Brooklyn/Gowanus and Red Hook

Gowanus and Red Hook is in Brooklyn. In addition to Gowanus and Red Hook, this travel guide also covers Carroll Gardens.

Understand

 * Red Hook is a formerly-bustling industrial area which is on the upswing. Although hard to access by train, it can be served by the F & G trains at Smith-9th Street or by taxi or by the B61 bus. Settled in 1636 by the Dutch, it has seen many a boom and bust is today caught between those who like it as the sleepy part of town that time forgot vs. those who seek to restore its crown as the Queen of Kings County Commerce. If you're looking for something off the beaten path, Red Hook is it. Many artists call Red Hook their home, so don't be surprised to see random sculptures, galleries, or creative gardens across from city housing or burned out buildings. It was also home to the MTV's Real World Brooklyn cast in 2007. While the property crime rate is higher than the national average, the violent crime rate is actually less than that of New York State. You have a 1 in 332 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Red Hook versus a 1 in 263 chance in New York as a whole.
 * Carroll Gardens- Historians date the name to the 1960s and the real estate people like to enlarge its borders. It encompasses part of Smith St. and the nearby areas. In the 1950s and further back in time, this area was known, to the dismay of many, as Red Hook, and it still is called both Red Hook and South Brooklyn by many. Smith St. has a newly charged restaurant row, but there are still plenty of old school Italian-American gems to be found.

By subway
The F and G stop in Carroll Gardens at Smith-9th Street (The highest station in the system and an engineering marvel), Carroll Street, and Bergen Street for Carroll Gardens. The F, G, and R stop in Gowanus at 4th Avenue-9th Street. There are no subways in Red Hook, but the B77 bus goes there from Smith-9th Street.

By bus
The B57, B61, and B77 buses stop in Red Hook and Gowanus.

Do

 * (especially near the subway) and look at the signs from factories long gone.

Stay safe
Although New York is overall a safe city, Red Hook is known for having a high crime rate. In general, north of the Gowanus Expressway, in Gowanus and Carroll Gardens, is safe, while south of it, in Red Hook, is a place to be very careful, especially near the Red Hook Houses in the northeastern section of Red Hook, just south of the Gowanus Expressway.