dyker heights

Nothing will prepare you for the Christmas joy which is Dyker Heights and the orgy of festive one-upmanship undertaken by this wonderfully generous (and competitive!), Italian-American neighbourhood. Go there; stare in wonder! Marvel at the spectacle! Ponder the electricity bills! Under no circumstances should you miss this. Go.

We took a drive to the Christmas Lights - "Lucy's house" in particular.... and it was so great. We went about a week after Christmas and did a drive up and down all the streets after 10pm. Any other time I suspect we would have had too many cars/walkers around to navigate safely. I loved all the lights - it was a joy to see. Ended a lovely night.

This is something that we were really looking forward to, and didn't really know what to expect. The bus was on time and the guide was great, having many little stories about the areas we were taken to. But the Highlight was the lights in Dyker Heights. There is no other word to use but STUNNING. It was great that we had the time to be able to walk around the streets and take it all in. We were allowed enough time at each place to see all that we wanted. It helped that the areas were not to busy so you didn't have to fight through the crowds. This is a must do for anyone that wants to experience those Christmas Lights.

We travel to NYC very often with family and take about 2 tours on each visit. This was one of the WORST tours ever! We did the slice of pizza/coney tour 2 years ago with this company and it was amazing. The guide was the owner Tony. The lights are nothing outstanding. I have seen much better. I would still not have rated this so bad based on the lights. The main issue is the guide and how this tour/company does NOT care about the safety of children and have any concerns for family at all. They are far from organized as well.When we purchased our tickets we are asked for an age range of the children. We had two boys 11 yrs old and 10 yrs old. So they knew we had minors and a family booking tickets. We arrived 18 minutes early. Yet the bus was already packed. We could not sit with our children. They had to sit in the very back, by the restroom behind two men. We had to sit in the middle of the bus. They did not want to sit in the middle as there were very large girls sitting besides them essentially blocking that view. We asked the guide to help out. Since any reputable and professional guide would make sure families are together. The best he can offer is the 2 minors go sit in front with him. He said he has a seat beside him vacant and once across the isle. The boys did not feel comfortable there, so I asked him why he could not ask the adult sitting alone to move besides him or shuffle others around to accommodate a family with minors. He basically said he cant ask people to move. WOW. I have been on many tours as noted in NYC and all over the USA since 2008. I have seen MANY instances where the guide would ask people to move around to accommodate either elderly, handicapped or families with minors. And get gets worst. At the cannoli stop there were no more tables available for us to sit together. Apparently these people l just take your money and don't care at all about being organized in regards to the "group" type purchases. So I told him there is no way I will sit apart from our kids again! This is a public restaurant with a bar and people were drunk everywhere! He had us go to front of restaurant where another family was sitting from our tour. He shoved a table to the end of the table with this family. We ended up sitting with our backs to the front door...and on a cold rainy night...December 22 2014.Horrible!Tony we sent you at least a dozen people that we know for a fact took you slice of Brooklyn tour based on our recommendation. Tony we require an apology and a refund...we have been ripped off!

Great neighborhood to see Christmas lights. This has to be the best area for lights in NYC. You park your car & you can walk for blocks seeing the largest area of lights anywhere.

If u like trying different restaurants this is the place for you. Most of the restaurants are on 3rd and 4th Ave. There is Chadwicks which is American food, Aerios Italian food, Ponte Vecchio, which is mainly Italian but they do have some seafood including lobster, Embers Steakhouse, Hunter Steakhouse just to mention a few. There are also many smaller cafes. It is mainly a residential area and not far from the Verrazano Bridge which has a promenade along the harbor. Great views both day and night.

We learned about the famous Dyker Heights Christmas light displays via Google as we visited NYC for Christmas and New Year's. It was very cold and we were unsure about how to get there without a car, but we went anyway. Took the subway from Herald Square to 18th Ave. and then walked to the neighborhood itself which was between 11th and 13th Aves. The light displays on these homes were unbelievable! Best we've ever seen on private residences. Many of them were professionally done, but many others were not. Home after home after home of over-the-top displays. Very enjoyable, and even though it was a few days after Christmas there were many other people walking with us. There is a bit of walking on broken, uneven sidewalks, hills, etc., so it might be difficult for elderly, disabled, or other people who have any difficulty walking. If you are in the area next year, it's worth the time to check it out.

This is a "must-see" - at least once - if you are in NYC. Photos don't do it justice; you have to see it to believe it! It's especially exciting for children, but kids of all ages will love it. There are Santas, reindeer, Wise Men, Nativity scenes, angels, life-size carousels and lights, lights and more lights. We even saw someone in an Elmo costume.Of course, you have to go after dark. We went as soon as it got dark - around 5:00 - so it wasn't too crowded. You can see it from a car, but the best way to do it is to walk as much as possible. It's also better to go during the week, since it gets very crowded on the weekends. If you are in a car and have some time to drive around, there are many other homes in the neighborhood with fantastic displays.It's one of the best FREE things to do in NYC!

We went on this tour several years ago while visiting from Texas. We enjoyed it so much that we brought our grown kids back to see it with us. Highly recommend!

If you have the time and want to see Holiday Lights that are beyond just about anything you will see elsewhere, then Dyker Heights should be on your list. Didn't see anything set to play/turn on/off to music (although some houses may play holiday music), but there is a wide variety of decorations and lights that will please (and amuse) just about anyone. The neighborhood will probably remind you of the Sopranos. The holiday lights cover an area about 4 avenues long and about 6-7 streets long. Be prepared for traffic jams if you are driving. Nearest subway is about a 10-15 minute walk, so if it is cold, come prepared (and bus or taxi it from the subway if you can). There are bus tours from Manhattan, but the prices are outrageous and not worth it (something like over $50 a person and all they do is drive you to the neighborhood and you walk around by yourselves, and then the bus driver takes you to a café for a cannoli and a hot chocolate -- all of which you can do on your own for a lot less money). And some of the holiday lights and decorations are out of this world. Check out the websites that give examples and then experience it for yourselves.

If you think you seen all there is to see about Christmas decorations, well your wrong, huge displays on 84th and 13th just follow the traffic, or be smart like me park a few blocks away and walk down, this way you can get the look up close.

What a quintessential NYC Christmas experience. We have decided to add this to our traditions along with the NY Botanical Garden train show and the Grace Church Christmas concert. It is a super fun idea for people of all ages as was the case for our group. The home owners were super cool about letting all of the children onto their property to ogle the giant Christmas Snoopys and Rudolphs. There are even blow-up characters for adults, i.e. Mr. Potato Head! (Would anyone who is not a child of the 70's know who Mr. Potato Head is?)I loved that it was not a politically correct holiday celebration but, a real Christmas celebration. There were many nativity scenes to be found. Some of the gigantic Santa Clauses were really well done, very traditional and authentic looking. I was also impressed with the Merry Go Rounds. Only in NYC would one see a "Christmas Decorating mini-van" blaring Raegatone.The neighborhood is charming enough to stay in for dinner too. We stopped at Tasty Pastry Shop during the middle of our excursion. They had homemade Panettone. For dinner we went to Tommaso's. It was probable the best choice in the neighborhood. It was charming and Christmasy and quite authentic. They had live music. The food was mediocre at best..

this is a very nice place to take kids during the holidays and it's free. The display of Christmas lights, manger, Santa claus, Angels, etc is entertaining and just fun to look at. Best house displays were near 84th st and 12th ave. Lots of traffic so park a few blocks away. Best way to enjoy is to walk the neighborhood and take pictures. Bundle up , it's cold and wear your sneakers or uggs.This is also a nice place to take out of town friends who want to see Christmas in New York. will definitely be on my list of places to visit around christmastime.

Bundle up warm and walk around to best enjoy this free attraction. Be prepared to park a few blocks away. We went a week before Xmas on a weekday so not crowded. A few years ago we went on a weekend and it was mobbed. If Disney was in NYC this is what it would look like.While there check out the local architecture as well as the Xmas displays. Well worth the visit.Go an hour or two after dark to give everyone a chance to turn their lights on..

The battery died, it's unfortunate, but it happens...especially in cold weather. The tour guide was very apologetic and kept us informed of the repair progress ...the battery was fixed, we were rescued from our hot chocolate and cannoli and safetly delivered back to Union Square. I don't think its fair to trash the company over the incident. About the lights....WOW! I've never seen anything like them, if you haven't seen the lights at "Dyka" you should. Amazing mini estates covered in lights, and all things Christmas, a beautiful expression of happy holidays. Do the slice of Brooklyn it's a nice experience (I'm sure the battery incident was just a fluke).