A Day in Dumbo

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I love summer weekends - they feel like a mini vacation every week! This summer we’ve spent lots of time at the beach and traveling for birthday celebrations and weddings. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the beach and getting away from the hustle and bustle of the week. But there is something really nice about staying home and “playing tourist” in your own city. Last weekend was the first one we spent at home in almost a month and we made the most of our Sunday Fun-day and explored one of my favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods - Dumbo.

Only a 20 minute drive from Park Slope, Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River. We learned that the Brooklyn bridge was the first to connect the boroughs of Manhattan to Brooklyn and is one of the oldest bridges in the United States - it was completed in 1883. The Dumbo neighborhood is bounded by Brooklyn Bridge Park to the north, the Brooklyn Bridge to the west, Brooklyn Heights to the south and Vinegar Hill to the east. There are tons of things to do by Brooklyn Bridge Park from rock climbing to roller skating to boating to kayaking and more. It was so much fun to stroll through the area, popping in and out of cute shops and watching the carousel go by. We thought about eating at one of the famous Dumbo pizzerias - Juliana’s or Grimaldi’s - but the lines were too long to wait in on an 85 degree day. Instead, we had a super yummy brunch at Cecconi’s, while enjoying waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline. Highly recommend the burrata appetizer!

Luckily, we saved some room for dessert! Michael and I got a couple of scoops at The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which was perfect the perfect way to cool down on such a hot day and very timely since it was #NationalIceCreamDay. (Tip: It’s cash only.) Before the day was through, we walked through the Brooklyn Flea Market, which is open every Sunday from 10-6. It was full of vintage furniture, clothes, jewelry, and art. There were also a whole bunch of stalls with all kinds of international street food that looked delicious - if only we weren't so full from brunch and ice cream! But I’m not worried...with Dumbo being so close to home, I know we’ll be back!