Bayou Restaurant—Alligator sausage, frog legs, mudbugs (that’s crawfish to you Yanks), and other classic Cajun fare can be had in a rollicking setting that includes bras hanging at the bar, 100 colorfully named hot sauces (e.g., Gramatan Ave Road Kill), and top blues and zydeco musicians like Popa Chubby.
Joe’s Fleetwood Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant—In a city known for its pizza joints, Joe’s is among the best, serving up righteous slices since 1972.
Fleetwood Pastry Shop—Enzo Cutaia and crew know their way around a mixer. The shop produces handsome trays of lobster tails, sfinge (cannoli-cream filled pastries), cake pops, and Italian cookies.
Wellington Court Co-ops—This Fleetwood co-op has units for sale (as of press time) ranging from $69,000 (1 Bd, 1 Ba, 800 sq ft) to $279,000 (3 Bd, 2 Ba, 1,684 sq ft).
AB Davis Middle School—Dick Clark was one of numerous celebs who grew up in Mount Vernon (Art Carney and Denzel Washington among them); Clark attended AB Davis in the late 1940s when it was a high school.
Johnny’s Pizzeria—No WiFi, no website, no slices, no credit cards—no problem. Johnny’s, where the cheese goes on before the sauce, may just have the top pizza in the county.
Spanish-American War Monument and Fountain Roundabout—The 1927 monument was supplemented in 2006 with a roundabout and fountain (including a 1,000-watt audio system) intended as a dramatic gateway marker to the downtown district.
Hartley Park—The five-acre park has basketball courts, multiple fountains, an amphitheater for summer concerts, and a bocce center.
USA Brazilian Grill—This churrascaria is one of a number of city businesses catering to the approximately 10 percent of Mount Vernon’s residents who are Brazilian.
Sadhana Tea House—A top-notch tea house for certain but also a must-stop for those wanting herbal supplements, natural remedies, and vegan prepared foods.
Mount Vernon City Hall—A population of approximately 67,000 makes Mount Vernon the eighth largest city in New York State; at 4.4 square miles, Mount Vernon is the 11th most densely populated city in the US.
Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital—In late 2013, Montefiore Health System in the Bronx took over a financially troubled Mount Vernon Hospital and has since been attempting to move the facility toward fiscal health.
