In Memoriam: 10 Much Mourned Brooklyn Institutions
Trolleys
The subway is fine, I guess. And MTA buses. Well, I don’t think buses are all that fine, actually. They’re always so slow. Why are they so slow? You know what method of transportation wasn’t slow? Brooklyn trolleys. The trolley system operated in Brooklyn from 1890-1956, although its heyday ended long before the 50s. This mode of transportation was so popular in Brooklyn that it not only inspired the name of Brooklyn’s baseball team (which, more on that later) but the “Trolley Dodgers” was just what Manhattanites called Brooklynites in general. If you are feeling nostalgic for trolleys, you can always head over to Red Hook, where there are old trolley cars on display by Fairway. And, you know, if we’re thinking of resurrecting any long-lamented Brooklyn institutions, reinstating trolley service in Red Hook wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world—anything to make getting to Red Hook easier, you know?