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I'll be in NY next week (the Village) and want to try my first attemp at checking out Brooklyn. I see the water taxi will take me from Wall Street over to Red Hook to the new Ikea store. I'v also been checking out the "best pizza" in Brooklyn and I see Lucali's Pizza on Henry St. gets very high marks. I was thinking of walking from Ikea to Lucali's. Is this at all advisable? According to Google maps, total one-way trip about 1.5 miles. Or, is it just safer to hail a cab and be done with it? Will there be sidewalks? Will there be crowds ("safety in numbers") or am I taking any risk? I also understand Red Hook has some other night life, but don't want to make it late 'cause water taxi is my only ride home. Can anyone comment? Oh, by the way, what do you know about Lucali's? 50ish male here, not "tourist" written all over me. Any comment(s) much appreciated.
I am not too too familiar with Red Hook but I would say you'll be absolutely fine. Preferred route is probably walk north on Van Brunt Street, take a right on Carroll Street. There are sidewalks.. it's not like a big war zone, and Van Brunt is pretty trendy in places. But there probably will not be crowds. You could also take the B61 bus if you're more comfortable with that.
Also, why limit yourself to taking the water taxi back? The F train is a five minute walk from Lucali's and will take you right back to West 4th in the Village. As long as you're in Brooklyn, you might as well take a stroll around Carroll Gardens -- one of the more charming neighborhoods in the city -- instead of trudging back to Ikea for no reason.
I have not been to Lucali's either, so no help there.. sorry.
A friend of mine who has lived here for 20 or 30 years has been exclaiming nonstop about how great the Ikea ferry ride is. She said you can see all three Olafur Eliasson waterfalls - I am not sure if this is true. Also, the waterfalls were supposed to be up only thru Oct 13 which has already passed. Does anyone know if they have been taken down?
But I also don't understand why the Ikea water taxi would be your only means of returning to Manhattan. There is a perfectly good F train, as mentioned above.
Lucali's is worth it! Crawl over broken glass, around burned out cars or through a field of abandoned warehouses if you have to do so, but get there! It's seriously good pizza. Oh, and you'll find nothing so dramatic on your trek from the water taxi, but even if you did, just deal with it for the sake of the pizza.
I am a picky pizza eater, since I am vegetarian and allergic to dairy (I know, great combination), and as such I tend to notice more about pizza ingredients, save for the cheese and can be discerning when it comes to seeking out the best. Lucali's is one to which I will go in a second as is Pala on Allen St, Totonno's, Patsy's, etc., but I'd even sit in traffic to get to Brooklyn for Lucali's.
And, I think as others have said, your route seems to be fine, though if you want to explore a little more, take the train back to the Village.
Thank you all for the info and insight. I'm looking forward to my first trip to Brooklyn and the outstanding pizza at Lucali's. You know, I'll be by myself attempting to eat a whole pie (no slices I understand), so if anyone else is interested in helping me, company would be more than welcome--I am serious!! And, thank you bmwguydc for your other pizza favorites. I'll add them to my list of must-trys.
I'll be in NY next week (the Village) and want to try my first attemp at checking out Brooklyn. I see the water taxi will take me from Wall Street over to Red Hook to the new Ikea store. I'v also been checking out the "best pizza" in Brooklyn and I see Lucali's Pizza on Henry St. gets very high marks. I was thinking of walking from Ikea to Lucali's. Is this at all advisable? According to Google maps, total one-way trip about 1.5 miles. Or, is it just safer to hail a cab and be done with it? Will there be sidewalks? Will there be crowds ("safety in numbers") or am I taking any risk? I also understand Red Hook has some other night life, but don't want to make it late 'cause water taxi is my only ride home. Can anyone comment? Oh, by the way, what do you know about Lucali's? 50ish male here, not "tourist" written all over me. Any comment(s) much appreciated.
Hi, I've worked in Red Hook for five Years. While Red Hook is Changing and coming up a bit, there is still an element there. Be careful and watch your back. Better to take a Bus or Cab in the Dark Hours.
Thank you JoeRichMan27 for your assessment. I'm very aware of my surroundings at all times, day or night. I still feel better about the cab especially after dark. My plan at this time is to chow down at Lucali's and hail a cab afterwards back to the water taxi or the train to Manhattan as suggested, as it will be near or after dark. Again, thank you for your post.
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Walking in Red Hook
