Right before my daughter was born, we moved to Westchester from the Upper West Side, leaving behind a decade full of memories. I had become attached to my neighborhood and initially found suburban life stifling. At first I dreamed about walking out the door of my building on 210 West 70th Street and its proximity to my favorite restaurants like Alice’s Tea Cup. When we discovered they had a location on City Island, going there became our favorite weekend activity. Just a 10 minute ride from our house down the I95, we would venture there on weekends for our favorite chai tea and scones with clotted cream and jam. We got to know the seafood restaurants and took strolls down the boardwalk at Orchard Beach. When Alice’s Tea Cup closed, our trips to the area decreased but have not definitely not stopped.
So today after a weekend buzzing with 4th of July activities, I turned to my husband today and declared it a day to visit City Island. After recently reading an article in “Time Out New York Kids” on a day out in City Island by my fellow PBS Kids Club Ambassasdor, Alison Lowenstein, my interest peaked and I was dying to return for a day trip.
We started with lunch at Johnny’s Reef Restaurant at 2 City Island Avenue. It’s a real throw back to how you might suspect eateries ran on the seaside 50 years ago. You order off the menu boards, pick up your food and find a table inside in the extremely busy restaurant. We chose to sit outside, despite the smoldering heat. You can’t beat the prices, and the quality. It’s mostly fish: scallops, fried cod, clams, oysters, squid, broiled shrimp, trout, lobster. You order your food, then grab your drinks at a separate counter. The food is really greasy, but that’s part of the experience. The average price per meal is $10. We actually shared fish & chips, salad and watermelon which came to $16 and it was enough for the four of us. It’s quite a scene. It reminded me of the Varsity in Atlanta, where I’m from, which is another greasy joint that everyone flocks to (including every U.S. President). Johnny’s is very family-friendly. If your child doesn’t like fish, they have chicken, french fries, something for everyone.
Seeing that it was nearly 100 degrees, we headed right to cool off with some ice cream at Lickety Split Ice Cream on 295 City Island Avenue, also recommended by Alison. Another throw back to old times, this little ice cream parlor serves delicious ice cream, gelato and sorbet. I had read some reviews about the high prices on Yelp, but our total was only $8.50 for the four of us. My daughter really liked the hula hoops available outside to play with after she finished her cone.
Right across the street is a row of shops (where our beloved Alice’s Tea Cup used to be located) and we discovered The Snug at 302 City Island Avenue, a lovely pub restaurant that offers Guinness and fish & chips. On Saturday nights you can get fish & chips at buy one, get one free. I think my hubby and I will be venturing on an upcoming weekend to get our fill. With salt and vinegar, of course.
Alison’s suggestion to visit the nautical park at Ambrosini Field was an excellent one. Thankfully, I had packed my kid’s bathing suits in advance, as they needed some cooling off. The playground is a big ship surrounded sprinklers. Fortunately, there were some other kids running around the playground and they gave mine water balloons and water guns. All the kids instantly bonded over the water fight and burnt off some much needed energy.
Needless to say, my kids were having a ball and we couldn’t tear them away to do some much needed shopping at Fairway, just minutes away in Pelham Manor.
City Island is full of great restaurants on the water, and of course, Orchard Beach is within minutes away. It’s a great beach, the only one in the Bronx. Admission is free, but you pay $8 for parking. It has picnic areas, food stands playgrounds, basketball courts, volley ball courts and more. We like going there off-season when it’s less crowded.
We drove by the the City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum at 190 Fordham Street, but it was closed for the July 4th weekend. It saves something to do on our next trip. The Bronx Zoo is also just a short drive away from City Island.
I can’t wait to go back and experience more of City Island. I’m so glad we rediscovered it.
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