Huge debate going on now in America; should the schoolchildren be back in school in September? As you know when the pandemic started in early March, schools were shut down all across America. Like most things, everyone has an opinion on it.
How about this story – Actor Matt Damon moved in to a new spot in Brooklyn Heights.
CONTAINER DIARIES 
Al said:
What a building! With top amenities, I’m sure. Brooklyn Heights has always been the Silk Stocking District for Brooklyn. Beautiful, historic neighborhood to walk through. Lots of famous people have lived there and still do. You could rattle off a long list of famous former—and current—residents
I used to work on Montague Street, for several years, and would often use my lunch hour to take my “speed walks” over the nearby Brooklyn Bridge and back (5 miles) or the famous Brooklyn Promenade, with a superb view of Lower Manhattan across the bay.
After work I would head to the nearby gym for a quick workout and would sometimes see Norman Mailer, the pugnacious author, exercising. He would always be doing one of two things: either giving the punching bags a dose of their own medicine or running around the small, elevated jogging track which encircled the big space. He lived nearby.
Then I’d jump on the subway and ride home to Park Slope.
Steve said:
Al, I miss the New York City subway.
Al said:
Hey, with great acoustics, the subways on NYC were training studios of many of the 50’s Doo Wop groups. My dad was a token clerk (and part time junkman) for the old Transit Authority and in his last years on the job, had the seniority to pick our home station, “15th Street-Prospect Park,” as his work location. It was only two blocks from our home, and I would often bring him lunch that mom prepared for him. He would sometimes let me sit on the booth chair and make change for the customers buying those 15 cent tokens. We got so many smiles and chuckles from everyone.
Milk shake at Lewne’s, anyone?
Steve said:
A little secret – I always wanted to be a token booth clerk.
Al said:
On the overnight shift at a quiet station (maybe a handful of customers over the entire overnight shift) you can get a lot of reading done.I know you like to read (and write), so you would have loved that.
In the years before my dad had the seniority to pick our home station, he had enough seniority to pick either 22nd Avenue on the old F line, in Brooklyn, or one of the 3 stations on the old Culver Shuttle, a very tiny line that connected the old F line with the old B line, in Brooklyn, between the Ditmas Avenue and Ninth Avenue stations. These stations were situated on the other side of Greenwood Cemetery. The Culver Line had the distinction of being the line with the fewest passengers in the entire city, and that’s why it was eventually torn down in the mid-70’s.
Well, the 22nd Avenue station sits between both sides of a large cemetery; consequently, in the off hours it gets maybe 4-5 customers during a shift. The Culver Shuttle was just as quiet (no cemetery) ; almost no one rode that tiny line, which was only about a 4 minute ride, end to end, about 2 minutes longer than the Grand Central Shuttle.
My dad would bring a shopping bag full of reading material with him to the booth.
It would have been heaven for you, Steve!
Steve said:
Al, that sounds like my type of station. I know if I worked 15th street Prospect Park West station, whether it was by the park or between Windsor and 16th street, I may have let all my friends rush the gate. LOL. Remember there were certain times the token booth by the park was closed. I can recall bending bars down that end to slip through. Oh boy, those were the days my friend…