The apartment was as advertised: a small 1-bedroom in an old building with a bit of charm. With two girls (5 and 3) we realized just how much we are growing as a family, and perhaps a place of this size will be too small very soon. However, it more than met our needs at the moment and allowed us to have an awesome trip to NYC.
Red Hook is a real, hidden gem. Van Brunt St is lined with restaurants, cafes, and other great spots. Bazaar Foods is a full grocery store just a few blocks further (the cashier convinced me to download their app before running my card which saved me 10$). Everywhere seemed to have interesting things snuck in between residential and harborside warehouses. Mark's Red Hook Pizza is just around the corner, great price for great pizza...and they all call you "boss." Don't skip the ferry which you can access straight from Pioneer. We happened to discover that the trip to Governor's Island is free before noon on weekends. Don't miss it! Check out the hills on the southern half of the island for the best views of the city.