Beacon NY

Congratulations to Beacon NY for being selected as No. 8 in the "Editor's Favorite Trips of 2014" on the Conde Nast Traveler's website.  Beacon is a very interesting town.  When I visit the family, I've taken many an enjoyable walk through various areas there.

On the Hudson River side of the station, you can walk to Long Dock Park and follow the trails for a nice 'woodsy' walk.  South of the city, off Route 9D, is Madame Brett Park.  While the area is very rustic, it's a great easy hike.  The waterfalls are very pretty and the ruins of two factories are very interesting.  One made hats and the other, buttons.  As you walk the paths, you can see some small piles of buttons on the ground.

Madame Brett Park, Beacon NY

With a short walk from the Metro North train station, you can visit the Dia Beacon Museum.  This museum is very popular with locals and visitors who take the train from New York City.  In the business section of the town, you will see a number of restaurants, gallery and shops.  I especially enjoyed my visit to Hudson Beach Glass, where my grandchildren created their own Christmas decorations.  It was fun for me.  It was an education opportunity for the grandchildren.

  During my last visit to New York, my friend, Katie, and I had lunch at the Beacon Falls Cafe on Main Street.  The restaurant is small and was very crowded.  We were advised of a wait and visited a 'Penny Social' at the American Legion Hall, just a short walk down the street.  Katie had never attended one before.  After this, we returned to the restaurant and discovered we were still on the waiting list.  When we were finally seated, our meal was very enjoyable.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

I was disappointed about not being able to climb Mt. Beacon during the past two trips to New York.  Last June, I was too busy with other things.  When I finally made arrangements with my grandson, we had a week of rain.  It was also the last week of my visit.  One of my previous climbs was up a rock-bed creek along side a waterfall in the mountain.  It was a little slippery.  So, I now prefer my climb to be on dry ground.  When I came to New York in November, I was happy to see that since the weather was clear, I could possibly go up Mt. Beacon when my grandson had time.  Because he was busy, the first available opportunity was Thanksgiving Day.  Then, 8 to 10 inches of snow the day before dashed my plans.

If you do decided to hike Mt. Beacon, you can see the following scenes.

Most hikers take the stairs near the ruins of an incline railway and continue on.  I take the fire road.  At the top are ruins of a casino and hotel of the 1920's.  I have yet to see this.  My grandson who knows the mountain, led me to the top of the fire road past the reservoir.  The stone monument was erected by the Daughters of the American in 1900 to commemorate the burning of signal fires during the Revolutionary War.  The scenery is beautiful, but I am curious about the casino and hotel.  Perhaps next summer.

Beacon offers a great day's visit.  Add it to your calendar.

     

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Beacon walks

I love walking around Beacon, New York. Sometimes I’d walk my granddaughter to school and then on to the Yankee Clipper Diner for breakfast. I had food at home, but this place is nice and homey. Main Street in Beacon boasts quaint little shops. It provides an interesting walk after breakfast. My favorite store is Hudson Beach Glass. I love to browse and when I didn’t have time, I would just peer in the window at the beautiful blown-glass birds. I especially liked the Hummingbird.
Two of my visits to Beacon were timed just right so that I could accompany my granddaughter’s class to the Howland Public Library, the firehouse near the school, and the DIA Art Museum down by the Hudson River. The children were studying their community and I was psyched to venture through more of the town.
There was an artsy part of town on the East side. Weekend visitors take the Metro North train from New York City to see the DIA and then lunch in town or a visit to store front galleries before getting the train home. The East side of Beacon has some old buildings that I found interesting, reminiscent of 1930s when there used to be a hat factory in town. Also, across the tracks is a waterfall hidden behind one of the large old brick buildings. Further up the same road is a restaurant where Paul Newman had dinner every night while making the film, Nobody’s Fool. I’m not sure if it is open now (the Economy?).
Down by the Hudson River, there are walking trails near Long Dock (south of the train station). I had hoped to photograph an Eagle, but contented myself with a little Goldfinch perched on a reed. My sister graciously accompanied me as I pushed on looking for interesting subjects, such as a few baby Canadian Geese. Both parents watched me “like Hawks”, as I remained about eight feet away, but I came away with good pictures.
Walking the Newburg Beacon Bridge when I stay in Beacon is a form of exercise and inspiration. I had a friend from Prayer Group who walked it every day. As far as I know the span is 2 miles long. I’ve never made it completely across (just ¾ of the way), but I’ve met people walking and running no matter what time of day. My son-in-law has taken the kids bike-riding from Beacon across into Newburgh. The first time I was jarred by the vibrations caused by the traffic on the bridge. It is a funny feeling. But after a while it didn’t bother me. Also, some people have pointed out the noise of the traffic. But I think that the scenes of the river and the hills of both the Newburg and Beacon sides are quite beautiful and soon took my attention. For me it was a great opportunity for taking pictures. One day, it was low-lying clouds near the bridge that provided a photo opt for me as well as the Beacon hills laced with clouds. If you decide to walk the bridge, you would have to park on a side street, but you just might enjoy it. On my next trip, I plan to do just that.