It's the little things that make a city special. Here's one of the special things about New York:
On a steamy morning, traffic is backed up on West 89th Street near Central Park.Moving vans and garbage trucks screech to a halt. Motorists fume. All they can do is honk their horns and watch as a line of eight horses and riders plods out of the Claremont Riding Academy up ahead, and enters the busy street.
"Look out for taxis!" shouts the leader to seven girls riding behind her. The horses walk serenely in front of the congestion. They clip-clop past a housing project and turn right at a pizza parlor. Minutes later, they disappear into the park.
The traffic begins to flow again.
Horses have been fixtures here since 1892, when a carriage depot was first constructed on the site. Today, the Claremont academy is the oldest continuously operated stable in the United States — and the last public stable left in Manhattan.
"We have a strong whiff of tradition," says Paul Novograd, whose family has owned the landmark structure for 62 years. "The idea of running a stable in the heart of New York may sound unusual, but this place is truly our home."
The beige-brick building, filled with hay and oats, sits on a street less than two blocks from Broadway, where elegant brownstones and condos sell for millions. On one side of the stable is a luxury apartment building, on the other is a multistory garage.
I have fond memories of the Claremont. As a kid, I was in and out of the place frequently. And why not? My grandfather owned it, and it was less than 10 blocks from our home. Grandpa's gone now, and my uncle Paul continues the tradition. Long may it last!
