Let’s go to DUMBO!

Hey there, a couple days ago I visited the most lovely place in all of New York City, wonderful DUMBO.

I usually refuse to rave about the City, but DUMBO is the biggest exception to this rule there could possibly be, let me descibe to you the beauty of this place: You take the A train to High St, exiting right across from the (I believe) Empire-Fulton Park(?), it was dedicated to the preservation of avian wildlife in the area. Walk through the park, right now its winter, so its a little drab and when you get to the end, make a left down the road and go under the small overpass. Soon you will see it, The Manhattan Bridge, through the buildings.

The area itself, keeps its original cobblestone streets, and many of the buildings remain from when they belonged to Fulton Landing, not DUMBO. Especially along the edge of the East river, you can see many of the warehouses, now turned into event galleries and boutique shops.

If you walk down the road leading in, until you hit Water St, turn right. a short walk will lead you to Jaques Torres, the best chocolate
shop in Brooklyn. There you can get their “wicked” hot chocolate, a potent chocolate drink enhances with hot chili peppers. Their Bon-Bon selection is fantastic, with flavors ranging from “champagne kiss” and “got milk?” to “love potion,” “menage a trois,” and “heart of passion.” This is the happiest gift to give anyone, really, everyone should love this place.
Next door is the Water St. Restaurant, their portabello polentas are to die for (I love food, it has to be mentioned)

If you go back to the corner of the street near where you turned, there is a wonderful book shop filled with the latest and greatest art books, and they often feature the work of famous photographers on their walls. Books I would suggest to look at are the Teddy Bear Book, The Magnus, the children’s coloring books (by the same author of Everyone Poops, and the Pop-up Book of Sex. After getting some hot cocoa, wandering around here is a pleasant way to spend time (other ways include the carousel, which has ever been open while i was there…)

If you make your way down to the water’s edge, you can experience Manhattan’s beautiful skyline without having to be in it. This little beach in the park is the location of at least five wedding photos on any given beautiful day, and perhaps two to three on the gloomy ones. Most of the famous shots of Manhattan come from DUMBO because of its impressive view of the city.
Quite often there are installations in the park, including glowing fiber-optic grass, and flashing wall lights on various building and objects.

The water side is what made Fulton Landing such a success way back when,when the ferry would ship people back and forth. When the bridges were built, the town was made desolate, and one can still feel that loneliness today. According to the Village Voice (best of NYC 2007) people named “Best Manhattan Neighborhood In Brooklyn – DUMBO” and while I dislike Manhattan, they continued with:

What DUMBO has that Manhattan doesn’t is a residual sense of the industrial picturesque, a nostalgic desolation (galleries and theaters notwithstanding), a main street called “Main Street,” and its own strip of East River beach. DUMBO also offers that most narcissistic of New York pleasures—a fantastic view of the skyline.”

Perfect description.
Sure it is now a happening art scene (Not quite sure if that is good or bad yet), but still not quite a snobby area yet. There are still ferries running from Fulton Slip, and you can always get there by bus, metro, or simply walking.