Why it's different
Red Hook has no direct subway access — the nearest stations (the F/G at Carroll Gardens) are a 15–20 minute walk away, and this genuine inconvenience has kept the neighborhood from developing at the pace of its better-connected neighbors. The result is a low-rise, industrial-waterfront character that's increasingly rare in inner Brooklyn: converted warehouses, cobblestone streets, and a real sense of separateness from the rest of the city.
The waterfront and the view
Valentino Pier and the Red Hook waterfront generally offer one of the closest, most direct views of the Statue of Liberty available from anywhere in New York City — closer than the Staten Island Ferry route, without needing a boat ticket at all. It's also a genuinely good spot to watch the sunset over the harbor.
What's there
A cluster of well-regarded independent restaurants and bars, a large IKEA (reachable by a free water taxi from Manhattan, which is itself a novel way to see the harbor), a distillery, and the Waterfront Museum housed in a historic 1914 railroad barge. The Red Hook Ballfields are famous in food circles for the Latin American food trucks that set up around them on weekends in warmer months — some of the best and most authentic Latin street food in the city.
Getting there
The B61 bus from Downtown Brooklyn, the NYC Ferry (which stops in Red Hook), or the free IKEA water taxi from Manhattan's Pier 11 are all more practical than the subway-plus-long-walk option. Budget extra time regardless of method — this is a neighborhood that requires a bit more effort to reach, which is precisely why it's stayed distinctive.