Ikea is underway in Red Hook

Red Hook has waterfront for years, but it also has a housing project. I grew up in the area, and when I left 14yrs. ago you took your life in your hands walking the streets. Please now all of a sudden it's not a slum? Oh and let's not forget organized crime.

The is more crime in the Poconos now.

Too bad they destroyed the historic Erie Basin graving dock (that's a dry dock, for you landlubbers!) to build just another big store. The former Todd Erie Basin Shipyard played a huge role in the history of the Port of New York, and built and repaired many ships, including ships that were battle damaged in World War 2. It's no exaggeration to say that it played an important role in winning the war, and beyond. In fact, until Ikea came along, it was still used as a dry dock, and was one of the few left in New York that were capable of handling large oceangoing vessels that needed maintenance and repair. Those who worked there are now unemployed, and their skills will be lost forever. We went from a country that produced thousands of warships and merchant ships that played a prominent role in winning World War 2 to a nation with only a handful of shipyards left, and an aging industrial plant and workforce. If we lose that capability, we'll be totally dependent on foreign sources, which is not good for our future national security.

R.I.P., Erie Basin!

Ikea is perhaps the biggest dump ever laid upon Long Island, and this stronghold for garbage furniture gets a stronger presence around here with every passing year. Their merchandise is pure trash, the coworkers have no purpose other than to procreate with one another, thus ensuring the future of the unskilled-retail-slob race, and the management is every bit as cluless as those who serve below them- and every bit as hormonal.

I can unserstand the business model, that dumpy people seeking temporary furnishing solutions will be drawn to the place, but it's such an eyesore that I cannot fathom what brings people into their doors. Let alone the fact that the product itself lasts at best two or three years, that the particleboard is held together with noxious chemicals, and it's all designed with the same pseudo-Eurotrashy look in mind. Sorry to break it to you shoppers, but thats not European, that's glued together cardboard, it looks ridiculous, and you're a dirty pov. Go buy some decent home furnishings that you might be in some way pruod of, and stop this place from speading across this area like cancer across a prostate.

In the beginning I was a bit skeptical about IKEA. Over time it became clear that anyone who is against IKEA is generally someone I don't want in my Red Hook anyway. People have this attitude where they want something but they have no clue about how to go around and get it. IKEA took a dead area and will turn it around with a lot of new activity.

The area really was a dump. I didn't see anyone else taking a chance down there except the Fairway. Everyone talks about how the waterfront is so choice, except no one is living there or doing anything about it. My impression is that these are the kind of people who want to empty out the projects and make a kind of gated community, because they think they laid claim on the place, even though they've only known about it for 3 years.

Only a big retail store like IKEA or Fairway could survive down there with the lack of non-project housing in the area. They are also building a massive park right next to them. They are also upgrading some local infrastructure to handle to the traffic. With time, the city may take enough notice of the area to maybe do some zoning changes and map out a possible public transportation upgrade.