I’m sure you would win arguments with me, you seem to have been to many places, and know a lot of stuff I’m not familiar with. I don’t consider myself a New Yorker, because I’m not in NYC, and grew up about 40 miles east, when we had lots of woods and farms.
Sometimes horse and wagons would go by the house, and horse manure in the street. Also horse and a wicker like wagon that for 5 cents would take us for a ride around the block. My grandfather had chickens, and practically the whole property had vegetables and some fruit like strawberries figs etc.
I also remember once a vacant field nearby where some American Indians had set up T-Pees. I don’t what the reason was or celebration of some kind I guess.