Dumbo

Dumbo is my favourite neighbourhood in New York, and when you see it for yourself and know which one I'm talking about, you'll realise that it's also yours, too!

Apart from being Disney's famous elephant character, Dumbo is the name of a neighbourhood in Brooklyn in New York, and is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Dumbo is comprised of two areas, one between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, and the other between the Manhattan Bridge and Vinegar Hill.

It's a neighbourhood where mostly artists and young people tend to live in spacious attic flats (if you watch or have watched the series Gossip Girl, it's where Dan Humfrey lives).

I'm telling you about Dumbo because it has the best views of Manhattan. There's a promenade at the side of the river between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges where there are also two parks. Next to Brooklyn Bridge, there's Empire Fulton Ferry park, and just before the Manhattan Bridge is Main Street Park.

I recommend visiting Empire Fulton Ferry park first, and enjoying its green spaces while viewing the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge. There's a carousel there, which makes it all the more magical. You'll see people doing all kinds of things, from taking typical touristy photos, to playing sports, picnicking or just enjoying the park.

When you've soaked up the views, continue on to Main Street Park and sit down on the rocks on the riverbank. Right in front of you is the most famous view there is of the Manhattan Skyline. This view consists of the Brooklyn Bridge passing above the river, and in the background the Manhattan skyscrapers. I like this view in every way possible: I love the typical black and white photos, the ones with sunlight illuminating the view, and also ones taken at night with every building and the Brooklyn Bridge lit up.

You won't be alone admiring the view there: I'd be very surprised if you were, since when I was there, there were lots of tourists and professional photographers with their tripods taking photos. It's hard to get a good photo sometimes with all the people crowding round with their cameras. It's also not unusual to see people wearing wedding dresses and suits having their photos taken there for magazines...

Go before sunset, as then you can take a photo of the magnificent skyline as dusk settles. It's so beautiful watching the sunset and how the sky turns red (if you're lucky) and then darkens, and how the skylines begin to light up. I took photos every few seconds when I watched the sunset here, haha, because it really is magical to watch.

I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to go there both in the summertime and in the wintertime. Of course, I recommend going in the summertime most of all as you can enjoy everything better then, without feeling cold and with a higher likelihood of a cloudless sky. However, you still get the same view in wintertime, and the river is usually frozen over, which is a spectacular thing to see. I almost froze too (! ), but generally, the views are just as worth seeing as in the summertime.

For years, I've had a poster of this image hanging on my bedroom wall, and two years ago I finally got to see the photo I wake up to every morning in real life, and took my own version.

Near the Manhattan Bridge, there is a kids playground, and they're also building a shopping centre there. I just hope they manage to maintain the place's atmosphere and don't fill it up with shops.

The best way of getting to this area is by taking metro line A or C to High St. From there, follow Washington Street until you arrive at Main Street Park and the most impressive views of Manhattan in the city. You can also cross Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan on foot, and then turn left onto the riverbank. I took both of these routes, and most of all I recommend the walking route, since the views are amazing, but bear in mind that it's 2 kilometres in total.