A townhouse with a view of the Long Island Sound — for under a million

Let's dispense with the caveats upfront: So, technically, this week's Escape Pick is within the five boroughs, but this condo in the Bronx—specifically on City island, a Bronx enclave reachable via a bridge off I-95—feels about as far from midtown Manhattan as Mystic, Connecticut, or any other seaside New England town it resembles.

This particular four-bedroom, four-bathroom house is part of a 43-townhouse private community that includes a clubhouse, outdoor pool, gym and playground. So far, 10 have been completely built (and six are under construction now). To date, 26 are in contract for sale and 17 units are still available for purchase. 

The house (which has an asking price of $988,000 and is being sold exclusively by McClellan Sotheby's International Realty) is two stories, with two terraces directly overlooking the Sound. The kitchen has everything you'd expect from a new construction: white maple wood cabinets, Caesarstone counterops, glass tile backsplashes. There are also walk-in closets, a private washer and dryer, central air, and an indoor garade plus an extra parking space (you'll need it—City Island is a car neighborhood: The 6 train is a bus/car ride away).

There's a three-story height restriction in place in City Island at the moment, so most of the housing stock is low. (Translation: You can see the sky in addition to the water.)

And the area, formerly a ship-building neighborhood, has plenty of seafood restaurants (Johnny's, Sammy's Fish Box, Lobster Box, and the like), marinas and yacht clubs. It's also a relatively quick and easy drive to Westchester, Southern Connecticut, Long Island and New Jersey if you happen to be doing a reverse commute.

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