Brooklyn has a new waterfront district that is chasing Williamsburg in the cool stakes. Enjoying the borough’s best views of the Statue of Liberty from its piers and ports, formerly industrial Red Hook has cleaned up its act in the past decade. Now the neighbourhood’s historic warehouses are packed with galleries and artisanal businesses. These include Widow Jane, a distillery making whiskey from water drawn from the same limestone quarry used for Lady Liberty’s pedestal. Also open for tastings, the nearby Red Hook Winery has a selection of reds and whites from Long Island and upstate New York.

To complete the locavore epicurean experience, Brooklyn Crab is well worth a visit. This waterfront restaurant serves Atlantic coast seafood in a variety of styles representing the Big Apple’s diverse food scene, from fish tacos, shrimp po’ boys and scallop ceviche to simple pick-and-eat-’em king crab claws. The eatery re ally comes into its own in spring, when the backyard with its mini golf course reopens and the rooftop picnic tables offer fine panoramas of New York Harbor.