It’s a sight every Dumbonian is used to by now: dozens of tourists literally lining up in the middle of Washington Street to snap a shot of the Manhattan Bridge, perfectly framed between the buildings of Dumbo.
A recent cartoon by Brooklyn Cartoons recreates the iconic image, jammed with camera phone–toting tourists.
“Okay, we’ve seen Brooklyn,” one of them says. “What’s next?” You can almost see them rushing to head back to Manhattan, or to get in line at Grimaldi’s. (more…)
Siobhan O’Loughlin of Broken Bone Bathtub. Photo by Jason Speakman.
In October of 2014, Brooklyn playwright and performer Siobhan O’Loughlin embarked on an unusual tour of New York City. Her arm was in a cast following a head-on collision with another cyclist that resulted in two broken fingers, and she didn’t want to risk getting it wet in the shower. Her small Brooklyn bathroom, however, didn’t have a bathtub.
Using social media, the Bushwick native called on friends and acquaintances to let her use their bathtubs, never bathing twice in the same place so as not to overly inconvenience any one person. People across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens opened their homes to her. Some even provided candles, bubble bath, and chocolates.
The kindness she experienced in a time of need inspired her latest performance piece, Broken Bone Bathtub, where an intimate audience of six to eight people joins her in a bathroom as she takes a bath and shares her story. After sold out shows in the UK, Japan, and across the U.S., Broken Bone Bathtub has come to New York, with dozens of performances across the city, including two dates in DUMBO on January 13 and 20, at 7 and 9 p.m. You can buy tickets — which are going fast — here.
Dumbo, a small neighborhood that is also a popular tourist destination, can be a tricky place to find parking. We recently published a list of parking garages, which is probably the easiest way to ditch the car and start your day.
But what if you’re determined to avoid parking fees? Drivers are lucky to find street parking here, so it’s always a good idea to plan ahead if you’re going to DUMBO with a car.
Alternate Side Parking Finding a free spot in Dumbo where you only have to move the car once a week for street cleaning is the holy grail. The Street Parker website can be enormously helpful. Their maps — see the screenshot above — show which streets get cleaned on which days, so you can plan accordingly.
You can also verify all the signs on any given block at the New York City Department of Transportation’s parking regulations page. (more…)
Whether you’re an exhausted parent, an office worker, or a tourist who’s been on his feet all day — it’s essential to know where to get a good coffee.
So where do you go for coffee in Dumbo? It depends on what you’re looking for. Are you looking for fresh roasted Kenyan beans, or a delicious snack to go with it? Do you want a place to sit and plug in your computer? Here are a few of the best places in the neighborhood to get coffee, for every type of coffee drinker.
For Chocoholics
If you like mocha lattes, or hot chocolate, it would be silly to get it anywhere else than Jacques Torres Chocolate. Their rich, complex, and decadent chocolate may convince you of the Aztec tale of Quetzalcoatl, who got in trouble with the gods for sharing the heavenly drink with humans. There’s not much space in Jacques Torres for hanging around, but let’s face it — if you take your mocha or hot chocolate to go, you’ll probably finish it before you walk halfway down the block.
Above: Jacques Torres Chocolate. Photos by Jeff Scherer.
It’s about that time again, to say goodbye to 2015 and look forward to a new year. Do you have plans for New Years Eve yet? It’s your last chance to party before you start on those New Years resolutions of abstinence, exercise, and frugality. (Which, if you’re like most people, you will give up on in a week and a half.)
Not surprisingly, there’s plenty to do right here in Dumbo on the big night. Following are some of the many parties and events happening under the bridges on New Years Eve 2016.
Burlesque Under The Bridges
For pure New Years hedonism, it’s hard to beat this three-and-a-half-hour burlesque extravaganza at The Bridges, featuring, among a bevy of other beauties, “2015 Reigning Queen of Burlesque” Trixie Little and aerialist Elizabeth Munn. Tickets are $250 for table seating and $175 for stageside seating, and include an open bar from 8 p.m. to midnight and passed hors d’oeuvres all night.
Art in General, the nonprofit organization that has been giving support to up-and-coming artists from 1981, is moving to Dumbo in January. It will be leaving its longtime home in the General Hardware building on Walker Street for a ground floor space at 145 Plymouth.
According to ARTnews, Art in General has signed a three-year lease for the space, which Two Trees Management Company offered to them for below the market rate. Its new neighbors will include other galleries such as the Sculptors Guild and the A.I.R. Gallery.
“We’re just completely thrilled to be experiencing the community in Brooklyn and the audience that has been growing in the past few years,” Anne Barlow, executive director of Art in General, told ARTnews.
Pictured above: Collage of 2015 exhibitions, courtesy of Art in General.
