About this Event
As the sun sets earlier and the crisp air begins to sparkle with frost, a festive magic sweeps through the streets, carrying with it the scent of roasted peanuts, the soft glow of twinkling lights, and the joyful melodies of old-time carols that warm us from the winter chill.
From the soft glow of a candlelit window late one night near a historic local church, to the warmth of old-fashioned carols, delicious warm drinks, and neighborhood traditions, to the legendary light displays illuminating our streets, to a timeless festive spirit shared by generations, it’s time to button up our coats, hit the streets, and immerse ourselves in the magic of the holiday season in Bay Ridge.
Led by James Scully — NYC historian, tour guide, podcaster, director / co-creator of the award-winning historical audio fiction soap opera,, and creator of the — our unique holiday Bay Ridge experience will focus on and include:
• Starting with hot cocoa and coffee, we’ll remember caroling at the old Lincoln Savings Bank and checking out the wonderful murals inside
• Stopping by the 79th Street Holiday house while we talk about our local history of carols, and holiday decorating
• A Christmas Dream for Bay Ridge from J. Frank Griffin and the original Bay Ridge Home Reporter as we remember the holiday season in Bay Ridge in mid-20th Century as Bay Ridge became an even more diverse community
• The many days of Norwegian Christmas with yule concerts, christmas pudding, and other Norse traditions at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church and stories of Greek Christmas from Father Paul and St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church
• A Penny’s Worth of Local Christmas tree memories as Bay Ridge became a diverse community
• Bay Ridge’s Christmas Bells and an Atomic Christmas at Fort Hamilton High School in 1961
• Stopping into Bay Ridge’s local businesses as the holiday cheer spreads
• Ending at one of Bay Ridge’s most famous and festive bar/restaurants
• And more!
See you there!
* Please bring water and comfortable shoes. We’ll be doing a lot of walking, but I’ll also make sure there are chances to sit down. This tour will happen rain, snow, or shine, unless there is torrential rain, which then a makeup date will be announced.
** Runtime for this tour is roughly 90-120 minutes.
*** This tour begins at Moka & Co (7500 5th Avenue) and ends at Skinflints Restaurant (7902 5th Avenue).
About James
James Scully is an outgoing native New Yorker who grew up in a Bensonhurst home with four generations of family. He had close relationships with both his grandparents and great-grandparents. This exposed him to an invaluable amount of local history and culture, helping him to become a passionate historian, writer, and director.
He’s a graduate of Xavier High School in Manhattan, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and spent over a decade working as an art director and copywriter for media companies such as Condé Nast and Hearst before becoming a writer, director, and historian. His history focus is both New York City history and US radio history.
James produces and hosts The Bay Ridge Digest Podcast (https://bayridgedigest.com). He has also developed historical audio fiction productions, like the 2022 official Tribeca audio selection Burning Gotham, set in 1835 New York City (http://burninggotham.com).
James is a member of the Salmagundi Club, has given numerous talks and webinars on various history subjects, and is a New York City sightseeing/tour guide.
Testimonials
"Learning of incredible stories I'd never heard before." -Mary
"Guide was engaging, info was interesting" -Christine
"I liked all the historic information on or near the sites where events occurred and/ the people sited lived." -James
"The content was amazing, but even more amazing than the Content was our guide Mr. Scully. Thank you" -Debbie
"I liked James. He is friendly, extremely knowledgeable, speaks well and at the correct volume. He cares about getting the facts right." -Lawrence
"James Scully is the best guide we've ever had. Very informative, entertaining and passionate." -Carol
Event venue & nearby stays
7500 5th Ave, 7500 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.