Dumbo

All Walt Disney jokes aside, this rapidly expanding neighborhood "down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass" is coming into its own since its inception in the 1970s as an artist’s haven of deserted streets and cavernous loft spaces. Transportation to the area makes it even more exotically unattainable—while trains do run to Jay Street, where you can get the F, A, or C, it’s still a bit of a haul into the residential buildings of Dumbo.

Most apartments in the ‘hood are large loft spaces, many with live/work permits for artists working in large format or in studios. The alliance of artists is a strong force in Dumbo, one that crops up in the annual arts festival and the many performance spaces and pieces that take place on any given night throughout the neighborhood. Unlike Williamsburg, however, Dumbo is not a fashion plate—the large industrial buildings are not amenable to street side shopping or eating, and only a handful of take-out restaurants exist. Daytime Dumbo is shadowed by the looming blue Manhattan Bridge, which while depressing for some is all a part of the gritty appeal for others. Although demand for loft space in Dumbo is growing, this is still an underpopulated area for NYC.

Proximity to both the river and the Navy Yard give Dumbo a shipyard kind of feel that isn’t readily accessible to those looking for a traditional living situation. Public services like delis, laundromats, ATMs, and the like are largely missing from Dumbo’s streets, and it’s always a hike from the Jay Street station to any apartment. This avant-garde, literal, edge-living feel is what draws many of Dumbo’s residents to its waterside shores. People who move here aren’t necessarily interested in landing a quaint historic apartment; they’re looking for space to work and a community of like-minded thinkers.

Despite the apparent lack of amenities in Dumbo, residents certainly know how to take care of themselves when it comes to entertainment. Dumbo has a self-reliance feel that’s less like Emerson and more like rock shows in your parent’s basement—complete, often, with homemade treats like lemonade, tea, and baked snacks. Flyers are always circulating for loft space performances and parties; it isn’t uncommon to walk into an indie rock show staged in someone’s (very large) living room. There’s a feeling of camaraderie and openness that pervades the neighborhood, one that is based on common interest rather than ethnicity, religion, or even time. This is what makes Dumbo such a progressively cool place to live, and what ensures that it will continue growing beyond its modest beginnings.