This is a view looking towards the Manhattan Bridge from Washington Street in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). This image gives some sense of the visual drama typical in this Brooklyn neighborhood. There are a number of elements which gives the neighborhood its unique atmosphere – vistas of three bridges with the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges looming overhead, the omnipresent waterfront, the breathtaking views of Manhattan, the light, the architecture of the large warehouse buildings, and the cavernous feel of the streets. These elements, along with inexpensive rents and proximity to Manhattan, made it a natural choice for the migration of artists who began to inhabit the area in the 1980s. It still has a strong arts community, but gentrification has priced many out, a common scenario with most urban art communities.
I posted on the annual Dumbo Arts Festival in October 2006 in Sink or Swim, Night in Bloom, Dumbo Arts Fest, and Gallery View. There are a number of businesses in the area worth visiting (many well-known): The Jacques Torres chocolate factory, Bargemusic, Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, the River Café, galleries, etc. Click here for the DUMBONYC blog with extensive resource listings…
