Curious about Hillary's new home town? So were we.
By Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 23, 2000
Sherry Kronenfeld is sitting in the Chappaqua Restaurant & Cafe, fielding questions about Bill and Hillary Clinton, the newest luminaries of Chappaqua, N.Y., a leafy and very affluent community about 30 miles north of midtown Manhattan.
She seems amused that a visitor like me might assume she cares one way or the other that the president of the United States and his wife, quite possibly the state's next U.S. senator, recently had become neighbors.
"I don't want to sound like we're so great or anything," Kronenfeld said, dropping her voice and raising her eyebrows. "But [my friends] are very successful, happy people. They're not bringing us anything. It's not like we needed them or anyone else to validate us."
Kronenfeld shrugs. She is apparently oblivious to the fact that she and her two daughters are sitting in the very booth where the Clintons presided over an omelet and coffee recently. (The signed $15.15 bill for that meal, along with photos of the Clintons and a newspaper article, now hang in a frame above the Presidential Table.)
It was just the sort of spot I'd driven almost an hour from Manhattan's Upper West Side to see. After hearing for weeks about the Clintons' move to Chappaqua, a hamlet in the Westchester County town of New Castle, I decided to take stock of the place. Search for a glimpse of the Clintons' life after the White House. Perhaps find a little modest history in the making.
Mostly, I wanted to catch sight of the first couple.
I'm not surprised that the Clintons decided to move to Chappaqua. It's a lovely place. And despite the sometimes defensive residents, I'd even recommend the place as a day trip for visitors to New York City, especially for those in search of a high-profile sighting.
The area is rich in history. The town of New Castle was established in 1791. Quakers settled in the area even before that. Not far from the Clintons' home is a Quaker meeting house that served as a hospital during the Revolutionary War, and historic houses, barns and stone walls can be found throughout the area.
More than 17,000 people live in New Castle. Chappaqua, one of the town's two hamlets, is a commuter enclave much like Great Falls, only farther out from the city. It's easy to get to, about an hour north of Manhattan by car or via the Harlem Line of the Metro-North commuter train, which stops right in the hamlet.
My ride out to Chappaqua was a breeze, considering that driving in New York sometimes seems like an audition for a Mad Max movie. The city's mayhem gave way to suburban sprawl and then, on the approach to the village, to rock walls, narrow tree-lined roads and porch-skirted houses.
I found a pint-size downtown area, complete with pubs, restaurants, boutiques and shops. You could walk the two miles or so to the Clintons' house, just a few minutes away by car, but you'd have to do so along a busy roadway with no sidewalks.
The burnished appearance of the neighborhood is no accident. These folks are loaded, and they like things just so. The average household income is more than $228,000, with about one in 10 households earning a half-million or more. And it shows. The vehicles of choice for grocery shopping seem to be Range Rovers and Mercedes-Benzes. Some of the less fortunate drive Lexus sedans.
In my search, I decided to take the low-key approach. I would check out the business district, visit the nearby grocery store and, of course, drive to Old House Lane, where the Clintons now own a 100-year-old house. I'd swing by the local pet grooming shop, maybe see Socks and Buddy--you never know.
One of my first stops was Calhoun's Restaurant, a local watering hole with a beautiful bar, lots of New York sports memorabilia and good food. (It's important to scope out good sources for news and gossip, so consider my visit a professional one.) Gary Schmidt, co-owner of Calhoun's and a notable local wag, gave me the lowdown on the impact of the Clintons' arrival.
"We have a lot of people upset they're here," he said, standing behind a polished wooden bar, speaking with a mock-solemn demeanor that hid a devilish grin. "We love it."
Ever since the Clintons arrived, some of the townies have been grumbling, he explained. The complaints go something like this: First the president shows up and buys a mansion. Then the Secret Service and hordes of tourists like me arrive. Next thing, well, just talk to people like Kronenfeld.
I drove over to the Clintons' neck of the woods. The house, sporting five bedrooms, some gargantuan trees and the now-infamous high whitewashed picket fence, sits at the end of a cul-de-sac. In short, if offers a wonderful opportunity for snooping around.
Out front, you can see the scar in the roadway where utility workers tore up the pavement to install extra power lines. You can photograph the new No Parking signs intended to dissuade people from camping out. You might consider obeying them. Police have started towing parked cars.
I got out of my car to say hello to a Secret Service guy sitting in a van parked in the Clintons' driveway. He got out, waved me away and told me not to photograph workers who appeared to be installing security in the picket fence. Neither Bill nor Hillary seemed to be about. I later learned that Hillary was on the campaign trail. The president--who has visited the Old House Lane house about 10 times since early January, according to White House spokesman Jim Kennedy--was taking care of business in Washington.
I lingered at the entrance to the street, noticing the bus stop nearby. I love the idea that the Clintons will have access to public transportation in private life. It's called the Bee-Line.
No tour would be complete without a look at security, so I made a stab at finding the Secret Service headquarters. The agency has rented an $857,000 home on Overlook Drive, right behind the Clintons. I drove up and down the street a few times with no luck. Then I realized that driving up and down the street--repeatedly--behind the president's house probably wasn't a good idea.
Changing course, I decided to search for a Starbucks. I couldn't imagine the Clintons living anywhere without one. Sure enough, I found the Chappaqua branch smack in the middle of the commercial district. The shop has two huge plate-glass windows and a couple of comfy purple chairs, making it perfect for keeping watch for the president and his wife.
But be discreet. I foolishly asked a clerk about a photograph of Hillary Clinton that was snapped there not long ago and is posted near the cash register. Was the first lady and Senate candidate nice? The shop manager, who appears in the photograph beaming next to Clinton, swooped in before I got an answer.
"We are not allowed to talk about any of that," she said sternly, declining to answer whether in fact the photograph documented an actual visit from Hillary Clinton. "That's our company policy."
I received a similar reception at Wags & Whiskers, a pet-care shop just up the street. In response to queries about whether the Clintons had brought Socks or Buddy in for a trim yet, shop employees furrowed their brows. "Nope," one of the cutters said.
By comparison, the folks at Nordic Therapy Spa were positively gushy. Yvette Smyth, a skin-care specialist, said she'd just given a Clinton aide three gift certificates. "You know, this is the closest place for them," Smyth said, adding that she's sure Hillary will take advantage of the offer. "Like all women, she wants good skin care."
I wanted to make one last stop, a place in town near where Bill Clinton once got out of his car to shake hands with volunteer firefighters and all other comers. This was Peabody's Cafe. From a bar stool there, you can see the Grand Union parking lot where the network television trucks park when the president is in town. You also come across locals who've actually seen him.
Arthur Richardson, sitting five stools over, was there when the Clinton caravan stopped one day not long ago. He said residents who professed indifference rushed over to greet him.
"I saw him get out. He was wearing a leather jacket," he recalled. "His head, it's very distinctive."
Chappaqua is about an hour's drive from New York City. Take the Henry Hudson Parkway north to the Saw Mill River Parkway. Take the parkway north to Chappaqua/ Route 120 and get off at Exit 32.
The hamlet has a number of lively cafes, pubs and restaurants, including Calhoun's Restaurant (76 King St.), with eclectic American cuisine; dinner for two, including a drink, costs about $50. Other eateries include Giona's Tuscan Kitchen (62 King St.) for northern Italian food and Takayama (95 King St.) for Japanese cuisine.
For more info, contact the New Castle Town Hall, 914-238-4771, www.newcastle-ny.org.
Robert O'Harrow Jr. is a reporter in The Post's New York bureau, where he writes about privacy, technology, Wall Street and, now, rich New York hamlets.