When the popularity of anything ensues in New York, however, the drama follows. Amidst the Department of Health brouhaha are the Red Hook Ball Fields vendors, serving up tacos and pupusas in makeshift stations, while they are currently working out the sanitation and proper vending kinks.

It may not have the list of events, happy hours, and programs that Brooklyn Brewery does, but what else would you expect from this modest Red Hook brewery? Plus, their beers are waaaaay better than BB’s. Tours are by appointment only.

Lots of taxidermy, cheap beer, and lots more taxidermy. Bait & Tackle is like that crazy uncle of yours you describe to people as someone who is a “character,” a nice euphemism for “crazy.”

For 5 generations, Sunny’s has kept it in the family; one of the last vestiges of the dockworkers’ day-to-day, Sunny’s has seen the slow gentrification, in terms of patronage, that the neighborhood has.

Even if you don’t need any unstable shelving units or Swedish meatballs, take advantage of the free water taxi service from Manhattan to the Hook every weekend.

Specializing in antiques and furniture, the folks at Atlantis also work in restorations. Click on the link below to learn how to reupholster a retro kitchen chair with Beatrice, Atlantis’ owner. Someday I’ll get around to doing this with my four awesome yellow chairs.