Since its earliest days, New York City has had a special relationship with the water, amassing great wealth as a major port, and drawing its cultural identity, in no small part, from the waves of immigrants that arrived by boat on its shores.
But while most of NYC has given up its seafaring ways, the city's maritime heritage is still alive and well on City Island. With its quiet streets, plentiful boat slips, and nautical vibes, this 1.5mi strip of land in the Eastchester Bay feels more like a mid-century fishing village than an extension of the Bronx (which it is).
On this episode of Food/Groups, we met up with a couple City Island "clam diggers" (i.e., "natives"; transplants are known as "mussel-suckers"), to eat its famous seafood feasts, grab a couple drinks, and discuss the importance of a robust culinary scene in New York City's most unchanged -- and improbable -- nautical neighborhood.
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