DUMBO

DUMBO, short for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass”, is a former industrial district of cobblestone streets and converted warehouses between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Today it mixes tech and design offices, galleries, apartments and the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park.

DUMBO’s cobblestone streets and brick warehouses recall its industrial past, when factories made boxes, machinery and paper goods and ferries and the nearby bridges carried the goods away. After manufacturing declined, artists moved in during the 1970s and 1980s, drawn by cheap loft space, and developers followed later. The area was eventually protected as a historic district, which is why so many of the old warehouse facades survive.

The best-known view is on Washington Street, where the Manhattan Bridge frames the distant tower of the Empire State Building. It is one of the most photographed spots in the city, so go early on a weekday if you want it to yourself. Nearby, Brooklyn Bridge Park stretches along the East River with lawns, playgrounds, sports courts and piers, and Jane’s Carousel, restored and housed in a glass pavilion, is a favourite stop for families.

Today DUMBO is one of Brooklyn’s main tech and creative districts, with design studios, software companies and start-ups sharing converted warehouses with galleries, bookshops, restaurants and a food hall in the restored Empire Stores building. Ferries stop along the waterfront and the F and A/C trains are close, so commuting to Manhattan is simple, while the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan takes about half an hour.

DUMBO is compact and mostly pedestrian-friendly, but it is also a major tourist destination, especially on summer weekends and at sunset. Residents suggest visiting the park piers in the morning, eating on the quieter side streets and leaving time to explore neighbouring Vinegar Hill and Brooklyn Heights, which offer a calmer, more residential side of the waterfront.