Louis Valentino Jr Park & Pier

Ok. Came here today for the Free Kayaking (suggested donation) Do the right thing and leave something for these kind folks. Steve was the head guy making sure everyone was safe. Nice guy.
Not sure if it’s a regular thing, but we weren’t able to go out too far at all because the current was very strong beyond the pier. So, be prepared to be limited to a smaller area than you might have imagined. Everyone was very nice. Help them out here and there. This is great for adults just wanting to get out on a kayak for a little while and/​or try it out to see if they like it etc. EXCELLENT VIEWS of the Statue of Liberty and the city line.
The «park» was a little small and strange but not too bad. The area is a little industrious but not a dangerous area etc. seems like an up and coming hipster area which is fine by me. Again the pier and the views are nice.
Also, I took another reviewers advice and headed over to «Red Hook Lobster Pound» for a lobster roll. I had the «Connecticut» lobster roll (comes with butter on it)
Great advice. A little on the pricey side, but it’s a lobster roll, not a hot dog. For two people (same meal with tip came out to about $ 55) came with fries etc. It was delicious and a nice treat.

Phenomenal, and perfect for sunsets.
«At a mere 4.5 acres, this little community park doesn’t offer much in terms of size. Thankfully, the view from the pier more than makes up for the acreage, offering a spectacular shot of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, which is only about a mile and a half away. The long pier’s got plenty of room for fishing and free kayaking when the weather’s warm (DON’T EAT THE FISH), plus there’s grassy, flowered space nearby for strolling and picnicking. If you like a little somber reflection with your sun, note that the park is named after Brooklyn firefighter Louis J. Valentino, Jr., who was killed in 1996 during a three-​alarm Flatlands fire»

Closest you can get to the Statue of Liberty from land.

This is one of favorite piers and parks in Brooklyn. The pier is modern with nice gardens in the park. The views are great. Every time I go this pier is never crowded. There is the Barge Museum right next to it. Brooklyn Crab, Fairways, Red Hook winery and IKEA are all close by. I love coming here and relaxing.

What a nice respite hidden way at the end of the hook here in Red Hook.
The wife and I came for the Free Kayaking a little while back on a Thursday. We just loved the perfect view of the Statue of Liberty and floating in the little cove.
It’s a great spot for a picnic as well. Definitely off the beaten path.

On a field trip to Red Hook, a stop by Louis Valentino Park is a must. It won’t take you too long, and it’ll have been worth the view.
I literally stumbled onto it on a recent Red Hook excursion with my best two pals: aka boyfriend and dog. IN an effort to travel to more Brooklyn ‘hoods by foot (and there aren’t many other options for reaching this park), we set out on a nice late fall day (in the 60’s!) and trekked under the BQE. After a leisurely stroll down Van Brunt, we veered west and made our way to this park. I truly had no idea what to expect… but what I found was quite beautiful.
A long pier stretching out into the glow of the Statue of Liberty. A few fisherman dotting the end of the pier, engaged in quiet conversation. A few children racing cars up and down. The cool night air. Lights and lights and lights across the way.
A little bit surreal. I’m sure during the day there are more visitors, but I really appreciated this little under-​the-​radar park that I got to have a moment in. So far removed from the hustle ‘n bustle, but so close. Most definitely worth a stroll over if you’ve got a chance… the pictures just won’t even do it justice.

Redhook Oasis Alert!
My «usual» waterfront stomping ground is in Williamsburg, but ever since they yuppified what was once snarkily referred to as «The Brooklyn Riviera,» I’ve been on the fence and for once, not literally. That park is just mobbed with people, whereas Louis Valentino is less traipsed over.
You’ve got a view. A spectacular view. Walk out on the pier and take it all in. One of life’s cheap, sublime pleasures (I don’t use those two words together very often).
No serious urban exploration here, as they cleaned it all up. But you can use your imagination a bit more. I also believe Last Exit to Brooklyn was shot ’round these parts, rather than the Navy Yard.
You’ve got grass. You’ve got urban landscape. You’ve got water (filthy water, but I wouldn’t trade it for the Mediterranean). You’ve got… squid after squid (?) I watched with awe as several Chinese fisherman reeled ‘em in.
Only in New York. Only in Brooklyn.

The rats here are really bold! One of them gave me the finger!

Yes the place is peaceful attracting a handful of quiet and peaceful visitors however, when i went to sit down on the green grace i found 2 syringes.
A man and his daughter approached my area and sat near me, i quickly alerted them to my unorthodox findings and he found a THIRD syringe — which still has its needle in it.
we all need to be super careful walking, sitting, lying down on grass — children play barefoot and dogs run on the grass.
apart from horrible syringes, the park is small, remote and cozy.

Pick up a couple of Lobster Rolls at Red Hook Lobster Pound a few blocks away and come picnic here. Perfect view of the Statue Of Liberty.

Part savannah, part street art, and part waterfront make up Louis Valentino, Jr. Park & Pier, one of the more unique, and yet under-​the-​radar public gems in the city. Like Red Hook herself, this park is not easy to get to, tucked away in a corner, a nook carved out all for its own, but ultimately worth the trip.
Savannah:
Skateboarders and sunbathers alike seem to favor the park’s uncongested landscape. Spaces like this are typically overrun by stay-​in-​the-​city Brooklynites come the summer weekends, but Louis Valentino, Jr.‘s spot is a breath of fresh air. A handful of trees line the interior of the park for the shade-​seekers, but most of the grassy area remains exposed to direct sunlight. It can at times feel exclusive due to the lack of crowdedness, a quiet recess from the hustle and bustle of the work week, and I wouldn’t be too shocked to find someone scrawling The Great American Novel in some secluded corner of the green space.
Street Art:
Between giant children’s blocks made of concrete that act as a welcoming committee to the neighborhood and an impressive mural against one of the adjacent brick buildings that appears to pay homage to Katsushika Hokusai’s «The Great Wave off Kanagawa» (among other things), this park is like its own small exhibit at some modern art museum. Except it’s free. And you can catch a tan. It’s a win-​win. Bring a camera.
Waterfront:
The long pier culminates in a cul-​de-​sac of fishermen and amateur photographers. The most talked-​about view here is the one of Lady Liberty’s kisser, given Manhattan only gets her backside. Without some fancy-​schmancy lens, she still appears light years away, so, in my humble opinion, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Plus, I’m an ass man anyway. Swimming is prohibited, as it should be. However, this won’t stop the local kids from diving right in, climbing all over the rocks — you know, doing hoodrat stuff with their friends.
At a fraction of the size anything famed landscape architects like Olmsted and Vaux were ever known for, Louis Valentino, Jr. Park & Pier will never match up with its bigger, more famous New York brethren. But good things come in small packages. And the people who frequent this spot seem to like it this way — a place, for once in the city, they don’t have to share with a million others.

The Valentino Pier is hard to get to without a car, but it’s a really solid place to visit.
I went here to check out the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks. If you go to the end, you can get an obscured view that has the fireworks bursting over the Manhattan skyline. It’s actually a lot nicer than you might expect. You’ll also get unobstructed long distance views of fireworks in New Jersey.
The view of the Statue of Liberty is fantastic, and is worth a sunset visit alone.
The area seems to be adding restaurants all the time, so I hope to check this out again

4.5 stars…
The Louis Valentino park is named in honor of a Brooklyn firefighter that died in duty when a roof of a Bed-​Stuy building collapsed on him in 1996. I hate to start a glowing review of a nice park of on such a somber note but it’s worth mentioning.
Anyway, the park is small but beautiful and has a few nice nooks to have a picnic and just relax. It’s really a wonderful community park (it’s not easy to get to if you don’t live in the area or are driving) that occasionally has events such as free movies in the summer. There’s a tiny rocky beach at the park were you can let your dog go for a swim or to launch a kayak off of. One of the most notable parts of the park is it’s long pier with plenty of benches to enjoy the bay, fish, or see the Statue of Liberty which is only 1.5 miles away. The only way to see the statue closer than this from land (and not just see it’s backside) is to take the free ferry (only during the summer and on limited days) to Governors Island, or of course pay to take a ferry to Liberty/​Ellis Island itself.

This is a sweet little secluded spot that has a stunning view of lower hudson bay, with a nice park and lots of grass surrounding it.
I was definitely envious riding my bike through here. We manhattanites have nothing really like this. Well there are plenty of piers on the East River & Hudson, but nothing so secluded that you could have all to yourself.

This is a pier that extends into NY harbor opposite the Statue of Liberty. Especially good view at sunset. After seeing this, walk over to Fairway supermarket, which has a café with a harbor view – a great location. There is a nice garden near the barge museum too. Around you are beautiful 19^th century warehouses which are now used as artists’ studios. There is a water taxi from the southern tip of Manhattan to IKEA nearby.

From this park, you are going to get the best view of the statue of liberty’s face without being on a boat in the harbor (b/​c in NJ you face the backside and in Manhattan her face is pointing toward the verranzano bridge). This is definitely a perk for those who do landscape photography.
here’s a pic:
However it’s not a place to relax like other parks. There is NO restroom. We had to walk 15mins away and sneak into Fairway restroom.
Other than the pier, there is no place to sit. Would not recommend sitting on the grass, since the hipsters have their dogs do ‘business’ there.
A++ on view
F for restroom
C for comfort

It’s an OK pier, yes you can go fishing, and yes you can go have a picnic. But it doesn’t have the nicest view of the harbor. Only Lady Liberty, the rest is Nu Joizee… wop wop.
Yuppies luv it, I on the other hand seen better piers with better views, the Buttermilk channel has nicer views, C’mon a five, give me a break folks.

Nice pier. Nice views. Come check it out, but make sure you’re gone by 10pm. The local cops take their duties very seriously, and last time I was here, four of us got court summonses for being in the park after open hours. Not drinking, not being rowdy, just sitting on the benches chatting. Be warned!

The first night I went to this pier I saw a teenage boy grinding his girlfriend and making out. At first I was like «whatever» but then I saw that he had a line in the water. This kid was a genius.
Get there early for a good spot to fish. There are usually multiple poles per person and you can quickly become stuck in the vegetation that grows to the sides of the pier. Other fishermen usually get there an hour or so before tide so prepare. If you’re feeling wild and want to eat some Buttermilk Channel fish, don’t. Don’t be dumb.
This pier has been rebuilt and the view is ridiculous. The only thing that kind of pisses me off is that at 10 or 11pm the cops come and make everyone leave. I know the park is closed but isn’t this Red Hook?

So it’s not easy to get there. And yes, yes, I know: you can get your fill of industrial landscape more conveniently in Dumbo.
But let me, for one second, try to convince you that a trip to Red Hook is worth the effort, that a $ 5 Water Taxi ticket is money well spent (or that taking a subway, walking a bit, and then hopping on a Red Hook-​bound bus isn’t as terrible as it sounds).
The reward for your journey:
1.) Valentino Park, small and filled with flowers. It sits directly on the river and offers a multitude of grassy spots perfect for reading or sunning or gazing out at the boats floating by.
2.) Amazing waterfront views – some of the best in the city. The Statue of Liberty is practically in your lap.
3.) The perfect picnic situation. Before heading to the park, make your way to the enormous Fairway supermarket, where you can buy a not-​at-​all-​bad sandwich big enough to feed two people for $ 5.95 (I order the Cajun turkey, which is about the size of a shoebox). Take your food to go, make your way to the pier, and enjoy the afternoon. Red Hook loves you.