Decelerate in the urban oasis of the urban jungle. (Image: Alexa Hoyer)
City-Guide
Dumbo is wedged between and under two mighty bridges like a piece of cake. Nevertheless, the “New York Times” calls it “the most instagrammable neighborhood in America”. That may be true – and is by no means everything.
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The prettiest way to approach Dumbo is via the East River. On foot. Which bridge? Good question! While Dumbo stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, the historic Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, also has a pedestrian walkway that makes for a wonderful stroll.
If you cross the latter, you will reach the exact spot where the first ferry that connected Manhattan and Brooklyn docked in 1642. The Fulton Ferry Landing Pier is long gone, but little by little the docks squeezed between the two bridges and buried under thunderous traffic from cars and trains fell into oblivion. Just 50 years ago it was a dingy, nameless no-man’s-land of abandoned industrial buildings and warehouses used illegally as studios and sometimes homes by artists.
Directly across from Manhattan
Then David Walentas discovers the quarter. The American billionaire and real estate tycoon quickly recognized its advantages: the location directly across from Manhattan, the great view and the perfect connection. In the late 1970s, he bought 11 run-down warehouses for $12 million and began transforming the area—opposed and hampered by a city government delaying work and community groups fearing gentrification.
But David Walentas and his wife Jane are not out to turn the real estate into as much cash as possible as quickly as possible. Their vision envisages a culturally lively quarter, they support creative artists and carefully select who they will let larger areas – initially in some cases free of charge.
A new Instagram hotspot is born
Today Dumbo is a very expensive, very popular and completely gentrified residential area with cool cafes, chic restaurants, trendy shops and hip art galleries. There’s a mini-beach, a nostalgic carousel and cobbled streets where tall old brick buildings stand alongside new steel and glass towers. The district has become the favorite address of digital start-ups, advertising agencies and creative companies, whose employees shape the streetscape and the atmosphere in the bars.
The completely renovated and landscaped waterfront is considered an open-air highlight. Schoolchildren and housewives, web designers and tourists abound here, as well as countless amateur photographers capturing the spectacular view of Manhattan’s Financial District. The Instagram hotspot is on the corner of Water and Washington Streets. Especially on weekends, New Yorkers and visitors strike a pose in front of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. The thunderous traffic noise doesn’t bother her – the main thing is that the selfie turns out well.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
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From industrial site to urban oasis
After 11 long years, one of New York City’s largest public projects was completed in 2020: a once derelict industrial site has become a vibrant and thriving 85-acre urban landscape stretching two kilometers along the East River shoreline. The sustainably designed and managed park offers a wide range of possible uses and is used enthusiastically by New Yorkers of all ages. (Image: PD)
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The best addresses in Dumbo:
1. Sleeping at «1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge»
The great view of the Brooklyn Bridge is just one plus point of the hotel, which opened around five years ago. There is also an environmentally friendly concept, lots of light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, a cool industrial look with dark wooden floorboards and exposed ceiling pipes. The 194 rooms and suites are open-plan, the restaurants are good, and the rooftop terrace has a pool, bar, and Cinemascope views of Manhattan.
–1hotels.com, double rooms from US$350. (Image: PD)
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2. These places eat well
Industrial architecture, yes, but also a lush green wall: The typical Dumbo mix gives the place «Atrium» a hip, often prominent audience. Fine New American cuisine uses local market produce like Montauk seafood and upstate New York vegetables.
–Dine Brooklyn style in the Atrium Restaurant. (Image: PD)
Im «Al Mar» locals and well-informed visitors sit at bare wooden tables in front of sumptuous portions of pappardelle with wild boar ragout and rigatoni with salsiccia and peas. The casual Italian trattoria is also a very popular meeting point for aperitifs, with delicious bruschette served with cocktails and wine.
–Meat balls at the noble Italian Al Mar. (Image: PD)
Im «great electric» there is Mexican cuisine in a historic brick building with a green courtyard terrace directly under the Brooklyn Bridge. The fresh tortillas made from old corn varieties are homemade, as is the queso fresco and the spicy chorizos. You can also stop by for just a drink and tuck into delicious cocktails made with jalapeño syrup or mole bitters.
–Mexican chic at the Gran Electirca. (Image: Gran Electirca)
More relaxed than in London, more cosmopolitan than in Berlin: The « Restaurant », which belongs to the exclusive Soho House groupCecconi’s» is housed in a former coffee warehouse and offers an unbeatable riverside terrace, culinary classics such as Filet Mignon, Dover Sole, wood-fired pizzas and eight Negroni variations.
–Hotspot on the EastRiver: Cecconi’s. (Image: PD)
3. Whether aperitif or coffee, you will find both here
Opened in 2019, the two dozen restaurants, takeaways and bars at the Time Out Market offer a gigantic range of culinary offerings. But the highlight is the «Time Out Bar» The roof terrace on the fifth floor: Insiders come early in the evening, order a Very Berry Sangria or a Salty Thyme Margerita and enjoy the sunset.
–For an aperitif, a cocktail with a view on the roof terrace of the Time Out Bar. (Image: Filip Wolak)
cafes like this «Butler» can only be found in American metropolises: Without much effort, a casual, cool and totally comfortable place is created where you like to sit a little longer, read a book or work on your laptop. There is also a great cappuccino, delicious empanadas with egg filling and avocado dip, chicken sandwiches or chili scones.
–The butler serves home cooking with coffee. (Image: PD)
4. Shop for unusual things
In antique showcases of the shop «Thea Grant» vintage brass bookmarks sit alongside signet rings, diamond pendants and semi-precious stones set in recycled metal. Thea Grant and Nicolas Bazzani’s small boutique/gallery/workshop offers a fantastic selection of accessories, antique jewels and their own designs
–Thea Grant in front of her shop of the same name, where you can buy jewelry and all sorts of curiosities. (Image: PD)
Every weekend the lively flea market takes place under the mighty bridge pillar of the Manhattan Bridge and in front of it «Brooklyn Flea” instead of. You’ll find furniture, clothing, jewellery, handcrafted leather goods from Louise Goods, brightly colored socks from This Night and lots of original trinkets.
–Nice junk can be found on the Brooklyn Flea. (Image: PD)
Admittedly, they are not really suitable for the office. But if you dare, the colorful and extravagantly shaped shoes from John Fluevog to wear is not overlooked even in New York. Most models are made of fine, soft leather, perfectly finished – and not cheap.
–With shoes by John Fluevog you stand out even in cities like New York. (Image: PD)
5. Amazement
The idea for the carousel came from Jane Walentas, wife of Dumbo developer David Walentas. She found a working model built in 1922, scraped off the layers of paint that had been applied over the decades from the individual horses herself and restored it piece by piece. Since 2011, the magnificent carousel has been spinning on the waterfront in a glass pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel.
–Darren Ching and his wife Debra Klomp Ching pioneered the art when they opened the first commercial art gallery, the Klompching Gallery, in Dumbo in 2007. From the beginning they have focused primarily on contemporary art photography: names such as Manuel Cosentino, Tessa Bunney, William Greiner and Jeanette May are exhibiting here.
–Colourful, wild, imaginative or simply beautiful – the first murals in Dumbo were created ten years ago near York Street underground station. Commissioned works by graffiti artists, designers and illustrators such as CAM, FAITH 47, STEFAN SAGMEISTER or YUKO SHIMIZU now adorn four blocks of the district – as if to remind you how it all began here, when graffiti was still a subversive act.
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