You know how you feel whenever some smarmy finance douche is at your local bar in Brooklyn? The beer tastes a bit rancid, shots of Jameson go down twice as hard, and every song sounds like Taylor Swift, empty and mindless and fleeting; everything feels a bit disturbed somehow. And in Beacon, we are those disturbers. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that as much as the town appreciates being the apple of the Big Apple’s cold weather travel eye, it also kind of hates us. Rent has gone up with the influx of us seeking a weekend away. Low-income housing in town was pushed across the river. Bars and restaurants have adopted an almost town-wide Thursday through Sunday schedule to cater to visitors instead of maintaining a consistent local presence. So how do we support this town without smothering it?
We approach it consciously. We respect the businesses there and the people working within them. We have conversations that represent us well. We listen. We act as diplomats and travelers who seek to learn from and give to a space without disrupting it. We go against the tide and realize that gentrification is an unstoppable reality but conscientious human interaction is a responsibility. And certainly makes for a much better trip.
Here’s how we did it.
Where to Stay in Beacon
The Roundhouse
The Roundhouse represents a belief in and respect for the history and future of the town. Originally a property of factory buildings dating back to the early 1800s, the property was purchased and transformed in 2010 by a local family who had a vision for the abandoned space. Despite temptations and insistence of advisers and structural engineers to tear it down and rebuild, the family believed in and respected the property and converted everything they could out of what already existed to become this industrial-chic haven right along a stunning natural waterfall.
This is the place to stay in Beacon. It’s locally owned and built from within an old warehouse and mill, so it supports the city without reconstructing or upheaving the structural integrity of Beacon. The hotel embodies the urban industrialism inherent of the town. Every room feels like a minimalist mountain bungalow, and most have big windows that overlook the falls, and the constant, rushing water fills the void perfectly for silence-averse urban ears. Opt for a Deluxe Room (with a view!) that curves out over the falls and let the sound of rushing water (and not rush hour) sing you to sleep, and the mountain sunrise wake you up. That is, if you can force yourself to get out of the unbelievably plush beds that tempt even the most explorer-minded travelers to stay in bed all day. 2 East Main St. roundhousebeacon.com
Where to Drink in Beacon
Dogwood
To feel like a local and fit in like a local, you have to go where the locals go. Dogwood embodies a unique balance of dive bar and local pub and maintains an unpretentious, approachable, and utterly drinkable atmosphere. Go here for the local beers and impressive cocktails and good conversation. Check their website for weekly events. It’s the bar you’ve been looking for since wherever and whenever home was. Plan to stay for a few and be prepared to both listen to and defend your presence in town to a crowd that is friendly, open, and honest. 47 East Main St. dogwoodbar.com
Draught Industries
The best place in town for beer drinkers. This narrow, straightforward bar isn’t trying to appeal to the expectations of city dwellers. It has a rotating tap of microbrews that are all balanced and distributed by a Flux Capacitor, which is basically the future of beer storing and pouring. And they taste crisp and future-fresh. 394 Main St. draughtindustries.com
Oak Vino
For a break from the burgeoning beer scene, this is a perfect place for wine drinkers in town. New York is the 3rd biggest wine producer in the US (followed closely by Virginia, just FYI) and this wine bar highlights and appreciates the variety of vintages the state produces, along with plenty of old world companions. Opt for the charcuterie plate and stay for a few glasses. Leave with a bottle to cozy up with pre-dinner with your lover (we aren’t the only one who does that… right?) 389 Main St.
Where to Eat
The Roundhouse
Maintaining the presence and aesthetic of the hotel itself, the restaurant at the Roundhouse features a nightly rotating menu prioritizing local ingredients and reimagining them in inventive, minimal, and flavor-forward dishes. We enjoyed the seasonal Kale Salad with dried apples, Grassfed Ribeye (which was even too big for the two of us to share), a delicate Salmon Tartare with trout roe, and an unnecessary (but oh-so-appreciated) Wright Farm Apple Confit for dessert.
To drink, we stared with a cider from Naked Flock served appropriately in a champagne glass with a pine branch and then settles into a bottle of local Meritage. (There’s a chance that I enjoyed it so much, I may have forgotten exactly where it was from… just trust me, it’s lovely.) 2 East Main St. roundhousebeacon.com
Cafe Amarcord
For a romantic, intimate dinner with elevated fare for a price you could never get in the city, Cafe Amarcord is the place. A meticulous blend of New American and Northern Italian cuisine, get lost in dishes like Garganelli Duck Ragu, Lobster Gnocchi, and Domestic Loin of Lamb. Get a bottle of wine. Get Dessert. Get champagne with dessert. Fall in love. 276 Main St. cafeamarcord.com
Kitchen Sink
Located right on Main, this charming restaurant speaks to the progressive, localized, and eclectic dynamic of the town itself. With a rotating menu concentrating on fresh, local ingredients reimagined by Chef Brian Arnoff who was born in the area but has gained culinary experience and appreciation worldwide. Go for dinner, and prepare to have a few courses to sample the breadth of his imagination. And if you’re lucky enough to be there on a Monday, go for their fried chicken dinner. Just trust me. 157 Main St.
Homespun
Looking to grab a quick brunch before ingesting art for the afternoon? Head to Homespun for the best brunch in Beacon. This charming little spot offers everything from deep vanilla french toast to inventive soups and sandwiches, plus coffee, tea, beer and wine for whatever direction you want the day to take you. Get a cookie to go and tuck it in your pocket for the museum, for when you need to reset your senses between exhibits (it’s like that perfume-coffee-bean trick). 232 Main St. homespunfoods.com
What Not to Miss in Beacon
Dia Beacon
Dia pioneered the conversion of industrial spaces into exhibition spaces for art. The building itself is an old Nabisco box factory that now houses one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country for modern and contemporary art. Situated along the banks of the Hudson, the installations often invite the views and surrounding environment to become part of the experience. The museum is experiential, with whole-room exhibitions that immerse you in the mind and intention of the artist. Plan to spend 3 hours here, and preferably at sunset (trust me). 3 Beekman St. www.diaart.org
Storm King Art Center
Fit this into your trip, somehow. If you’re driving, it’s only an hour from Beacon. This open-air museum is the largest collection of contemporary sculptures in the world. It’s rolling hills house over 40 larger-than-life sculptures that are spaced out along the 500-acre landscape and somehow hidden, so discovering each one feels like Don Quixote trying to make sense of giants or windmills. Spend at least 2 hours here. Rent bikes. Bring a bota full of wine. Get lost. stormking.org
Newburgh Brewery
Do not miss the amazing breweries in the area, but in particular, this one, right across the river. Read the full story here (coming soon!). Newburgh is a town that has suffered from the influx of city tourists to Beacon. Because we’ve driven affordable housing out of the area and changed the industry to cater to long-weekend tourists, so many residents were pushed across the river to already exhausted Newburgh who doesn’t have the infrastructure to support them. This brewery represents the heartbeat of the city, the desire to keep trying. Located right on the river and run by locals, they are fighting to bring some industry and life back into the tired town. Go. Support them. Show that you aren’t just there to suck at the tourist teet that Beacon has been required to become. Oh, and the beer is fucking amazing. Check out their list of events here. 88 Colden St. www.newburghbrewing.com
Antique Shops along Main St.
Is this a little too typical? I don’t care. I really fucking love antiquing in small towns, anywhere, but especially the charming shops in Beacon. A very welcome mental transition from the grandiose modernity of Dia, don’t miss Galaxie 13 (436 Main St), Dickinson’s Antiques (440 main St), and 20th Century Fox Antiques (463 Main St) and Beacon Flea Market (in the warmer months, at 9 Henry St.). And for our own sake, don’t try to bargain.
Go to Beacon, but not because everyone else is going. Not because you need to decompress. And not just because of the museum. Go to embrace a community of locals and expats who have created and enhanced this charming, historic town. Go to forget the immediacy of city life. Understand the pace and the intention of life beyond urbanism. Go to embrace, and not overwhelm, the stunning culture here.
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