I first heard about City Island on an episode of ‘Parts Unknown’ (isn’t Anthony Bourdain the best?). The episode was about The Bronx, but all of a sudden our boy Tony was sucking down lobster tails at a crab-shack-looking place with a bunch of docks in the background. A fishing village in The Bronx? I had to know more.
I looked up City Island and learned that it’s a small island community just a mile and a half long in the easternmost part of The Bronx. Johnny and I made the trip out there to check it out on a recent Saturday and were pleasantly surprised.
I realize it’s technically still in New York City, but I’m including it in my NYC Getaways series because it feels like a totally different place. It has much more of a New England vibe, with coastal looking beach houses, fishing boats and seafood restaurants on every other block.
To get to City Island, we took the 1 train to 215th Street, transferred to the Bx12 bus, and then transferred again to the Bx29. Getting there is a hike, but it also adds to the feeling that you’re leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind.
Eventually we crossed the bridge onto the north end of the island. We got off at the first stop and just started walking.
We strolled through neighborhood streets lined with Cape Cod-style houses painted blue and white, and I stood on my tiptoes to try and take pictures of Long Island Sound through people’s fences (normal). Pretty much every street that runs across the island dead ends at the water, and we explored the little stretches of shoreline at the streets’ ends overlooking the sound.
I was delighted to learn about City Island’s creepy neighbor to the east, Hart Island. Over the last 200 years this remote island has been home to a Civil War prison camp, a psych ward, a tuberculosis sanatorium, and a massive public burial ground. More than a million bodies are supposedly buried on the tiny island, which is now (obviously) uninhabited. It’s the stuff of Murderino dreams. The city offers public tours of the island once a month, and I’m considering signing up. Wanna come?
The view of Hart Island to the east. Creepy!
Anyway, back to the less morbid City Island… within an hour we’d reached the south end of the island, which is filled with seafood joints. We were starving, so we grabbed a table at the first one we saw, Sammy’s Shrimp Box.
I wish I could say we were blown away, especially since we’d ventured so far with visions of mouthwatering local seafood in mind. Unfortunately, we weren’t. I hate to write something negative about a place, especially in such a cool neighborhood, but it was definitely not what we were expecting. Our meal was okay—coconut shrimp for me and fried oysters for Johnny—but it was nothing special and it was pricey, even for New York standards. To put it plainly, it felt like a tourist trap.
If we’d done a little more research first, we probably would have opted for Johnny’s Reef Restaurant just a few steps further to the south. It’s been a City Island staple since 1950 and is known for having awesome seafood at affordable prices in a more authentic setting, which was closer to what we had in mind. We’ll have to check it out next time.
After lunch, we made our way back up the island along the main drag, City Island Avenue. We came across The Snug, a cozy looking bar, and stopped in for a few beers before finally catching the bus back home.
One of the city’s oldest yacht clubs
In the 18 months I’ve lived in New York I’ve never heard anyone mention City Island; I think it’s a totally underrated day trip and definitely worth a visit! Go on a nice day when you won’t mind walking around outside, and just be sure to do a little homework before picking a spot to eat if you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg.
Be sure to check out my NYC Getaways page for more day trip and weekend ideas.
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