Walking Brooklyn. Adrienne Onofri

      Superfund, what Superfund? In 2010 the EPA smacked the Gowanus Canal, once the nation’s busiest commercial canal, with that designation signifying optimal toxicity. You might have expected it to dissuade construction of fancy apartments on its shores or an influx of commercial enterprises to the area, but instead, more and more people kept coming to Gowanus, the neighborhood around the canal. Some came here to live, new residents relocating from pricier brownstone neighborhoods nearby or drawn to the emerging arts community; others were just visitors who’d heard about that great new clam bar or Korean barbecue or alternative arts space or archery center or some other quirky establishment that had opened to much buzz. By the time the Superfund cleanup was set to begin in 2017, Gowanus had been dubbed the hottest neighborhood in Brooklyn. Its gritty character has not disappeared entirely, however, in part because it still has an active industrial sector.

      Walk Description

      You disembark at the highest elevated-train station in the world. The Culver viaduct was built 90 feet high to clear tall-masted ship traffic on the Gowanus Canal. Down on the street, you see a mix of residential and commercial, old and new typical of Gowanus . . . although some people will tell you you’re actually in Red Hook or Carroll Gardens. You may also recognize this spot from a scene between Robert De Niro and Lorraine Bracco in GoodFellas.

      Walk east on 9th Street, going under the viaduct and over the canal. Enter the Gowanus Industrial Arts Complex on your left, where old factories and warehouses are occupied by designers, craftspeople, and small manufacturers. You may be able to visit some—just follow the signs. Or simply enjoy the, er, scenic lookout. You can watch the train you were just on coming around a bend.

      The 1.8-mile Gowanus Canal was created in the 1840s when a natural creek was extended for mercantile access to the bay, and cargo transporters relied on it for about a century. At the same time, it was collecting toxins from local foundries, gas plants, paint manufacturers, and the like. After the Gowanus Expressway (visible to your left) rendered the canal obsolete, it was left to fester for decades. So that’s how we got to Superfund status—although the city and state had already undertaken a cleanup that was flushing the canal regularly with freshwater and had made it more or less tolerable fragrance-wise.

      Return to 9th Street and continue in the same direction, passing other studios, showrooms, and stores.

      Turn left on 2nd Avenue.

      Make a right on 7th Street. This may seem like a remote, desolate location, but it doesn’t keep indie-rock fans from flocking here for concerts at The Bell House. Music’s not all that goes on in this former printing plant; it also hosts podcast tapings, comedy shows, dance parties, quiz nights, readings, and other events. On this same block, the rehabbed building at #168 holds art, design, and music studios.

      Turn right on 3rd Avenue. Some of the creativity coming out of Gowanus is edible—such as Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie makers par excellence, on your left as you reach 8th Street.

      Go left at 9th Street. The American Legion hall on the left is a converted church that was fashioned out of a pair of rowhouses. It was a meaningful location for the veterans group: what’s now the 9th and 3rd intersection was the original burial ground for casualties of the Maryland 400 regiment, who played a strategic role in the Battle of Brooklyn.

      At 4th Avenue, dramatic buildings stand at three of the four corners. Above