It’s the neighborhood no one knows what to call. Is the triangular area southeast of the Manhattan Bridge “Flattery,” meaning “Flatbush and Tillary,” as local real-estate broker Paul Murphy calls it?
Or is it “RAMBO,” as in “Right After the Manhattan Bridge Overpass,” an allusion to nearby DUMBO?
Or “Bridge Plaza,” as the northern end of it appears on city documents?
The fact that no one knows what to call this quiet three–square-block micro-neighborhood may be the secret to its success.
“I love this place,” said Mai, who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. “There are monthly community meetings. We discuss development, clean-up and security.” A New York City cop — who lives in, and patrols, the area — agreed, calling the community “very tight, very close — more like a family.”
That family might have become an extended one were it not for the titanic efforts of New York’s Master Builders. First, the city built the Manhattan Bridge, cutting off the area from its western half. Then, Robert Moses built the BQE, cutting the area off from DUMBO and Fort Greene. Both developments turned Tillary Street from a quiet road into an impenetrable barrier between “RAMBO” and Downtown Brooklyn.
But change is coming. Four years ago, the city rezoned the Bridge Plaza area to encourage more low-rise housing and some medium-density commercial buildings.
And while the residents appreciate the increases in property values, development has not come without cost.
“We’ve gotten too crowded, ” Mai said.
But André Barton, a 10-year resident, sees the upside: “I hope these new buildings bring Starbucks and businesses like that.”
What is the up-and-coming neighborhood at the mouth of the Manhattan Bridge called? We asked the inhabitants whether they were using “RAMBO” (Right After the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), “Flattery” (Flatbush and Tillary), or any other recently conceived name.
— Interviews by Yvonne Juris
“I like ‘RAMBO’! I would be proud to live in a neighborhood called ‘RAMBO.’ In fact, I’m going to start calling this place ‘RAMBO’ from now on. I don’t like ‘Flattery,’ especially compared to ‘RAMBO.’”
— Anthony Gargano
“I always thought this neighborhood was called Clinton Hill. I don’t think ‘RAMBO’ or ‘Flattery’ make any sense.”
— John Grant
“Some call this neighborhood ‘Bridge View Place,’ but I call it ‘RAMBO.’ I learned of the name when I was explaining where I lived to a girl and she said, ‘That’s RAMBO.’ Since then it has stuck. I’m really not crazy about ‘Flattery.’”
— Jonathan Schippers
©2008 The Brooklyn Paper
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