We visited Brooklyn in November 2025 because CJ and Morgan would not be able to visit at Thanksgiving. We traveled by Amtrak to get the experience. If I remember correctly, the last time we went by train was over two decades ago when we attended a dance program at Hampshire College in the winter. This time we boarded at the BWI Amtrak station and got off in Manhattan’s Penn Station. We got on near the middle of the train and found no seats together in that car. We went to the next car back and found no empty seats. Back in the first car, a man sitting across from his family moved ahead of them so we could sit together. Our arrival in New York was delayed when the train had to wait in the New Jersey “wilderness” due to track work going into Manhattan. We exited the train through the lower level of Penn Station, the Long Island Rail Road Concourse, past a line of fast food shops. From there, we walked a short distance to the subway station at the intersection of 34th Street and 6th Anvenue. Then we took the Q Train all the way to Cortelyou Road, just over a block from the AirBnb where we would sleep. We stayed in the same AirBnB apartment where we stayed during our visit for Morgan’s birthday in September. After we arrived, we joined CJ and two of her colleagues for a beer. Then CJ got Morgan from the day care and we started our main focus of the weekend, visiting playgrounds with Morgan. Friday afternoon - Lt. Federico Narvaez Tot Lot at the intersection of Cortelyou and Argyl Saturday morning - Greenwood Playground Saturday afternoon after nap - Ablemarle Playground Sunday morning - Vanderbilt Playground in Prospect Park Sunday morning - Greenwood Playground with Michelle and Manny On Saturday, we had brunch at Hamilton’s. The weather was nice and we ate at an outdoor table. Morgan loves the noodles. I enjoyed the Swiss Breakfast with potato rosti and smoked salmon. I never thought of salmon as a particularly Swiss fish, but long in the past Atlantic salmon did swim up the Rhone to spawn. On Sunday, we had lunch at the F and M Coffee Shop on Church Avenue. Morgan preferred CJ’s french fries to his “hotcheese” sandwich. The server was friendly and the food good, but service was very slow. It was starting to sprinkle when we got out of the F and M Coffee Shop. It rained the rest of the afternoon. We did laundry after nap.

Our transportation arriving on Track 1

Who Will Morgan Be In 30 Years?

As we see him now, we can imagine a future, and it surely will be nothing like what will come about

A mountain climber edging along a narrow ledge at Narvaez Tot Lot	A winner of the Tour de France at Greenwood Playground
An artistic influencer exploring new media at home in Kensington	A ship’s captain at the helm of a huge vessel at Vanderbilt Playground in Prospect Park
A linguist interpreting the language of pigs reading Richard Scarry with Grandma at home	A self-aware daredevil at Greenwood Playground

We Came By Train, We Returned Home By Train

Monday morning, we retraced Friday’s path: the Q Train from Cortelyou to Herald Square; a short walk to Penn Station; and then Amtrak to the BWI Station. Once again, in Penn Station, we passed the line of fast food places in the Long Island Rail Road Concourse. Notice the National Guard soldiers near the right edge of the photo. The Guard was deployed here by New York’s governor in 2024 to help keep weapons out of the transit trains.

Having had gotten advice from CJ, we found the Moynihan Train Hall with its high glass ceiling. We had a fast food meal to avoid eating on the train. We were called to board at Track 10 about 10 minutes before our train departed. We easily found seats this time and settled in for an effortless ride home.

Long Island Rail Road Concourse in Penn Station	Daniel Patrick Moynihan Train Hall for Amtrak

A Few Other Memories

A 9/11 Memorial at the Cortelyou Fire Station	You can watch birds in Brooklyn (Really! I'd found four of my “life” birds there)	Don’t Stop
	Morgan and Manny blowing bubbles	A wet evening on Church Avenue

A Miracle on 34th Street? Actually, this is the Broadway entrance to Macy’s.
The side of Macy’s facing 34th Street is also decorated, but more subdued.

Responsible for Webpage: Albert Holm
Created: 12 November 2025; modified: 15 November 2025