Brooklyn, NY
street parking and parking lots
Optimum Seasons: Spring, Summer
Grimaldi's Pizza! Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory! Jane's Carousel! Brooklyn Bridge Park! The River Cafe! The Brooklyn Bridge! The newly opened Empire Stores! Cecconi's Restaurant! The 1 Hotel! These are all hallmarks of this cobble-stoned neighborhood located just across the East River from downtown Manhattan. With breathtaking views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and the NYC downtown skyline, every inch of DUMBO is as charming as the next! Parking is an utter disaster (unless you get lucky) so just do yourself a favor and dig into your pockets and pay to leave your car in a parking lot! You can spend the entire day here with children. Best to go around 3pm and stay as long as you can to experience the sunset.
Reservations at River Cafe need to be made months in advance, but it's worth just taking a look from the outside of this famed NY restaurant! It is utterly magical at night when the gardens are illuminated and you can see the sparkling skyline and Brooklyn Bridge through the leaves of the trees! Videos of both the day and night can be viewed below.
Also, Cecconi's DUMO is a new and beautiful indoor/outdoor restaurant on the ground floor of Empire Stores with prime real estate between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. I have been told the food here ain't all that but the Instagram posts after your less-than-fine dining is what you are paying for. But if you are looking for an excellent restaurant with great decor, service, food and views, I prefer Maiella on the waterfront in Long Island City overlooking midtown Manhattan with views of the iconic Empire and Chrysler Buildings.
Love the energy in this little nook of Brooklyn as much, if not more, than that of Manhattan! My favorite thing to do on an uneventful Sunday with the family! And DUMBO is ever evolving. When I went last year, Empire Stores looked like an abandoned warehouse and I just kept wondering why they hadn't restored this beautiful building. And what do you know, I came back one year later to find a mixed use shopping mall/office building. I have pictures of the inside and outside in the gallery above and videos below.
I am still torn between whether DUMBO is more magical during the day or in the evening. For sure there is an unmatched and vibrant energy during the day with the crowds of people. When we went on a Thursday evening, the kids were missing, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory was closed, but the lights of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges were reflecting off the East River and there was a beautiful serenity that you don't find during the earlier hours. Definitely visit DUMBO at least once in your life, and make an effort to catch it at both times of day. Tip: For the money shot, head to Washington Street to get a pic of the Empire State Building peaking through the Manhattan Bridge (pictures above)
Nearby
Click on the gallery above (best viewed on a desktop for captions), the videos below to get a better sense of the area, and add your feedback by clicking on the comments section below! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see my next adventure! And share with your friends if you appreciate this page!