City Island

Like a gem in the middle of the Long Island Sound, this little-known branch of the New York Public Library (which opened in 1970 and was totally renovated in 1997) has a 1,000-volume ship collection (all about shipwrecks, naval history and pirates—aarrrgh!), an expansive children’s section and an outdoor garden for special events and activities.

Art is everywhere, as the old saying goes, including at this charming gallery and artists' collective in the sleepy seaside town of City Island.

This free community museum, which occupies the top floor of a landmark building that served for many years as the island's elementary school (which itself occupies a site that once served as a Revolutionary War graveyard), offers visitors a taste of City Island's seafaring history.

Focal Point Gallery proprietor Ronald Terner is both an art lover and a one-time struggling artist, so he's sympathetic to up-and-comers trying to find a place to show their work.

The five boats of the Island Current fleet—ranging from the 42-foot, 17 passenger Island Current to the 76-foot, 110-passenger Island Current III—make both daytime and nighttime open party fishing expeditions, for anglers on the hunt for flounder, fluke, striped bass, porgy, bluefish and striped bass, as well as winter codfishing trips in the waters off of Rhode Island.

Turtle Cove features plenty of facilities and lessons for the experienced and beginning golfer alike, including a putting green, driving ranges, private full-swing practice stations, golf clinics for new players, group and couples lessons and individual instruction from PGA golf pros, as well as a full-service pro shop.

One of the oldest yacht clubs in the United States, the Harlem Yacht Club offers more than just regular opportunities for members to compete in boat races or enjoy river and ocean cruising.

The family-owned and -operated charter boat business offers everything from party fishing trips to sightseeing cruises aboard the Riptide III, an 1,800 horsepower, 90-foot-long cruiser that can accommodate 100 people.

This sailing school specializes in teaching the fundamentals—including keelboat steering, coastal cruising, navigation and racing techniques—using hands-on methods, such as sailing obstacle courses and detailed boat models.

Michael Carew, a 10-year veteran of the NYPD’s elite Scuba team, offers certification classes for beginners and specialized courses for experts looking to add ice-diving or rescue work to their repertoire.

Visitors flock to City Island in the Bronx for plentiful seafood and waterfront dining.

Hailing itself as the Bronx's only French restaurant, Bistro SK provides a change of pace from the seafood-filled culinary landscape of City Island, with a menu of traditional French favorites like steak frites, moules frites, escargot, coq au vin, onion soup, and beef Bourguignon.

For 15 years, this café has been the cultural heart of City Island, hosting live music and open-mic performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday, and showcasing the work of local visual artists.

In the fascinating seafaring community of City Island—a unique environment of sailing schools, yacht clubs, marinas and other nautical businesses—lies the wildly popular Original Crab Shanty, which serves up the freshest seafood this side of New England.

A City Island institution that was shuttered for nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy, Tony's Pier reopened in the fall of 2013, reviving their classic menu of clams, oysters, lobster and fried shrimp, flounder, calamari, scallops and all things from out of the sea (along with burgers and chicken, just in case).

Owner Steven Cottrell has been behind the counter at Papa John's, a neighborhood restaurant in the truest sense of the word, since he was a teenager.

Lickety Split is housed inside a tiny, picturesque wood cottage that looks like it's been plucked straight out of a storybook.

The seafood is always fresh and the formula is simple at this City Island eatery.

Along City Island's main drag is a warm, casual tavern where locals flock for drinks, conversation, salads, seafood, pasta, hefty sandwiches and skyscraper sundaes.

This classic surf 'n' turf spot isn't retro—it has simply been serving up traditional Italian-accented seafood for nearly half a century.