New York City conjures images of bustling Times Square, yellow and green taxicabs, and inimitable architecture surrounded by vast varieties of people, a mosaic in its own. We already know the bucket list candidates; High Line, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, World Trade Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, etc.

Aside from these top tourist attractions, the Five Boroughs has even more to offer—places you wouldn’t expect to associate with the World’s Greatest City.

One of these places I accidentally stumbled upon with my sister on a beautiful October morning. We had originally planned to do volunteer work at Pelham Bay Park, looking forward to beautifying a beachfront in Eastern Bronx, where we’ve never been before.

See, my sister and I, we’re always looking for an adventure.

As we followed directions around Pelham Bay Park toward the volunteer meeting location, we realized we had driven to the wrong chunk of the park. To top it off, we were already late, and we were starving from the half-hour walk in the opposite direction. Naturally, as the great humanitarians we are, we ended up on Yelp looking for places to go eat rather than attempting to correctly locate the place of the meet-up (our reasoning: our good deed of the day was fated to be supporting a local business rather than helping the environment—it's hard to say that we necessarily felt great about our decision).

Yelp led us to City Island, where the closest local eating establishments were. I just want to take a moment to thank fate for making us (me) directionally challenged and always late, such that we were able to explore a completely different side of New York City. Because ultimately, my sister and I still got our adventure.

Where it is.

City Island is the eastern-most part of the Bronx, in the Long Island Sound, right across from the sand at Pelham Bay Park. It used to be part of Westchester but has been part of the Bronx for over a century now.

How to get there.

With a bridge and MTA Bus Service, there is easy access to either suburban or urban life through Westchester and New Jersey or Manhattan. We drove from the Hutchinson River Parkway and took Exit 5 to Orchard Beach/City Island Rd, which leads to a bridge and then onto the island's Main Street. MTA Bus Bx29 leads through that same bridge to connect to the Bronx and the rest of the city. Even better, if you have a boat of any kind, you’re a quick row away from Queens and northern Long Island (although I wouldn’t recommend it). Additional detailed directions are on City Island’s very own website.

What it’s like.

City Island is a land mass only about a mile-and-a-half long and maybe a little over half a mile at its widest point. We were able to walk up and down Main Street in a little over 50 minutes.

It’s everything you would expect in a quaint coastal town, except to a smaller scale; the sporadic docks, the little local shops, some marvelous beach houses coupled with some shanties, fishing paraphernalia adorning every other building, and the essence of sea salt in the air.

There is an adequate amount of greenery surrounding houses and buildings off of Main Street. Other than that, the physical dimensions and the nautical soil of the island don’t allow for anything like a field or a forest. We did find some chestnut trees, but to our dismay, they bore inedible fruit. The little land that is available is all either inhabited by its residents or used to be, and now abandoned and neglected. If fishermen who have long since disappeared haunted parts of the island, I wouldn’t be surprised.

As for its living residents, the island houses a self-sufficient population of local fishermen. It provides its own essentials, such as a medical center, Laundromat, school, church, library and even essential foods like Chinese food, pizza, frozen yogurt.

You’ll get that isolated, small-town feel until you see the MTA roll by, or decipher the Papa John’s sign, or stop by the library and realize it’s part of the New York City Public Library system.

What to eat?

Visitors to City Island come through mostly for food, the most known of which are City Island Lobster House right off the bridge and Original Crab Shanty right on Main Street. We had the great pleasure of trying both; the Lobster House on our day of good deeds, and the Crab Shanty just recently. While my sister and I concluded that Lobster House reigned superior to Crab Shanty, both are worth trying; you won’t be disappointed by what you get from what you pay.

City Island Lobster House: 691 Bridge St, Bronx, NY 10464

It was a Saturday morning, just as they opened, and if you recall, we were lost and starving. Not long after we had ordered, though, the tables started to fill up, and there was even a party reservation coming in. Our waiter was entertainingly eccentric and enthusiastic to serve us (and even gave complimentary shots of pear vodka at the end of our meal). The restaurant gives complimentary garlic bread, blueberry cake and a cheese, and relish plate upon seating. Their specials include soup or salad, a starchy side and dessert of the day, so you’re guaranteed to leave satisfied. Famished as we were, we had to take some of our meal to go.

Original Crab Shanty: 361 City Island Ave, Bronx, NY 10464

We visited on a Saturday afternoon when the tables were all filled already, which might explain why our experience here wasn’t as amazing as at the Lobster House. Despite the business, our waiter was on top of his duties, though understandably not as enthusiastic. This restaurant also gave complimentary garlic bread, which was softer than Lobster House’s. The specials also include soup or salad, a hearty portion of a starchy side and coffee or tea for dessert, but no relish plate or blueberry cake—and I must say, that blueberry cake was unexpectedly delicious. The broiled seafood lunch platter here was disappointing compared to Lobster House’s, with only one shrimp and tiny mussels and clams. New England clam chowder here was also disappointing, with a 4:1 potato to clam bit ratio, unlike Lobster House’s chunky clam chowder. Crab Shanty’s snow crab legs and ribs, however, were surprisingly top notch. This time, with the extra company and no blueberry cake, we devoured it all.

Although it sounds like Crab Shanty wasn’t that great of an experience, it is still one of the top-rated for several reasons, including the copious amounts of crab per order. It sells beer, while the Lobster House doesn’t, and offers each customer a free apple in lieu of blueberry cake. Neither restaurant skimps on the alcohol in the drinks, either, so be sure to pair responsibly.

Based on my two individual experiences, City Island is the place to go for fairly priced seafood in Northern New York City. There’s more than just seafood, like a Japanese-Puerto Rican fusion restaurant called Ohana, but why not have the seafood when you’re surrounded by it? You’ve already added Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer to your restaurant hit list; it’s time to add the Lobster House and the Crab Shanty. Oh, and check out the island with a brisk walk after eating—your adventurous side and your body will thank you.