Hanover Slip runs parallel to the canal
Hanover Slip starts at the base of Transit Street, marked by a weathered granite post that says nothing helpful. The opening is narrow enough that you'll walk past it if you're watching traffic instead of doorways.
The passage runs roughly north-south for two blocks, tucked between a row of 1840s brick warehouses on the east side and the back walls of newer buildings on the west. It's paved in the same irregular cobblestone that covers half the alleys in Fox Point, worn smooth in the center where generations of foot traffic have chosen the easiest line.
The middle section
Halfway down, the slip widens into a small courtyard where four buildings meet at odd angles. There's a cast-iron lamp post here, still gas-fitted but converted to electric sometime in the last century. The lamp stays on all night, which makes the courtyard useful if you're cutting through after dark.
A wooden staircase climbs the east wall to a second-floor door that's been painted over so many times the hardware barely closes. The ground-level windows are tall and narrow, original to the warehouses. Most are dark, but one shows light from what looks like a printing studio or bindery.
The south exit
The slip terminates at South Water Street, coming out next to a marine supply shop that keeps unpredictable hours. From there you're half a block from the canal towpath and the pedestrian bridge that crosses to the bike path.
If you're walking from College Hill to the waterfront, Hanover Slip saves you the long curve around Transit. It's faster than the street route by maybe ninety seconds, which matters on cold mornings or when you're trying to catch someone.
The slip is named for a defunct textile firm that operated in the east warehouse block until the 1920s. The company's name is still visible in ghost lettering on the south wall, fifteen feet up where the paint hasn't been scraped or covered.
Worth noting
The passage is public right-of-way, maintained by the city but not marked on most printed maps. It appears on the 1899 Sanborn insurance atlas and the 1937 WPA survey, both filed at the library. The current condition is good—no standing water, no broken pavement that would stop a wheelchair or stroller.
Hanover Slip doesn't connect to Armory Cut or any of the other downtown passages. It's a separate piece of infrastructure, useful in its own right if you're moving between neighborhoods on foot.
The east warehouse is divided into studios and small workshops. No retail, no regular hours, no reason to visit unless you have business with one of the tenants. The door at the north end is usually propped open during business hours, which suggests the building sees enough traffic that someone found it worthwhile to disable the closer.
If you're walking the canal towpath and want to loop back through Fox Point without climbing the hill, Hanover Slip makes a reasonable return route. The slip itself is flat, the exits are clear, and you won't have to navigate car traffic until you're back on Transit.