Kenny Boyle Jr.’s first train ride
My oldest son Michael John Boyle came up with the idea first to take his nephew Kenneth John Boyle Jr who was the son of my youngest son Kenneth John Boyle Sr. to the “City” (meaning Manhattan of course) for Fleet week. I first thought it would be too crowded, but after Mike got Kenny Sr. to go I decided that I wanted to see my Grandson’s first train ride so I told Mike that I would go after all. Adele Grace Eiermann Boyle my Wife and Grandmother to Kenny Jr and Richard William Boyle said that she would stay home with little Richie who was just three years old and would have been a hand full (Kenny Jr was five years old). Josephine Dorothy Coyle Boyle Kenny Jr and Richie’s Mom decided that she want to go too so now we had four adults plus Kenny Jr. going so Mike and I checked the internet and found that some US Navy ships were going to be at the 48th street and 12th Ave (West side drive) pier.
So on Saturday May 24th we all piled into Kenny Sr. and Josephine’s car for it was the only car we have that we all would fit into and Kenny Sr. drove us to Patchogue Railroad station. First I bought my senior ticket which was $13.95 as compared with the others $19.95 for an Off Peak round trips from Patchogue to Penn Station. The Metro-card of which we brought two both with $20.00 on them which was more than we needed, but what the hell they are good for a year. So we got onto the platform and waited for the train where little Kenny’s Uncle Mike started taking his picture I think he actually likes to get his picture taken which both his Uncle Mike and his Grandpa did a lot during this trip to the city.
The train came and we got on to find it was crowded, but at least we did find seats in the same area. Kenny Jr loved looking out the window and after a while said “are we going around in a circle” he was obviously relating the real train to a toy train so if toy trains go around in a circle why not a real trains? Kenny Jr started getting bored looking out the window and said “I have to go to the bathroom” so his Dad took him to look for the “bathroom” actually lavatory first going in one direction only to find of course it was in the other direction. (He did go before we left) We had to change at Jamaica Queens for the train we were riding in was a diesel and are not allowed through the tunnel to Penn Station so we changed to an electric train that is allowed. Fortunately we found seats on that train too even if it was more crowded yet and sure enough Kenny Jr said “I have to go to the bathroom” yet again and his Dad took him again to find the Lavatory and had better luck this time. We finally got into Penn Station and Kenny Jr.’s first train was over, but his first Subway was about to begin.
After coming out of LIRR platform we took the E Train to 50th Street which was just two stops from Penn Station it just stopped at 42nd Street before 50th. Little Kenny loved it the train that wasn’t too crowded and he played with the pole in the middle of the car floor. We must have taken pictures of him like every five minutes, but he didn’t mind it.
When we got out of the Subway Station at 50th St. and 8th Ave we naturally started walking in the wrong direction for some reason the Subway always turns me around direction wise. When we ended up at Broadway and 50th St. I knew we had walked the wrong way and we first showed little Kenny Time Square telling him that now he can say he saw Time Square if only for a second. We walked in the other direction up the 10th Ave then crossed to 48th street and while walking down 48th showing little Kenny all the sites we came upon two Mounted Policeman, I pointed them out to little Kenny and one of the Policeman crossed the street to come close to little Kenny then waved at him and he waved back at the Policeman. Right after that we saw the ships straight across the West side highway.
Access was free, but we did have to go through metal detectors they weren’t as sensitive as the ones at the Airports so you could walk through with your belt on. There were two soldiers with M-16’s as if terrorist are going to attack through their front gates, I wonder if their M-16’s are even loaded or were just for show. One was a female soldier, I think they impressed little Kenny anyway. One of the ships appeared to be a Coast Guard Ship and the other (I forget the names) a Helicopter carrier so we decided to go for the Helicopter Carrier and the lines were not bad a all, when we went to Fleet week a few years ago there were line was long just to get on the pier to get on the JFK that is what I was afraid of, but the crowds were small in comparison. The ship was not that big and they tried to crowd a lot of weapon systems into a small area and that made for a bit of a crowd. Little Kenny want to go on anything that had guns on it. One had a bit of a line because they were only letting a couple of kids at a time on the Vehicle which had two machine guns on it. So we told him to sit in a Hummer type Vehicle with an electronic Machine Gun on it. Then he got upon a Tank and even got into it. I don’t think he has any pro-war toys, but I am sure he at least seen them on TV and some of his friend might have them so I am sure they impressed him. After that we went up on to the flight deck to see the Helicopters. Little Kenny’s Mom brought him through one and his Dad brought him through another. He also liked the view of the city from the flight deck.
Then we left the flight deck and the ship, on the pier we came on some booths and one had what they called the US Navy Seal challenge that is if a kid could do six pull ups or fifty push ups they would win a recruiting poster. Little Kenny wanted to do the pull ups, he did them and got his poster.
Then we walked back up 48th Street looking for someplace to eat lunch as little Kenny kept reminding us that he was hungry. We found a place called Social’s a Bar and Grill with specials of $7.95 each and it was empty so we sat in a back booth. Little Kenny’s Uncle Mike took him to the lavatory for of course he had to go. The men ordered Heineken beers and Josephine and little Kenny had sodas while we played I spied with my little eye with little Kenny on until the food was served. Josephine gave little Kenny half of her Hamburger of which he ate very little. After lunch we decided to go the New York Museum of Natural History to show little Kenny the Dinosaurs.
I had thought that the number 1 or 2 train went to the Natural History Museum which I knew was on Central Park West somewhere in the 80’s. So at the 50th street station we took the number 1 train uptown and got off at 86th Street station because I knew the museum was somewhere in the 80’s when we got out on 86th street I looked up and down and thought I saw more tree in one direction than the other looking for Central Park so we started walking and of course we were walking in the wrong direction again I asked a passer by in which direction was Central Park West and he pointed to the direction we just came from saying it was about four blocks. So we started walking the other way and sure enough we did get to Central Park West, but I wasn’t sure if the museum was above or lower than 86th street so I asked a doorman that was nearby and he said it was on 81st street and when we walked down to 81st street there it was with painted horses in front of it. After taken some more pictures of little Kenny we followed a crazy dressed lady in.
The first thing we saw when we went in was some dinosaurs on display in the lobby. We went up to buy tickets and the casher said the “suggested donation” was 54 dollars do you want to pay that, well Mike wanted to say no I’ll pay a lower amount, but of course we paid the “suggested” amount and we know they need to make money to keep the museum going. We then went in to the room with the stuffed elephants in the middle of the room and displays of stuffed animals that I think are the same ones that were there when I was little Kenny’s age some sixty years ago when my parents brought me to the New York Museum of Natural History.
Little Kenny seemed very interested in the displays looking at each one and asking questions. We wanted to find an elevator and after a little bit of looking we found one and took it to the fourth floor where the big dinosaur display was. When we got there he looked at all the displays and a short movie on how animals evolved. He seemed to like the museum which encourages us to bring him to more museums in the future.
We decided it was time to go home and we went down to the Subway Station that connects to the museum and found a notice saying that the C train was not running this weekend and everyone had to use the A train which we did and it was crowd for the only time during the trip we had to stand, but we got to Penn Station and guess what getting off the subway we first went in the wrong direction.
We got the 4:12 train to Patchogue and little Kenny fell asleep before we got to Babylon where we had to change from our electric train to a diesel train to Patchogue. Little Kenny was very good and I am sure this was only his first trip to the city.
