A water vista beckons at every side street\u2019s dead end, where one can smell the seaweed and catch a glimpse of Victorian homes\u2019 beachfront yards. <\/p>\n
City Island takes on a calm pace, a world away from the maritime bustle that once made this skinny, 1.5-mile stretch famous. The island is a draw mostly for its plentiful seafood restaurants, easy strolling and vibes from the past via\u00a0the City Island Nautical Museum and a waterfront cemetery. <\/p>\n
Here, one can hear birds chirp, walk without bumping into anybody and get a nod of acknowledgement that one exists from the local hot dog cart vendor. Perhaps best of all, street parking is free. <\/p>\n
Situated between Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Kings Point in Nassau, the island has Eastchester Bay on its west bank and Long Island Sound to the east. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople come out here and they go \u2018We\u2019re in the Bronx?\u2019 \u201d recounted Mike Carew, a former NYPD detective diver who owns Captain Mike\u2019s Diving<\/a> on the island. \u201cI grew up in a small neighborhood where everybody knew everybody\u00a0and they help each other. City Island is like that.\u201d <\/p>\n Driving is the quickest way to get there from Long Island, despite tolls, because public transportation even from parts of western Nassaucould take more than two hours. <\/p>\n Here, visitors will find a place that\u2019s not cookie cutter, with no chain stores except for one Dunkin\u2019. The island is a seafood dining destination, with restaurants taking up most of the main drag, City Island Avenue. Residents born there call themselves \u201cclam diggers\u201d and everybody else \u201cmussel suckers.\u201d <\/p>\n Starting in the early 1800s, the community dominated the oyster harvesting industry, but when over harvesting led to the decline of oysters, City Island turned into a boat building and ship docking hub in the late 19th century. It built, maintained and stored a number of winners of America\u2019s Cup, the best-known\u00a0international sailing competition, said local reporter Barbara Dolensek, who is also vice president of the City Island Historical Society.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cPeople from all over the Bronx came to work here,\u201d Dolensek said. <\/p>\n Those industries are gone but not forgotten. Boat service and storage businesses dot City Island. Locals have started City Island Oyster Reef, a project to reseed waters with baby oysters and restore fish habitats. <\/p>\n