Merry Christm…okay, I may be a little behind on this but you need to know what to add to your Christmas plans next year.
I’m always known for finding the strange “thing to see” when we’re on vacation. I don’t want to just see the Spanish Steps in Rome, I want to see the Travel Channel-rated best McDonald’s in the world (true story, luckily they were right next door). So, I’ve had Dyker Heights on my list for a long time, and finally, this year, I got to check it out.
If you’re unfamiliar, the backstory of the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights is a little spotty but as it’s known, the tradition started in the 1980s by Lucy Spata. At first, the neighbors didn’t support her Christmas decorations but then, they started to jump on board, and now a house that doesn’t participate stands out.
If you love Christmas lights, you haven’t seen lights until you’ve taken a tour through Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. There are a few buses that will pick you up in Manhattan and not only take you to Brooklyn but also give you a tour. We decided to “New York it” and took a subway to Bay Ridge and walked around ourselves (I put 84th Street between 11th and 12th Avenue in my GPS and walked that way, it was only about 5-10minutes from the station).
Most of the lights are out from Thanksgiving until early January and you have to see them at night. We went on a weekday but I was told that weekends get crazy full of people. Luckily, there are quite a few blocks to check out so you may not feel packed but you may not be able to get the picture you want without a crowd.
I don’t really have any more words to describe what an amazing experience this was and how incredible these lights are (most were designed by professionals). I had way too many pictures to fit, every turn was another house covered in lights. This, for sure, will be a Christmas tradition!
