First thing's first: DUMBO is so named—like
Tribeca in Manhattan or RAMBO just north—because of its location. Whereas Tribeca is the "triangle below Canal," DUMBO is—in both senses—"down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass." While it was once a haven for starving artists and the working class residents of Brooklyn, DUMBO has seen tremendous surges in property values in the last decade. Where Brillo pads used to be made, the upper class now scrub out their own spot in what used to be a significantly cheaper alternative to Manhattan rents. Formerly called Fulton Landing—after Robert Fulton, the man who invented the steam engine and who's ironclad ship, the USS Monitor, was built in
Greenpoint during the Civil War—DUMBO remains connected to Manhattan by more than just the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges: the
New York Water Taxi stills runs commuter and tour boats from Fulton Landing every day.
If you're coming into DUMBO from Manhattan, there's the usual subway routes, of course, and taxi cabs, but one of the things that New Yorkers and tourists alike love to do is take a stroll down the
Brooklyn Bridge. Still one of the world's largest pieces of freemasonry, the Brooklyn Bridge features a unique promenade that spans the entire length of the bridge and carries pedestrians above the pulsing inter-borough traffic. One a clear day, all of Manhattan and Brooklyn is visible, and views down the East River and into Upper New York Bay. The promenade is adorned with many informational plaques to fill up your historical head and plenty of benches to rest your feet. Floating underneath the bridge is the curious
Barge Music venue, where 125-seat audiences are treated to exceptional chamber music in an unlikely setting. If you'd like something more visual, though, the waterfront is also home to the
DUMBO Art Center, a 3,000 square foot gallery that offers seasonal exhibitions, workshops, and the annual
Art Under The Bridge Festival.
The art isn't relegated to one museum, though, and rightfully so, since DUMBO used to be a cheap place for artists to live. Now, the area is just expensive enough to attract art galleries instead, like the
Museum Of Modern Arthur,
Spring, and
Schickler Howard Fine Art galleries.
With rising property values inevitable comes the boutique shopping. DUMBO has places like
Wonk and the
City Joinery for those in need of innovative furniture solutions to space-conscious Brooklynites with expanding wallets. Visitors, though, might be more interested in the stylings of FIT-alum
ZOE, who's upscale fashions have found a likely home in DUMBO. There's also
Blueberi, sister shop of
Park Slope's trendy
Redberi, a uber-haute boutique with selections that will boggle even the most stable of mavens.
For eats and drinks, art-crowd friendly
68 Jay Street has the usual bar selections as well as a wine list and happy hour, while the
DUMBO General Store offers an even more relaxed atmosphere, with a café component and a wealth of books to leaf through as your eyes adjust from all those art exhibits. Prefer something sweet? Try the DUMBO location of the
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory or the master chocolates hand-made at
Jacques Torres Chocolate.
Now that we've had dinner backwards, head to Front Street for the contemporary American cuisine of Five Front, the seasonal Mediterranean dishes of Superfine, or authentic Mexican food served by chef Danny Mena at Hecho en Dumbo at the DUMB General Store.
