Ikea Explored!

View from the new Ikea in Brooklyn as sun sets, Sweden's most recent American beachhead set's sail.
Is it a new day for Red Hook?

Explored?

Well, if you call exploring the new Ikea over at Red Hook:

Sampling the various Ikea funded means of transport, shuttle bus
(no air conditioning?!? Hot!)

and Water Taxi (common refrain: does anybody know where this boat is going?)

and walking the waterside promenade newly built by the hands of tiny Swedes (I like to pretend)

then yeh, I explored the new Ikea at Red Hook on it's opening weekend.

I have to say, and there are no pictures to support this, it tickles me near to death to watch everybody board their buses and water taxies, with their giant proportioned blue bags in tow, cause it totally makes me think all us kids are leaving the field trip to the dentist (or something) with our oversized bags of educational giveaways (dental floss, pink tooth tabs!?)

Silliness mostly aside, I have to say as industrial renewal and repurposing goes, I don't feel affronted by what Ikea has wrought. Granted of the many Brooklyn neighborhoods I have lived in Red Hook is not one of them, but my feeling overall was Ikea took a sow's ear and made a non offensive purse. Plus so far no Hopen in the waters.

Below are more pictures taken and now also presented in a positive light:





New Brooklyn promenade built by Ikea, no screwdriver required, but for some, suggested

Ikea and photo wednesday cometh together!

Ah today's the day, ikea comes to the city proper, specifically to Red Hook Brooklyn.

I gotta be honest, I am of the fickle set of likes and dislikes that drives me to protest a Wal-Mart but welcome an Ikea. Which I guess means I like swedish meatballs more than corn.

Anyway, today wednesday june 18th is opening day so couch hungry brooklynites; run out and get yo'self some, cause they're giving them all away. Okay they're giving like, one away, but it's one more than anybody else, and after you scarf down those cinnamon buns you'll need somewhere to rest your buns, right?

Today's Photo Wednesday
I call this one: "The shimmering clash of human industry and nature."

Which is why today's photo in keeping with the Red Hook theme, comes from the Gowanus Canal which flows around Red Hook and on into Brooklyn's Gowanus / Carroll Gardens neighborhoods.

This pic is also an attempt to spread the wealth of photo wednesdays further around this great city of Brooklyn and to remind us of Red Hook/Gowanus's recent past of industrial abuse. Now that the Ikea's here, let's hope we don't find any "Hopen" floating in the canal.