A Dumbo Itinerary: Things To Do And See Down Under The Manhattan Bridge

You must have already heard of Jerry Seinfeld’s joke about Dumbo, not the elephant but the acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Although half true, we’d like to believe New Yorkers didn’t purposely add the letter ‘O’ at the end of the name just to avoid having to live in a neighborhood called Dumb. Because honestly, who would want that?

Jokes aside, the Big Apple’s Dumbo easily has the most Instagrammable spots in Brooklyn, and nobody would argue about that. If you’re looking for more grit and not the glitz the Upper East Side has to offer, just cross the Manhattan Bridge and you’ll be welcomed with cobblestoned streets perfect for your well-curated social media feed.

From historical sights to exciting eats to try, we’ve come up with an itinerary to make the most out of your trip to the other side of the city that never sleeps.

 

Pier 1 at the Brooklyn Bridge Park

Pier 1 is the largest park/pier in the area that offers a magnificent, panoramic view of Lower Manhattan. It has a wide stretch of lawn usually swarmed with families out for a picnic or just people who want an afternoon break from their busy lives. It also has a playground at the northern part of the park and a waterfront promenade.

One of the most iconic part of the park is the Granite Prospect. It gives the perfect vista of the New York Harbor. These granite steps are made out of stones from the reconstruction of the Roosevelt Island Bridge—the vertical lift bridge that connects Manhattan and Queens.

 

 

A post shared by Brooklyn Bridge Park (@brooklynbridgepark) on May 10, 2018 at 8:37am PDT

 

 

A post shared by Brooklyn Bridge Park (@brooklynbridgepark) on Apr 11, 2018 at 7:36am PDT

 

 

A post shared by Emma Bentley (@emsbentley) on Dec 12, 2014 at 3:29pm PST

 

Jane’s Carousel

This 1922 merry-go-round from Ohio is an iconic landmark in Dumbo. It was restored and was added to the Brooklyn landscape in 2011. Forty-eight horses run around from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm during summer, and is open only until 6:00 pm on winter. It will only cost you $2 for a ride.

 

 

A post shared by Jane's Carousel (@janescarousel) on Aug 24, 2017 at 9:27am PDT

 

Juliana’s Pizza

Formerly known as the Grimaldi’s, Juliana’s is famous for its coal-oven pizzas. Owner Patsy Grimaldi opened the joint at the exact same location of the famous pizzeria under the Brooklyn Bridge. He still serves the same pizza people have come to love and still widely patronized by locals and tourists.

 

 

A post shared by Juliana's: Coal Fired-NY Sired (@julianaspizza) on May 6, 2018 at 3:57pm PDT

 

St. Ann’s Warehouse

Dumbo has seen a lot of energy coming from artists and performers that make up the whole art culture in the district. One of which comes from the old Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity and was converted to a site for classical music. Since then, St. Ann’s Warehouse has staged several shows of different types, from theater plays to rock performances.

 

 

A post shared by St. Ann's Warehouse (@stannswarehouse) on Oct 18, 2017 at 11:22am PDT

 

Washington Street

This is probably the most iconic part of Dumbo, as seen in many photographs. It’s a picture-perfect spot that captures the Brooklyn Bridge, the cobblestoned buildings Dumbo is known for, and New York’s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building.

 

 

A post shared by Bernardo Rangel (@brangelbr) on Jan 14, 2018 at 12:29pm PST

 

 

Join Pia Wurtzbach as she explores Dumbo, Brooklyn in the replay episode of Pia’s Portcards, Sunday, May 13 on Metro Channel.