Whilst strolling away from the DUMBO we began our search for Vinegar Hill. When found it (it's about a ten minute walk from Broolyn Bridge) I was more than surpised. It's about two streets long and trapped in a complete time warp. The original settlers were the Irish back in the 19th Century and the area has completely maintained its look. Cobbled streets, quaint houses, painted wooden benches, potted plants and white picket fences. And just a stones throw away from giant, grey tower blocks, noisy cars and a drive-thru Macdonald's. Aesthetically, Vinegar Hill was the most beautiful place we saw in New York and the atmosphere was calm and settled, like a tiny villiage in suburbia.
Scattered around are a few industrial buildings, quite like Red Hook. You'd think that they'd stick out like eye-soares, so different from the 19th Century Federal style buildings that surround them. In fact, they sit perfectly among them, wise and stoic, unnused for decades. With the rusty telephone wires and the dark greys and browns of the cobbled streets, they balance what would be a very flat area, stretching into the sky with grace and elegance.
There were a lot of shop fronts, like the one below, scattered everywhere. Like in Red Hook, they seemunnused yet such important focal points of the area. I absolutely loved these shops; they were just so surreal. Were the funeral parlours? Or boutiques? i loved the symmetry of the windows,they seemed so editorial to me.
After following a long, winding cobbled path we were greeted by a giant pair of wrought iron gates. These gates were about ten feet high and what they protected came as a complete surprise. An absolutely giant mansion rested in the sun. What can only be described as a Plantation House, made from wooden slats and dark grey shutters; it was probably one of the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Who'd have thought a building like this sits hidden away in concrete covered Brooklyn? A tourist's dream. According to brownstoner.com, the house was built in the beginning of the 19th Century (1805-1806) and was given the name'The Commandants House'. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, make sure you go find this house. The hunt for it is fun (even more fun if you stumble upon it by accident) and the result is totally worth it.
As surreal an area it was, we noticed it attracted similar kinds of people to Red Hook. Perhaps slightly older and less on the art scene. Some upper-middle class men jogged passed us, Ipods plugged in, their Golden Retrievers loyally at their side. A lot of women with Buggaboo strollers, some cute kids in prep-school uniform. I'm guessing a house here would probably cost as much as an apartment in Manhattan. But when we were in a Starbucks in DUMBO and asked after the area, the guy behind the till shrugged, claiming he'd never heard of it. Either Vinegar Hill is as unimportant to New Yorker's as Croydon is to Londoner's or it's so tucked away and up-and -coming that only the trendiest of the trendies, the cultural of the cultured know about it. If that's the case then my boyfriend and I felt like some very smug tourists. If it's the former then what a shame. Such a beautiful area deserves to be a household name.
When we walked around Vinegar Hill we said to ourselves 'this is what we thought real America would be like'. If you do find yourself here, you'll know exactly what we mean. It hasn't been influenced by any mainstream businesses but it isn't primitive. The architecture could not be seen in any other country (it reminded me of San Francisco a bit as well) and walking around the tiny, quiet streets is a very unique experience. Make sure you come here!
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