{"id":15129,"date":"2025-10-24T16:38:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T16:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/15129\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T16:38:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T16:38:33","slug":"how-to-get-from-manhattan-to-red-hook-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/15129\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get from Manhattan to Red Hook for free"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting around New York City isn’t necessarily\u00a0cheap or easy. A quick cross-town Uber ride can cost over $30. A cross-town bus ride\u00a0is a fraction of the price but will take you a lot longer. And getting from borough to borough can prove to be even more of a feat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When we chose this year’s coolest neighborhood in NYC<\/a>, we knew that getting there\u00a0could be a challenge. In some ways, that semi-remoteness is what makes Red Hook so alluring, after all. The bus is an option, bike share works and the NYC Ferry will get you there (no subway service, unfortunately!).<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, though, there’s an even more direct, totally free option\u00a0that comes way of\u00a0the kind merchants of Sweden: the IKEA Ferry<\/a>. Never heard of it? Allow us to explain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED: This vibrant Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood is officially the coolest in NYC for 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the IKEA Ferry?<\/p>\n

The IKEA Ferry, operated by NY Waterway, offers boat transportation from two points in Manhattan to IKEA along the waterfront on the southwestern edge of Brooklyn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The
\nPhotograph: By yuriyt \/ Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Where does it pick up and drop off?<\/p>\n

The IKEA Ferry has two Manhattan stops. The first is in Midtown West at 39th Street’s Pier 79 (that’s 459 12th Avenue). The second is\u00a0in Lower Manhattan at Pier 11\/Wall Street (that’s Pier 11 at South Street). In Brooklyn, it stops at IKEA (1 Beard Street).\u00a0<\/p>\n

When does it run?<\/p>\n

The IKEA Ferry runs on the weekends from morning until early evening approximately every hour-and-a-half. You can find the full schedule here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is it actually free?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yes! You don’t need a ticket: just line up, get on and set sail. When you arrive at IKEA, it’s pretty hard to avoid going into the store given where you’re dropped off.\u00a0The ferry is sponsored by a retail store, after all. You might as well drop in for a cinnamon bun or to do a little shopping before continuing with your Red Hook day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"People
\nPhotograph: By Rossilynne Skena Culgan for Time Out New York | The view from the IKEA Ferry <\/p>\n

What can I see along the way?\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to getting you from point A to point B, the IKEA Ferry offers an excellent journey along the way with an inside cabin as well as open-air decks. Expect to see\u00a0panoramic views of the city and even pass by the Statue of Liberty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What should I do in Red Hook?<\/p>\n

You’ll end up at the 6.5-acre waterfront, Brooklyn Erie Basin Park, located next to IKEA where you can find walking and bike paths, outdoor seating and lots of green space.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0formerly industrial neighborhood is also filled with art galleries and distilleries in\u00a0massive, pier-sized old warehouses; culinarily diverse eateries\u00a0(GOOG Thai Cookshop<\/a>, homestyle spot\u00a0Pitt\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0and old-school sandwich shop\u00a0Defonte\u2019s<\/a>, to name a few); and\u00a0shopping destinations like home goods store\u00a0Open Invite<\/a>\u00a0and the vibey\u00a0Record Shop<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Serving as an anchor for what\u2019s new and cool in Red Hook is\u00a0Pioneer Works<\/a>, a nonprofit cultural arts center that recently reopened after a renovation. The artist- and scientist-led organization hosts a suite of visual and performing arts experiences, including a beloved free Second Sundays event every month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here’s our full guide<\/a> to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getting around New York City isn’t necessarily\u00a0cheap or easy. A quick cross-town Uber ride can cost over $30.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15130,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[1739,2530,11094,2521,1733,1829,2520,2526,2522,2523,11093,1831,75,84,83,4305,9,24,3953,63,904],"class_list":["post-15129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-categories-things-to-do","tag-family-kids-good-for-kids","tag-global-kickers-coolest-neighborhoods","tag-good-for-good-for-couples","tag-good-for-good-for-going-in-a-group","tag-good-for-good-for-going-solo","tag-good-for-good-for-going-with-friends","tag-good-for-good-for-locals","tag-good-for-good-for-taking-parents","tag-good-for-good-for-tourists","tag-good-for-vibe-cheap","tag-good-for-vibe-quirky","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-more-free","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news-weird-wonderful","tag-nyc","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}