City Island, NY

On Thursday, July 29 we left our Coney Island anchorage at 10 a.m. and took advantage of the favorable currents as we headed to New York City. We went under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and cruised up the East River.  We passed all of the wonderful landmarks and vistas that are NYC.

We sailed through Hell Gate at one of our fastest speeds ever passing sailing vessels that were headed against the fierce current. We can’t imagine that they made any headway at all!

By 12:45 we arrived at the Harlem Yacht Club in City Island, one of our favorite places to visit.  From the name of the club, one would think it is in Harlem but it definitely is not. The club was established in 1883 on the banks of the Harlem River and is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the United States. In 1894 it moved to  City Island. The clubhouse was destroyed by fire in 1915 and replaced by the current structure.

There are no docks here, only mooring balls.  We took one of the two beautiful launches to the yacht club and walked into town to find a park for Archie to play in. City Island is only 1.5 miles long and a half mile wide.  It’s very much like being in a small town. No building appears to be more than three stories tall and it feels like one big neighborhood.  On the weekend it can get quite busy because it’s known for its seafood restaurants but midweek was as quiet as can be.  

We met a man and his doodle who brought us to a big empty ball field where the dogs could play off leash to their hearts’ content. We met this same man twice more during our visit. He was with the NYPD and was so warm and engaging. He took us to see his boat that he kept at another yacht club on the island.  People here are so friendly and welcoming - we always enjoy our stay.  

On Friday, after taking the launch and Archie in for his daily constitutional, we left him in his crate and took the bus to Arthur Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx. We had read that as little Italy in Manhattan has shrunk over the years, Little Italy in Belmont has thrived. So we had to check it out! By the time we arrived we were very hungry and we found a fabulous place for lunch at Zero Otto Nove (089 is the area code of Salerno, Italy).   There we had an amazingly delicious lunch - a peppery arugula salad, spicy short rib appetizer, and a luscious mafaldine (new to us) pasta  with broccoli rabe and almonds. We ate almost every bite before remembering to take a photo!

Afterwards we strolled up and down the streets following all the recommended shopping spots from the research we had done. At the Calabria Pork Store, where the ceiling was lined with hanging sausages, we bought sausage and salami. At Madonia Bread and Bakery we bought luscious olive bread with whole olives embedded throughout.  We also bought cheeses, olives and a package of our new favorite malfaldine pasta. And at Borgatti’s Ravioli and Egg Noodles we bought two boxes of ravioli and a package of cavatelli.  Mr. Borgatti was captivated by the fact that we had traveled so far on our boat and insisted that we meet his wife who makes all the ravioli.

Later on we stopped at an outdoor cafe to have an espresso and cannoli and we noted that the street was named Mario Borgatti Way. As luck would have it Mr. (Chris) Borgatti, who we had just meet at his ravioli store, was walking by. We called out to him and of course he remembered just having talked with us. He told us that his father had started the business in 1935 and died at 97 in 2014.  A petition was drawn up and passed to name a section of the street in his honor.  What a great way to end our visit to Bronx’s Little Italy! 

We boarded the bus back to City Island and took the launch back and forth to give Archie yet another walk. Even though we thought we were full from our day in Little Italy, Jonny prepared lamb chops on the grill and corn on the cob for us to have for dinner and we managed  to eat it all!

On Saturday morning we took Archie for one last launch ride and walk in the park as we decided whether we would stay in City Island another day,  go into Manhattan or to Northport on Long Island’s north coast. After much discussion Northport won out because we had tried to go there last year but our dinghy engine cord broke on the ride in and we never made it.  So onward we go, leaving our charming little City Island until next time!