is turning into Brooklyn’s Gardening District. Can a Plant War with vicious price cutting and hortacultural skullduggery be far behind? No less than three garden shops are now open in the Hook. The Chelsea Garden Center Brooklyn has been operating for a couple of weeks at 444 Van Brunt […]

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[Photo courtsey of Nate Kensinger] We know that irony is in the eye of the beholder and we’re also aware that timing is everything. And so, we’ll say up front that we missed the fun at the opening of the excellent Brooklyn Waterfront Artist’s Coalition show this weekend by about 45 minutes. Nonetheless, we arrived […]

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The city’s plan to close the Red Hook container port and redevelop the waterfront for a variety of uses seems to be taking another curious twist. Today’s Sun reports that the city is “backing away” from some expansion plans, including adding another cruise terminal, and considering “a dramatic scaling back.” It may even consider keeping […]

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