The Lights
in Dyker Heights
(BEST VIEWING: MID-DECEMBER
THROUGH CHRISTMAS)
Maybe it’s the diminishing
daylight hours that inspire it,
or maybe it’s just New York’s
flair for the dramatic, but one
thing’s certain: The holidays
in New York produce a light
show like no other. “
Everybody comes to see the lights,”
says Eric Gordon, founder of
the boutique tour company,
Beyond Times Square. “But
there are a lot of places to
see the lights besides Rockefeller Center.” These days,
Rockefeller’s getting a run for
its money from a tucked-away
neighborhood in Brooklyn
called Dyker Heights. A few
years ago, area residents decided to deck their halls with
a lot more than holly. Today,
visitors reap the benefits of
a friendly neighborhood one-upmanship as decorations and
displays get more elaborate
with each passing year.
Let There
Be Light!
Rockefeller Center’s
Christmas tree may be its
most famous, but during
the holidays New York
plays host to a veritable forest of brilliantly
illuminated trees. Lincoln
Center presents a 70-foot
beauty festooned with
arts-inspired Wedgwood
ornaments and welcomed by members of
the Metropolitan Opera and New York City
Ballet at its first lighting.
The New York Botanical Garden lights nine
Fraser firs, including a
gorgeous 30-footer to
accompany its beloved
annual train show and
display of gingerbread
houses. Beyond Times
Square’s Eric Gordon
recommends this sweet
tree-gazing experience:
“Take a trip to Payard (the
famed French patisserie
Annu
Christma
and Neap
Baroqu
Créch
and restaurant) for a slice
of buche de noel, then
walk up to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art to see
their 20-foot spruce,
adorned with angels
and surrounded by
an exquisite 18th-cen-
tury Neapolitan nativity
scene.”
Of course, Christmas
trees aren’t the only bright
spots in New York’s holiday
lineup. Holiday travelers
are treated to a choreographed performance of
light at the Grand Central
Kaleidoscope Light Show.
And the Bronx Zoo’s
