A History of Brooklyn In 20 Objects (“Objects” Being Very Loosely Defined)
12) The Trolley
Before being taken over by the NYC Board of Transportation in 1940, Brooklyn was crisscrossed by trolley lines that simply MUST have gotten people around better than the subways currently do. I mean, the subways are great and everything for going inter-borough. But taking the subway from one place in Brooklyn to another? Without having to detour into Manhattan? It’s not so easy! Can you be nostalgic for things you’ve never experienced? Of course you can! And so I’m nostalgic for the Brooklyn trolley system. But it’s gone. Gone!