We went to New York last week to catch up with some friends, stock up on supplies, reconnect with some work contacts, and generally have a little city getaway. On our way out of town we went by my old studio in Red Hook to take some pictures and see what had changed. The neighborhood on the waterfront, directly around my old studio (behind door number 14. The door was locked, but I found an old photo from when I was moving out to include) has really cleaned up, and the only remaining graffiti and grit seems to be more for folklore than real neglect. The border neighborhoods are still pretty much the same, a real mix of poverty and artist studios, old fisherman's houses and interesting nooks and crannies. But now there is a giant (and wonderful) Fairway gourmet supermarket, and an Ikea anchoring both ends of the waterfront, and I'm sure much more development will follow. But for now it is a really unique part of New York. This side of the harbor is so peaceful you can really start to feel that New York is actually a coastal town. And the beautiful old and varied buildings on cobblestone streets make for a great place to grab a coffee at Baked and take a little walk. I'm not ready to move back, or anything, but I am really glad that this was where I had my studio for those 8 or so years, and I got a chance to spend so much time down there. I highly recommend checking it out to anyone either in the NYC, or headed there for a visit.
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