Water St Between Old Fulton St and Main St

    

Walking into the artsy DUMBO neighborhood you're greeted by a seemingly impenetrable wall of construction and previously abandoned factories & storehouses. The soaring roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge summons you to continue down this otherwise unwelcoming street.

While gentrification has only had a few years to take hold in the area, I would have expect it to be more densely developed by now. There's a relaxed, airy feeling not found in similar neighborhoods. Perhaps it's just getting started. The maze of streets – made even more confusing by the BQE cutting its way through – is surprisingly fun to explore. With the East River constantly in-sight it's easy to re-orient yourself should you get turned around.