New York City is still a metropolis made of an amazing variety of areas and neighborhoods. Even if Brooklyn is now considered the hipster capital of the world, one only has to go on a long walk to discover that industrial areas are still to be found, even if slowly being pushed out.
The New York port was largely moved to New Jersey years ago, freeing the areas around Brooklyn and Manhattan for profitable developments. However, part of the harbor still operates from Red Hook, an area of the borough that still keeps a distinct industrial character. The view of downtown Manhattan behind container-lifting cranes is by itself worth a visit, particularly from the city ferries that navigate past it.
It has also become an area with art galleries and studios, as those are also pushed out from more central locations. One of such venues is Pioneer Works, an art center occupying a beautiful old brick warehouse which houses great exhibitions and spaces for artists. The current exhibition, showing the epic light sculptures by Anthony McCall, is a great excuse to visit it and witness the massive changes that the city currently is going through.
