Dumbo
Cobblestoned waterfront between two landmark bridges, packed with converted industrial lofts.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Dumbo in New York City traces the neighborhood's deliberately ugly name back to 1978, when artists squatting in abandoned waterfront warehouses tried to scare off developers by branding the area Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. You'll hear about Robert Gair, the inventor whose cardboard-box factories once dominated this waterfront, and meet David Walentas, the developer who arrived in 1981 with a very different plan for the same empty buildings. The guide follows how his approach reshaped these blocks over the years that followed.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
SoHo
Cast-iron district that went from garment factories to artists' lofts to luxury boutiques.
Williamsburg
Creative neighborhood anchored by a converted industrial waterfront park and a dense arts and dining scene.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Waterfront park on reclaimed industrial piers with sweeping East River and Manhattan skyline views.
Chelsea Market
Converted century-old bakery complex now housing dozens of food vendors, shops, and eateries.
The High Line
Elevated park winding along a disused freight railway, thirty feet above Chelsea's streets.
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Elevated walkway above a buried expressway, with panoramic views of Manhattan and the harbor.