It is impossible to be bored in NYC. There will never be enough days in the year to see all that the city has to offer. We have a world of restaurants, attractions, architecture, beaches, and everything we could ever want, right at our fingertips. But, some days, we just want out of the concrete jungle. Searching Pinterest for the best day trips from New York City, I came across, Beacon, NY. I was drawn to pictures of a cute downtown, with good coffee shops, and a world renowned art museum. The cherry on top, was the short hour an half train ride from Grand Central. With that, our Easter weekend day trip was decided!
The train ride up the Hudson was beautiful. To our left was the Hudson River and cities such as Newburgh and West Point. To our right, more darling towns, such as Cold Springs and Garrison. I made note of all the other NY towns I wanted to visit on our next day trip.
The best surprise, upon our arrival (in the rain), was that the city offered a free trolley from the train station to the downtown area and the art museum. The loop trolley was waiting for us when the train arrived and we hopped on without any delay. Ten minutes later, we were in the cutest Hallmark movie downtown. Beacon's main drag is filled with adorable shops, cute cafes, compelling art and abounding Spring blooms. It honestly could have been a movie set.
We wandered up and down Main Street, peeking into the local shops & eateries. I had a list of places I wanted to visit, but when we came across Glazed Over, we knew we had to drop in. At Glazed Over, each patron fills out a form to hand-pick the three components of his or her perfect doughnut: base, frosting, topping. I went with the lemon cake, strawberry glaze, rainbow sprinkle combo and Matt was all about maple and caramel with shaved almonds. Such a unique experience versus a typical pastry shop. Back on the street, we decided to swing by Bank Square Coffeehouse to grab iced coffees for the road.
Next stop was the modern art museum, Dia: Beacon. We had heard the museum was excellent, but Matt isn't always into roaming museums so I promised we only had to stay for one hour. Well...we both loved it so much, Matt asked to stay longer, even after I was ready to go! We spent half our day trip in the museum but were happy to have seen every square inch of art.
Interesting in it's own right, the museum occupies three floors of an old Nabisco box factory. The main floor is quite extensive, letting in plenty of natural light (something you don't see in museums that often!). The art was contemporary, creative, and thought provoking. One of my favorite rooms, is filled with Andy Warhol paintings, repeated over and over in an ombre color scheme. The use of light and odd materials kept our interest for hours. The other two floors, "the basement and the attic" as I liked to call them, are dark and moody and some exhibits were even a little scary. A giant spider, the abandoned old TVs producing static...freaky! We were hooked on Dia.
After the museum, we strolled back to the main street to eat, drink, and continue our merriment. We grabbed a juicy burger and killer fries at Meyer's Old Dutch Food and Such. There were a multitude of cute bakeries and bistros we marked for next time (Beacon Bread Co, Homespun Foods, Royal Crepes, All You Knead, Zora Dora's, More Good Drinks, Beacon Pantry, etc.). We are already planning to come back and spend more time!
Once our stomachs were full, we relocated down Main Street to Denning's Point Distillery where we enjoyed tastes of whiskey, gin, and vodka. The couple behind the bar were amusing and totally adorable. Too bad NY State law only allows for a few tastes, we wanted to try one of everything.
To sober up, we did some window shopping (and actual shopping) in some of the cutest little local stores. Toys, flowers, stationary, beach glass, every single store was perfection. Next time I'll bring an extra suitcase and fill it with souvenirs.
My favorites were the florist, Flora Garden & Home, and the beach glass gallery, Hudson Beach Glass. Could these stores be any cuter?
The art is not contained in Dia: Beacon, only, oh no. Art is everywhere. The street art and sculptures can be seen throughout Beacon.
Our last stop before heading back to the city was, Hudson Valley Brewery The beer was predominantly sours and the space was large yet cozy. I really enjoyed all the varieties we tried and appreciated the relaxed atmosphere. I could have spent all weekend here, talking with friends, listening to great music, and sipping the sours.
On our way back to the train, we snapped a few shots of the Fiskhill Overlook Falls and The Roundhouse, an industrial hotel next to the brewery. I can't imagine this city covered in fall leaves, or Christmas decorations, or in the heart of the summer, but it sure was lovely on a Spring Saturday, when the entire city was in bloom.
Have you been to Beacon, NY? Any recommendations or places we missed? What are other perfect day trips from NYC? We like Long Island's North Fork & South Fork, Port Washington, and all the cute little upstate fruit farms.
The best surprise, upon our arrival (in the rain), was that the city offered a free trolley from the train station to the downtown area and the art museum. The loop trolley was waiting for us when the train arrived and we hopped on without any delay. Ten minutes later, we were in the cutest Hallmark movie downtown. Beacon's main drag is filled with adorable shops, cute cafes, compelling art and abounding Spring blooms. It honestly could have been a movie set.
We wandered up and down Main Street, peeking into the local shops & eateries. I had a list of places I wanted to visit, but when we came across Glazed Over, we knew we had to drop in. At Glazed Over, each patron fills out a form to hand-pick the three components of his or her perfect doughnut: base, frosting, topping. I went with the lemon cake, strawberry glaze, rainbow sprinkle combo and Matt was all about maple and caramel with shaved almonds. Such a unique experience versus a typical pastry shop. Back on the street, we decided to swing by Bank Square Coffeehouse to grab iced coffees for the road.
Next stop was the modern art museum, Dia: Beacon. We had heard the museum was excellent, but Matt isn't always into roaming museums so I promised we only had to stay for one hour. Well...we both loved it so much, Matt asked to stay longer, even after I was ready to go! We spent half our day trip in the museum but were happy to have seen every square inch of art.
Interesting in it's own right, the museum occupies three floors of an old Nabisco box factory. The main floor is quite extensive, letting in plenty of natural light (something you don't see in museums that often!). The art was contemporary, creative, and thought provoking. One of my favorite rooms, is filled with Andy Warhol paintings, repeated over and over in an ombre color scheme. The use of light and odd materials kept our interest for hours. The other two floors, "the basement and the attic" as I liked to call them, are dark and moody and some exhibits were even a little scary. A giant spider, the abandoned old TVs producing static...freaky! We were hooked on Dia.
After the museum, we strolled back to the main street to eat, drink, and continue our merriment. We grabbed a juicy burger and killer fries at Meyer's Old Dutch Food and Such. There were a multitude of cute bakeries and bistros we marked for next time (Beacon Bread Co, Homespun Foods, Royal Crepes, All You Knead, Zora Dora's, More Good Drinks, Beacon Pantry, etc.). We are already planning to come back and spend more time!
Once our stomachs were full, we relocated down Main Street to Denning's Point Distillery where we enjoyed tastes of whiskey, gin, and vodka. The couple behind the bar were amusing and totally adorable. Too bad NY State law only allows for a few tastes, we wanted to try one of everything.
To sober up, we did some window shopping (and actual shopping) in some of the cutest little local stores. Toys, flowers, stationary, beach glass, every single store was perfection. Next time I'll bring an extra suitcase and fill it with souvenirs.
My favorites were the florist, Flora Garden & Home, and the beach glass gallery, Hudson Beach Glass. Could these stores be any cuter?
The art is not contained in Dia: Beacon, only, oh no. Art is everywhere. The street art and sculptures can be seen throughout Beacon.
Our last stop before heading back to the city was, Hudson Valley Brewery The beer was predominantly sours and the space was large yet cozy. I really enjoyed all the varieties we tried and appreciated the relaxed atmosphere. I could have spent all weekend here, talking with friends, listening to great music, and sipping the sours.
On our way back to the train, we snapped a few shots of the Fiskhill Overlook Falls and The Roundhouse, an industrial hotel next to the brewery. I can't imagine this city covered in fall leaves, or Christmas decorations, or in the heart of the summer, but it sure was lovely on a Spring Saturday, when the entire city was in bloom.
Have you been to Beacon, NY? Any recommendations or places we missed? What are other perfect day trips from NYC? We like Long Island's North Fork & South Fork, Port Washington, and all the cute little upstate fruit farms.
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