Brooklyn, New York contains many world-famous neighborhoods that became iconic stand-ins for the borough as being a result of television and movies. Two such “nabes” are Dyker Heights and Bay Ridge. Dyker Heights is most renowned today for its annual display of Christmas lights and decorations, erected by residents on their own initiative.
A community tradition that spontaneously began sometime in the 1980s, the practice continues without having any type of organization whatsoever to this day. Stories from the press and other media came to generate even a lot more participants, and now, around three decades later, Christmas displays is what Dyker Heights is best identified for around the world.
It was originally conceived being a premier suburb for New York’s middle and upper middle-classes, and still remains one in the city’s toniest enclaves, with bucolic streets and well-kept properties. No longer predominantly Italian-American, it has also turn out to be home to many Asians, particularly the Chinese. Similar demographic trends have reshaped Bay Ridge, which, in addition to Chinese people, can count a sizeable Middle Eastern presence, with a tiny but active Muslim religious community.
Also usually quiet, though not as bucolic with less trees, Bay Ridge can at times include the nearby community of Fort Hamilton, which may be the location in the few cultural attractions you’ll find in an otherwise residential bedroom community. The area abounds in parks, however, and is often a short distance away from those in adjacent neighborhoods like Bath Beach and Bensonhurst. Indeed, the views more than the Verrazano Narrows are majestic, and Bay Ridge had also once served as being a rich man’s summer retreat.
For an idea of Old Brooklyn, as lived by generations of ordinary men and women, a visit to Bay Ridge is in order. There is usually a charm about the place which is difficult to describe and easy to get sentimental over, but it can be a feeling that defines what it means to be from Brooklyn.
