NYC Got You Tired, Run Down, Listless?

Well then, I have the perfect tonic! I suggest you boogie on down to the best getaway (bar none) that The Bronx has to offer: City Island! Located just a short bus ride or two away from most of our borough's nabes, this quaint little island with a small town, all-American vibe will leave you shouting "This is in THE BRONX??? Shut Up!!!"

The home of several Zagat-rated restaurants with fabulous seafood, beautiful marinas, a lost-in-time Mayberry-esque Main Street, and homes so varied in style that it could keep an architecture buff happy for years, this place is a must for anyone wanting to just get away from it all. For any New Yorker, the silence, serenity and slow pace of the island is nearly impossible to find anywhere else within a 50 mile range... yet we Bronxites have this jewel right in our own backyard!

A recent Colorado transplant here to complete her doctorate, Abra Havens (who can't believe all that she is finding in The Bronx so far) tagged along as I took another trip to the island. We decided on The Sea Shore Restaurant and Marina for lunch (lobster for me, Shrimp Scampi for her) where we sat on the patio deck facing one of the several marinas and just basked in the cool breeze, soaked in the sounds of seagulls and watched happily as dreamy sailboats floated by. (The Sea Shore also has a separate garden patio, a fabulous lodge-style bar with leather sofas facing a fireplace, AND a sushi bar!)

Afterwards, we walked to the end of the island where we stopped in for an iced cappuccino at The Lobster Box and sat at the bar watching Obama announce Joe Biden as his VP pick on the big screen TV. Full, caffeinated, and giddy as we Democrats could be, we then walked the length of the island down side streets enjoying all the fabulous homes - Cape Cods, Salt Boxes, Fishermens' Cottages, Colonials, Ranches, French Tudors, new condos, etc.....all sitting so proudly and unexpectedly next to one another that I gave a private little curse to planned communities, zoning laws, and homeowners associations that have given us uninspiring, homogenized and thoroughly mind-numbing and boring housing across America.

So come on, Don't Worry - head on over to City Island and... Be Happy!

How to Get There: There are many ways to get to the island - a great way is by bike, car or motorcycle, but if that is not an option for you take a bus or subway to Pelham Bay Park and hop on the BX29 (make sure it's the one to City Island, as there are two going in different directions). You could also take the Orchard Beach bound BX-12 bus which runs along Fordham Rd. and Pelham Parkway, so you could get to the Bx-12 by the 4, B, D, 5, 2, or Metro North at Fordham. The Bx-12 ends at Orchard Beach, but you would get off one stop early and walk across the bridge to City Island.

~Simone Davis