NYC: Walking to dumbo

Heading to Dumbo via the Manhattan Bridge.

On Saturday morning we trekked across the Manhattan Bridge over to Dumbo. This area, just north of the Brooklyn Bridge, was discovered in the 1880’s. With it’s access to shipping, the neighborhood saw a rise of factories, warehouses, and dock storehouses. Although the area has been known in the past as Rapailie, Olympia, Gairville, or Walentasville, it is now known as Dumbo (which stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) and these old factories have been converted into luxury lofts and old warehouses into art galleries and theaters. With its exposed Belgian block streets anchored by massive bridge structures, Dumbo has a unique character all its own.

A "Kodak moment" on the Manhattan Bridge.

As we walked across the Manhattan Bridge we were able to catch a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

There are several pockets of grafitti on the bridge.

Neck Face as seen from the Manhattan Bridge.

In Dumbo with Brooklyn Bridge behind us.

Looking through Dumbo at the Manhattan Bridge.

While we were waiting for the Dumbo galleries to open, we stopped by the P.S. Bookshop. This place is cozy, has a GREAT selection of art and design books, and the woman behind the counter was very helpful. Almost an hour shot by! I made a purchase and we headed out the door to find some lunch and some galleries.

The P.S. Bookshop, Dumbo.

After some pizza and a beer, we headed out to see some galleries. Our first stop was StudioEIS (pronounced “Studio Ice”) is a sculpture and design studio in Brooklyn, New York, USA. It specializes in “visual storytelling” — the production of figurative sculpture in bronze, stone, and resin for narrative exhibitions at cultural institutions, museums, and corporations worldwide. StudioEIS had an exhibition titled Abraham LIncoln One Man, Two Views. Here are a few photos:

A look into the artist's studio.

I will cover the other Dumbo studios we visited in a future blog!