New York city truly the capital of the world. Our diverse population and vast array of cultural attractions endow the city with a feeling of energy and excitement that only New York can offer. Brooklyn's first-rate museums and performing arts centers, beautiful beaches, waterfront views and virtually unlimited ethnic restaurants catch many visitors by surprise! Find out for yourself why Brooklyn is "America's favorite home town"

Sports fans can experience the thrilling athletic events that take place in arenas and stadiums throughout the five boroughs. New York City is also the premier destination for shoppers as visitors find the flagship stores of today's most popular designers and countless bargains to please every pocketbook. With all of our world-renowned restaurants, cultural institutions and shops, there is no reason for and your family to take your vacation any place else.

Red Hook is a mixed residential and industrial waterfron neighborhood located in south Brooklyn. It is a peninsula that is surrounded by the owanus Bay, Erie Basin and it is where the Dutch established the Buttermilk Channel. Red Hook in 1636 was known as the village of Roode Hoek and it was one of the earliest areas of Brooklyn to be settled. When the Atlantic Basin opened in the 1850s, Red Hook became a bustling seaport. In the 1950s, approximately 21,000 people lived in the neighborhood and were mostly longshoremen. After the 1950s Red Hook suffered a loss of jobs, drop in population and geographic isolation. Today, Red Hook is a neighborhood with a bright future that is continually reinventing itself.

Red Hook is an attractive area for many reasons. Its waterfront is beautiful and the view of New York City is attractive to the tourist who does not want to pay Manhattan prices, but want easy access to the city. Further more, many recreational activities and entertainment exist right in Red Hook and its surrounding neighborhoods. Carroll Gardens; Cobble Hill and Park Slope are three unique areas that are adjacent to Red Hook. They have all undergone a revival over the last 20 years and they offer interesting social and cultural activities to residents and tourists. Red Hook is currently on the verge of achieving a similar revival. Below is a snapshot of these three revitalized neighborhoods:

1. Carroll Gardens is a traditional working class residential neighborhood that has      seen an influx of young professionals in recent years. Smith Street is its newly      reconstructed commercial strip that has many small businesses and has      developed a reputation as "restaurant row" due to its numerous combinations of      international cuisine. It is also an attractive location because of its nightlife scene.

2. Cobble Hill is a residential neighborhood composed primarily of professionals. Since      the entire neighborhood is included in the historic district, the neighborhood boasts      an impressive display of preserved brownstone row houses and bluestone      sidewalks. Like Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, Court Street is the main commercial      strip that hosts many small businesses, restaurant and cafes in Cobble Hill.

3. Park Slope is the largest neighborhood in the south Brooklyn area and it contains      Brooklyn's largest historic district. It also posesses ' the nation's best examples of      late  nineteenth century Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, and Renaissance      Revival style brownstone row houses, mansions and institutions. Park Slope has      a seen resurgence  over the last twenty years, as evidenced by the appearance of      many storefronts, restaurants, specialty shops, cafes and a growing nightlife.

** Area information provided by BRIC/Brooklyn Information and Culture web site
Please visit www.brooklynx.org for more information"