How to Get to DUMBO From the Upper East Side: The F Train to York St, No Transfer

The one-train route

The F does the whole thing. Board downtown at Lexington Av/63 St, which is the station closest to us on East 62nd Street, and stay on until York St. That's the first stop after the train goes under the East River, and it lets out on Jay Street two blocks from the DUMBO waterfront. Door to Brooklyn Bridge Park, figure 40 minutes including the walk at each end.

One thing worth knowing: the F runs down Sixth Avenue, not Lexington, so it swings west through Midtown before it turns south. It looks like a detour on the map. It isn't. You'd lose more time transferring.

If you'd rather walk the Brooklyn Bridge

Take the 6 from 59 St-Lexington Av to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall and walk across from the Manhattan side. The span is a bit over a mile, and with the pedestrian traffic it takes 35 to 45 minutes at a normal pace. Go early. By eleven on a clear Saturday the walkway is shoulder to shoulder, and the light for photos is better before nine anyway. You'll come off the bridge at the edge of Brooklyn Heights, then it's about ten minutes downhill to DUMBO.

For Brooklyn Heights and the Promenade

The 4 or 5 from 59 St-Lexington Av to Borough Hall is the fastest way, roughly 25 minutes, since those are express trains most of the way down. The Promenade is a five-minute walk from there, and the stairs at the north end drop you into DUMBO.

Getting back

Same F, uptown, from York St. Late in the evening the wait can stretch, so if you're standing on the waterfront at ten and don't feel like it, a car back over the Manhattan Bridge takes about 25 minutes on a light night. Coming home to the East 60s is one of the easier reverse commutes in the city, because you're going against everyone else.