No, we’re not shouting – new New Yorkers might not realize it, but DUMBO is actually an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge. As the name suggests, DUMBO is right across the river from Manhattan, making it a real estate hotspot growing more coveted by the day.

Accessible via the A, C, and F trains, DUMBO is a daytime mecca for art and design studios and desirable neighborhood for families. The view of the Manhattan skyline isn’t bad either.

Popular attractions include:

Grimaldi’s Pizza. Famous for its smokey, coal-fired pizza, Grimaldi’s a New York institution. Frank Sinatra was a noted fan.

P.S. Bookshop. If you go there hunting for a specific book, you’re in trouble, but this used bookstore is great for browsing and discovering reads you didn’t know you wanted.

Zoë. For some off-Fifth Avenue shopping, it doesn’t get any better than Zoë, which features such brands as Marc by Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, and Rag & Bone.

Image via Flickr

Brokelyn.com recently announced the winner of its ugly building contest. The first place pic, above, captures a warehouse at 126 3rd St. in Gowanus. It sort of looks like it’s crying, doesn’t it?

You can check out the rest of the entries at the contest’s Flickr pool.

Imagine if Goldilocks went apartment-hunting in Brooklyn.

She would shun Crown Heights — although super-convenient for Manhattan commuters, this efficient region is crowded to the point of bustling to the point of claustrophobic. “Too metropolitan,” she would say.

But what about Williamsburg? Metropolitan in a very different way — the jeans are claustrophobic, not the streets — Williamsburg would probably be a little posh for our yellow-haired youth, who still prefers porridge to crêpes. “Too trendy” would be the complaint.

For something, ahem, just right, Ms. Locks would likely travel to Greenpoint. One of our favorite neighborhoods, Greenpoint is a comparatively quieter neighborhood featuring a longstanding Polish community and recent smattering of hipsters overflowing from Williamsburg.

Goldilocks would love the neighborhood’s proximity to the L (…and the G), and even its nearness to Williamsburg, which is good every once in a while.

Now, to shop for chairs…

Image via flickr

A while ago, The New York Times printed an article about a young couple torn apart by the East River, billions of Subway stops, and the majority of bustling Manhattan. To put it simply: He lives in Manhattan, she lives in Brooklyn. This article, published in the Times’ Real Estate section, boldly referred to this pairing as a long-distance relationship.

But is it? As the crow flies, her apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is a bit over 14 miles from his home in Hamilton Heights (Harlem), New York. Anywhere else in the country, this would constitute a 15 or 20 minute drive, however New York is not anywhere else in the country. The Subway trek requires 75 grueling minutes, as well as two transfers. And that’s, um, when the trains are running correctly.

Still, the aforementioned city between the aforementioned lovebirds isn’t exactly dead space — if I were a member of this “long-distance” couple, I’d arrange more of our meetings for the following approximate halfway points: the Union Square, the Village, SoHo, or Borough Hall. If only Romeo and Juliet had had it this easy.

As with any other city or state, some neighborhoods in Brooklyn are safer than others. You have places like Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Heights, and Fort Greene, which are considered very secure. At the same time, certain areas like Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Bushwick and known for being more dangerous.

Of course, not everyone can afford a $500,000 home in Park Slope or even a high-rent apartment. But crime isn’t just about location—it can happen anywhere.

I grew up in a wealthy area of Pittsburgh that was usually considered safe, but every so often we would hear about break-ins and other crimes. Thus, while it’s important to think about crime rate while looking for Brooklyn apartments, you also need to think about what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

Although there is some information online, I prefer to speak to actual people when researching a neighborhood. These include potential roommates and landlords, local businesspeople, and friends in the area. This way, I can learn everything about a given neighborhood: how late people are still on the street, which areas are the most and least safe, how many cops patrol the streets, etc. With this information, you should be able to find the perfect part of Brooklyn for you.

Brooklyn just happens to be one of those cities split up into several different sections or boroughs. In fact, Brooklyn alone has something like 30 different boroughs where you can choose to live, and there is a place for just about everyone. This includes elderly couples, couples with children, young couples, and gay and lesbian couples—as well as singles! Different neighborhoods in Brooklyn also offer different styles of homes, such as brownstones, Victorians, lofts, and apartments.

For younger couples, I recommend shopping around in Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. Both of these are ideal if you’re looking for restaurants, cultural activities, and convenience. Young singles can thrive here as well, in addition to Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill, which are already populated with people right out of college.

These areas are all fairly close to Manhattan’s lower tip, which means you’ve got some of the city’s hippest attractions only a short Subway ride away—only you get to go home to a significantly lower rent. For example, you can check out the East Village for a whole selection of restaurants, café, and coffeehouses.

If you have decided to move to Brooklyn or you are simply doing a short move to Brooklyn, you may have considered the best places to move for your family. More specifically, if you are a family with children. Chances are you will want a good lifestyle, a safe home, and a nice cultural place for your family and children to live. Thankfully, Brooklyn NY has quite a few places that are great choices if you have children! A few of the major areas you might want to take a look at are Fort Greene, Williamsburg, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and Boerum Hill.

These places are all going to have nice playgrounds for your children to play in and safe neighborhoods so you won’t have to worry about your kids. But they will also have little shops, cafes and restaurants for the adults in the family as well. Also, since a few of these neighborhoods like Clinton Hill have the college right in the same neighborhood you can find college students that are looking for side babysitting jobs as well – which as a parent is always a plus!

The homes in these areas are a little steep as far as prices go. But this is usually the way it goes in any area! If you want a nice home with a nice safe neighborhood, you are always going to be expected to pay a little more. These homes are averaged at about $600,000, but alas they are very nice homes. Were talking structure wise, space wise, and efficiency wise. So while the prices are a little steep – the quality of the home-life and neighborhood really makes up for it in the end.