As the world waits in hushed anticipation for tomorrow morning’s grand opening of the Red Hook Ikea, many eager shoppers are agonizing over the best route in and out of the relatively inaccessible neighborhood. So Ikea has been making a big effort to lure customers and appease locals fretting about the traffic with some complimentary transportation alternatives:
- New York Water Taxi is operating free ferry service from Pier 11 in Manhattan directly to Ikea five times an hour through June 23rd, after which a somewhat less frequent schedule will be in effect.
- Ikea will be running free shuttle buses every 15 minutes from three subway stations: 4th Avenue/9th Street, Court Street/Borough Hall, and the Smith and 9th Street Station, which will unfortunately be closed for an extensive renovation at a time TBD.
- Two MTA buses, the B77 and B61, will stop directly in front of IKEA on Beard Street.
One little-discussed option is the almighty kayak; with a launch site just a stone’s throw away at Coffey Street pier, you’ll just need some waterproof wrapping for that Ikea bookcase and you’re good to go! (The store is also offering same day or next day delivery options.)
Of course, you could also make Red Hook residents’ worst fears a reality by driving to Ikea and enjoying one of their 1,400 parking spots – with overflow parking at the Revere Sugar refinery! And according to the Brooklyn Paper, the store has also hired 17 uniformed police officers to help keep traffic moving through the summer. 17,000 customers are expected each weekend day, with some 35 early birds are already on line.
