Quick Escape: City Island

I spent the night last night at Le Refuge Inn, the only place (seriously) to get a bed on City Island. It never fails to amaze me how easy it is to escape the skyscrapers. It takes exactly one hour to reach this historic seaport community located just beyond Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and surrounded by the waters of the Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay. And how strange to say, "I spent the weekend in the Bronx."
But we're not talking rappers and drug busts. City Island is a tiny strip of land surrounded by water. There are fish restaurants like Johnny's and Tony's and Sammy's and quaint houses. Le Refuge is an old Victorian-style B&B owned by a Frenchman named Pierre Saint-Denis and filled with interesting antiques. Rooms are a bargain for $135 including a continental breakfast. They also serve dinner -- French cuisine -- are Zagat rated. And if you do what we did -- go down to the harbor for dinner -- the whole thing will cost you $150! (I ate fresh shrimp cocktail, steamed clams, red snapper, corn on the cob, and an old-fashioned soft serve ice cream). Of course all sorts of heart-stopping deep-fried fare is also on offer.
Check it out: www.cityisland.com
And for accomodation: www.lerefugeinn.com