Red Hook has the look and feel of an urban seaside village, chock-a-cobblestone-block with captain’s bungalows and ancient brick warehouses — several predating the Civil War. A flourishing port by the mid-19th century, Red Hook catered largely to the surge in offloading needs from the Erie Canal, a legacy honored by today’s Erie Basin Park. Its previously rough-and-tumble docks inspired Elia Kazan’s classic film On the Waterfront, though one cross-harbor wink from the Statue of Liberty today might be all you need to call Red Hook a contender. While there’s no subway in Red Hook proper, the F and G trains are easily reached via the Smith-9th or Carroll Street stations, with an easy R transfer at 4th Ave. An NYC Ferry stop connects DUMBO, Bay Ridge, and Wall Street, the last of which is seconds (sans traffic) through the Battery Tunnel.