DUMBO Brooklyn Audio Guide for New York

Welcome to DUMBO, Brooklyn’s most evocative and photogenic neighborhood. You are currently standing in an area whose very name carries a secret history. DUMBO is an acronym that stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. While it sounds trendy today, it was actually invented in nineteen seventy-eight by local artists who lived here in drafty, illegal lofts. At a neighborhood party, they chose this peculiar name hoping it would sound unattractive enough to keep real estate developers away. They even considered calling it DANYA, for District Around the Navy Yard Annex, but DUMBO won out. As you look around at the towering brick warehouses and feel the vibrations of the subway trains crossing the Manhattan Bridge above, you are experiencing a neighborhood that successfully balanced its gritty industrial soul with a world-class creative revival. Take a breath and listen to the pulse of the city; you are at the intersection of old-world manufacturing and modern New York dreams.