Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Labor Day, 2008.

This area had been neglected, was run down, seedy, and not very visitable. It’s main landmark was a city housing project.

And then something wonderful happened.

The Swedish home furnishings company know as IKEA, stepped in and did wonders. In return for its waterfront property it created Erie Basin Park, a free water taxi service to lower Manhattan (to lure over Manhattan-ites). The great thing is, anyone can use the taxi service, and they do, to go to work or to get to Manhattan.

Many people forget, including the city government, that New York City is virtually a couple of islands, and where there are islands there is water. But public access didn’t exist for many years in most areas. Instead, industry was the resident.

So IKEA has not only erected and established these wonderful additions to the area, but established jobs. People can walk to work from the area and take pride in having a job with health benefits and perks.

No wonder the employees were smiling. And all were well trained and helpful, aside from being very pleasant. A good example of one hand washing the other.

In addition, a gourmet supermarket, Fairway, opened nearby in a former factory, and also has a water taxi. More jobs.

So where there was poverty, there is now life, money flowing, and gentrification.

Along the waterfront a bit further down in a former factory, is Steve’s Key Lime Pie bakery. Real key limes. He is in a little garden paradise thanks to the plant nursery next door. My first blog on Yahoo was a mini photo essay on Steve’s.

So I’ve done a little photo journal on this corner of Brooklyn.
But, I was foiled at Fairway. I managed to fire off a few shots but was stopped dead in my tracks at the prepared food counter. “No pictures!” I was told. I guess they thought I was a spy for Zabar’s or some such similar gourmet competitor.

Something cool: someone is restoring the old trolley cars that once ran in the area. (See below, left)

Care to eat outside with a water view?
Take your tray of wonderful prepared food and find a seat.

(Note: click photos for detail)

The olive oil from California is terrific! There is always a crunchy sliced baguette for dipping and sampling.

The water taxi takes 20 minutes to cross and the views are spectacular. Please take your sea sick meds before watching! I am amazed at the image stabilization of my camera.

You will see “waterfalls.” These are art installations; there are 7. There is one under the Brooklyn Bridge. Catch the Statue of Liberty waving?

And though the day was beautiful, perfection, in fact, it was the same kind of weather New Yorkers were blessed with September 11, 2001. While on the boat facing my beautiful city, I lost my bearings. The two beacons had vanished. I was spun around.

Many of us New Yorkers have made peace with our loss; the pain is not as severe, the shock has diminished. But we still see visions, now and then, of the good and the horrific, especially at this time of year.

Please join me as I present my annual memorial, in a series of blogs to follow.

reply kittigory wrote on Sep 6, ’08 Oh sweetie!  I weep inside, every time I remember that awful day.  I can still hear the sirens roaring by outside my classroom… Beautiful pictures of the beautiful city I work in!

reply hurricanekate wrote on Sep 6, ’08 Great Post Mrs Souchi!

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 6, ’08 kittigory said Oh sweetie!  I weep inside, every time I remember that awful day.  I can still hear the sirens roaring by outside my classroom… Beautiful pictures of the beautiful city I work in! Thanks, Dawn, please return for the series, I am looking forward to sharing it.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 6, ’08 hurricanekate said Great Post Mrs Souchi! Thank you Kate, I’ll have much more to share each day next week.

reply aladybug wrote on Sep 6, ’08 Ooooh…  I love IKEA, you know? It’s great that they did this. They had plans of opening here, but haven’t yet. The “water taxi”….  LOL! It’s a great blog….   Lots of photos!   🙂

reply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Sep 6, ’08 Isn’t it wonderful how companies that are welcomed into communities can do so much for not only it’s employes but for all in the community? This was a wonderful chair side visit to The Big Apple. I’ look forward to your 9/11 postings…my memories from last year recount of the up close and personal touch you presented for this day we shall never forget.(Poor SPKIng..it’s his birthday and he feels it was ruined !)

reply starfishred wrote on Sep 7, ’08 oh sue I do love Ikea what a wonderful visual blog great place NY always something to discover

reply millimusings wrote on Sep 7, ’08 An informative and a wonderful post here. I loved my tour and thank you very sincerely.

reply arcamun wrote on Sep 7, ’08 Great blog and the images are so wonderfully every day that I feel like I have walked around town with you.

reply nemo4sun wrote on Sep 7, ’08 oh how wonderfull 🙂

reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 7, ’08 Wonderful that they are restoring the old trams (trolly cars) but what about that extraordinary building behind it???? One of the most unusual old industrial buildings I’ve ever seen……..red brick with huge arched windows and wooden?? shutters fitted over them. What are the mechanical bits over the shutters and windows for?? do you know. I would love to see this building cleaned up and restored to its former glory. Great that Ikea is doing so much for the area, it is s really good thing when one of the bigger companies contribute in a positive way toward the neighbourhood. I am NO fan of Macdonalds (fast food) but it was lovely to see the price they paid for a fast food restaurant in Rhodos   (Greek Island) was to provide the children with a really good play park with in the city park. Great blog………….thanks

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 7, ’08 forgetmenot525 said Wonderful that they are restoring the old trams (trolly cars) but what about that extraordinary building behind it???? One of the most unusual old industrial buildings I’ve ever seen……..red brick with huge arched windows and wooden?? shutters fitted over them. What are the mechanical bits over the shutters and windows for?? do you know. I would love to see this building cleaned up and restored to its former glory. Great that Ikea is doing so much for the area, it is s really good thing when one of the bigger companies contribute in a positive way toward the neighbourhood. I am NO fan of Macdonalds (fast food) but it was lovely to see the price they paid for a fast food restaurant in Rhodos   (Greek Island) was to provide the children with a really good play park with in the city park. Great blog………….thanks Loretta, it might not have been clear but that is the building that the Fairway supermarket is in, and the people eating have taken their food outside. Further down, as you can see in one of the photos, in another former factory is Steve’s Key Lime Pies;he and his wife manufacture them there and sell them to the public and restaurants. This was a shipping area. The ships would come in to dock and leave goods and deliver them. In fact, the area where the park is was under water and where the boats would dock. It’s been filled in. I felt so elated there-the day was wonderful, so many people from the area were wroking in Ikea and Fairway and seemed sooo happy. The more NYC uses the waterways the better. For now the water taxi is free and it is a treat. There is much more coming, more posts each day until the 9/11 culmination, so please return!

reply welshdoug wrote on Sep 7, ’08 Oh darn it, Sue! Now I want to go back…… Rose and I went into a couple of the little markets (the one at Grand Central Station is the only one I can remember) – they are far more varied, and aromatic than here in the UK (except in London). Rose, being of Italian descent, was in her element. There is so much of New York City that we didn’t get to see in our short stay, but we fell in love with the City, nevertheless.

reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 7, ’08 Thank you, maybe I didn’t read it properly but it is really good to know these old buildings are given a new lease of life. I love old architecture like that and old industrial buildings have a real charm, its so sad when they are left to fall into disrepair.

reply nomorybr wrote on Sep 7, ’08 I want to thank you, I love your blogs because they take me places I will only ever dream of visiting, and allow me to experience things I can only read about, it is a great gift.  My hugs and prayers to you on the anniversary of horror, and tears an hoorays on the rebirth of aspirations

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 7, ’08 nomorybr said I want to thank you, I love your blogs because they take me places I will only ever dream of visiting, and allow me to experience things I can only read about, it is a great gift.  My hugs and prayers to you on the anniversary of horror, and tears an hoorays on the rebirth of aspirations Thank you dear Krysta. My pleasure to share. Please watch for the series.

reply bostonsdandd wrote on Sep 8, ’08 LOL We must be thinking alike ;o). Expect for Wednesday, I’ll be posting a poem every day in memory of 9/11 also. Can’t wait to read yours! NICE blog. Did get a little sick scrolling down on the waterway pictures LOL. But they really were beautiful pictures.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Sep 9, ’08 Excellent blog ! I will be back again later !

reply tonij16102 wrote on Sep 9, ’08 Beautifully done…thanks for sharing

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 9, ’08 tonij16102 said Beautifully done…thanks for sharing I appreciate the visit! Thanks!!

reply poeticjay wrote on Sep 10, ’08 For someone from the south who may never get to go there, thank you for taking me with you. You have such talent. As always, I love your photos, your information, and your poetry. Thank you my friend

reply zafreud wrote on Sep 11, ’08 You’ve managed to take me there with you…Let the bittersweet tour begin! (I think I can handle it; I want to handle it, so that I can get to know the area closer!)

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 11, ’08 zafreud said You’ve managed to take me there with you…Let the bittersweet tour begin! (I think I can handle it; I want to handle it, so that I can get to know the area closer!) Welcome to my city, Zafiria. You can do this.

reply froggies67 wrote on Sep 11, ’08 NewYork was and is my families favorite place,I love your blogs, I told mydaughter to visit tyo uhere, she loves to com eto NewYork,I love this blog,I always pay a special memorial a sI also have fmaily their, plus I pray an dI alway sremember my trip up the twin towers!I still willneve rforget the day Hugs an dlove toyou Sue!

reply tulipsinspring wrote on Sep 11, ’08 New York is, in my opinion, a truly magical city. Thank you for capturing some of that magic and sharing it with us.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 11, ’08 froggies67 said NewYork was and is my families favorite place,I love your blogs, I told mydaughter to visit tyo uhere, she loves to com eto NewYork,I love this blog,I always pay a special memorial a sI also have fmaily their, plus I pray an dI alway sremember my trip up the twin towers!I still willneve rforget the day Hugs an dlove toyou Sue! Thanks for the beautiful comment as always.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 11, ’08 tulipsinspring said New York is, in my opinion, a truly magical city. Thank you for capturing some of that magic and sharing it with us. It is more than my pleasure to share. This is only the beginning! Thanks, Miss Tulips, my flowering friend.

reply opossumd wrote on Sep 12, ’08 It would made my head spin as well, having lost such irreplaceable landmarks. Lovely, though eerie pictures…

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 8, ’09 2009 Comments

reply sylvie1 wrote on Sep 9, ’09 NYC is an amazing place … great phots … thanks!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Sep 11, ’09 Great photography ! Thanks.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 9, ’10 2010 Comments

reply klintm wrote on Sep 9, ’10 Excellent will be back tomorrow for the next instalment. Thank you for sharing.

reply exukbritbrat wrote on Sep 10, ’10 What an intro – fabulous and yes, I did feel a bit squeemish on the water!

reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 11, ’10 I remember these blogs Sue, and here we are at that time of year again, will make my way through your wonderful memorial blogs again. Its become a bit of a pilgrimage for some of us, maybe not leaving messages ( I suspect I left plenty first time round) but i’ll take the walk……….thanks Sue, my thoughts are with you and your city at this time of year…..

reply skeezicks1957 wrote on Sep 11, ’10 forgetmenot525 said i’ll take the walk me too.

reply moniquemkk wrote on Sep 12, ’10 I wish IKEA was as good to the local communities here. They just seem to build giant blue and yellow eyesores and leave it at that.