urbanretreatist: 2012

Beacon is one of those Hudson Valley towns that totally transformed itself inside of a decade. It's hard to imagine that any town overlooking the Hudson, with a metro north stop and gorgeous retro-industrial architecture, was ever anything other than chic. But it was pretty dodgy until artists recognized it's potential for affordable live/work loft space in the late 90's, and started opening galleries in the early 00's. Now it's adorned with antique shops, coffee houses, restaurants and all sorts of handmade crafteries!

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See
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3 Beekman Street

Dia Museum Beacon
3 Beekman Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Most emblematic of Beacon today - The Dia. Opened in 2003, it occupies 300,000 square feet of what was once a Nabisco factory. The exhibitions tend to be severely modern, so go with an open mind.


477 Main Street

Howland Cultural Center
477 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

The Howland cultural center, on the far end of town, hosts live music, dance, art, and everything in between. Day to day, Howland functions much like a community center. They have a bridge club, open jam sessions for fiddlers, and storytelling for kids. Open to the public Thursday-Sunday 1-5pm.

183 Main Street

School of Jellyfish
183 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Rather then dishonor them with my own words, here is what School of Jellyfish says about themselves! "Center for the advancement of sustainable living and renewable energy through: architecture, design, performing arts and chocolate" They have first saturday and first sunday workshops, second saturday events and a cafe serving free trade coffee and chocolate.

510 Main Street

Open Space
510 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

This studio/gallery focuses on "subculture contemporary art" so expect to see lots of graffiti influenced/urban, comic book and pop art. Mondays, tuesdays, thursdays and the 2nd saturday of every month you can browse through from noon -5pm. Weekends are by appointment.


8 Long Dock Road

Long Dock Park
8 Long Dock Rd.
Beacon, NY 12508

Even the parks in Beacon are works of art! The kayak pavilion (above) belongs on the cover of Architectural Digest. The tip of the dock is actually an instillation piece, semi-submerged depending on the tide, called "Beacon Point". Locals bring their dogs, tourists bring their cameras. You can launch a boat, eat your lunch, or check out the Red Barn which serves as the arts and environmental education hub for Scenic Hudson.

Bannerman's Castle
Hudson River Adventures
Beacon Landing
Beacon, NY 12508

When the weather inspires, skip the Dia and go on Hudson River Adventure's tour of Bannerman's Castle. For $30 you get a boat ride, a substantial tour of the island plus some of the Castle, and a history lesson your wont forget. Start to finish, it takes over two hours. Use the loo before you board, wear comfy shoes and charge your cameras.

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Eat
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2 E. Main Street

Swift Restaurant at The Roundhouse
2 E. Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

The perfect brunch spot, serving everything from pancakes to steak tartar. Located inside the Roundhouse, a boutique hotel and event space overlooking the falls. You're going to want to sit and savor, not eat and run.

448 Main Street

Dim Sum Vault
448 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

The Vault serves up legitimate dim sum, alongside a classic Chinese menu. Go for the chicken lettuce wraps and build your own noodle soups.


516 Main Street

Sukothai
516 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Cozy, neighborhood Thai place, located at the bottom of Main Street. Serves lunch and dinner.


232 Main Street

Homespun Foods
232 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Foodtopia! Homespun serves an inventive and delicious breakfast/lunch menu, in addition to selling cheese and other specialty foods (olives, peppers, granola), and an array of in-house baked goods. Breakfast burritos, baked french toast, tempeh banh mi, and brisket on a biscuit. This place ticks all my boxes.

128 Main Street

Bank Sq.
128 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Bank Sq. is an old school, pre-starbucksian style coffee house, with a lengthy hot beverage menu and living room style decor. Expect to see a sea of Macbooks and hear Jeff Buckley on the stereo.

184 Main Street

Poppy's Burger Joint
184 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12498

A farm to table burger joint, serving local grass fed beef, homemade veggie burgers and hand-cut fries. Wash it all down with a mirco brew.

2 Beekman Street

River Terrace Restaurant
2 Beekman Street
Beacon, NY 12508

A swell way to end the day or wait for your train. Enjoy a drink or three from the deck. Stay for the sunset, not for the food.


458 Main Street

The Hop
458 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Should you choose to stick around, after a sight filled day in Beacon, go claim your prize at The Hop. A craft beer tasting room with growlers to go and delicious, locally honed food, just near the end of Main Street.

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Shop

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25 East Main Street

Vintage Beacon
25 East Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Super sweet vintage boutique, on the other side of the falls.

442 Main Street

Blackbird Attic
442 Main Street
Beacon, NY

A healthy mix of vintage and modern, another boutique worth your attention.

440 Main Street

Dickinson's Antiques
440 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Dickinson's has some great finds, especially if you are looking for larger pieces and not tchotchkes.

444 Main Street

Morphicism
444 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Morphicism is a photography supermarket.

155 Main Street

Global Home
155 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

An emporium of imported goodies for the home. The owners blend their two passions - travel and interior design. If nothing else, go for the inspiration.

133 Main Street

Clay Cotton and Wood
133 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Try to imagine a world made of yarn.

412 Main Street

Alms and Terra
412 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

Quirky, mid century, vanguard, oh my.

162 Main Street

Hudson Beach Glass
162 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508

This sui generis little shop sells hand blown glass everything, from practical to pretty. For $30 and an appointment, you can blow your own holiday ornament.

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LONDON LONDON LONDON LONDON LONDON

Like many New Yorkers, i have had the privilege of visiting London more than a few times. I went back recently for a long weekend to see family, and my partner came along. It was his first time in London, so i had to show him the town. Here is London (made easy) in a long weekend!

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Itinerary

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London Eye

Day 1 we were up and running (not at all). There is a Pret A Manger around the corner from the hotel, so with sammys and smoothies in hand we procured two tickets for the Big Bus Tour. For 29 GBP each we're given a map with colored bus routes and head phones. These hop on/hop off tourist buses may seem pedestrian, but they are educational and provide you with transportation all over the city (no one likes the tube). They also never ask to see your tickets so you can use them for days! The first day we swung past Big Ben and headed over Westminster Bridge, to see the London Eye. The lines look daunting but in fact move quickly, before you know it you're in the air. The views of the city are pretty astounding but we were pleased when it was over. If you have the time, the London Aquarium is next door. We opted to grab some cappuccinos and ride the bus back over the bridge, where we jumped off in Westminster. We strolled around Westminster Abbey then took Birdcage Walk down to Buckingham Palace and the Palace Gardens. Followed The Mall back up to Trafalgar Square for a much needed nap. Upon rousing, we walked across the square to the National Portrait Gallery, which we spent several hours in, enjoying everything from portraits of the Tudors to modern day photography of Mick Jagger. By the time we left, it was dark and time for dinner. Thankfully, there is a Wagamama on Irving Street, a few blocks from the Museum. We bar hopped our way back to our hotel and blamed jet lag for landing us in bed by 10 ;)

The Tower

Day 2 Early rise. Grabbed some coffees at Marks and Sparks on The Strand. Lollygagged up to Covent Garden's covered market, where we dined on pasties and sausage rolls. Sniffed around the Royal Opera House a bit, and were back on the bus. Our destination - The Tower. The bus took us by St Pauls Cathedral and The Monument, then over London Bridge past The Shard, and back over Tower Bridge. The Tower can be done several ways - you can opt to do a guided tour, which requires time and patience, or you can fly solo. The tour herds move slow, so we chose to guide ourselves which meant planning out our route. If you play your cards right, you will have time to see the Crown Jewels, a collection of fist size gems belonging to royals as far back as 13th century. Several hours later we emerged just in time to catch the next river cruise to Greenwich (you get a free pass with your Big Bus Tour tickets). This gave us the opportunity to see both side of Thames, as well as The East End. You dock at the Maritime Museum Gardens and are given about an hour to explore Greenwich before heading back. We made our way to Greenwich Market, where we grabbed some beer and a few ploughmans sandwiches. We rode the river cruise back to the pier at Waterloo Bridge, then sauntered back to the hotel along Victoria Embankment. Fatigued, we walked the ten feet to Watatsumi Japanese Restaurant for dinner, where we warmed our bones with some miso soup and hot sake.

Victoria & Albert Museum

Day 3 We awoke with a sense of accomplishment, which quickly turned to entitlement. We wandered towards Leicester Square, found a greasy spoon, and had ourselves a proper English fry up. From there we boarded our beloved bus and headed past Oxford Circus towards Reagants Park, hopping of at Marble Arch. Played photographer for a bit, peaked into Hyde Park for more photos til we were back out on Park Lane. The bus carried us the rest of the way to Harrods, which was a snooze with the exception of the Food Market. Thankfully, Harrods isn't the only store on Brompton Road. We visited Topshop and Uniqlo before making our way on foot to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I love the V and A, it's an art and design museum covering the last 500 years. It's a fun way to see history, and they serve brunch on Sundays in the most elegant of settings. After stuffing ourselves on scones with clotted cream and salad with roast chicken, we marveled at the museum for the next couple of hours. Pooped, we got back on the bus which took us on a ride through one of London's prettiest neighborhoods - Kensington. We swung around Hyde Park, towards Grosvenor Square and Green Park. We walked the rest of the way - through St James Park, til reaching our hotel, where we collapsed. Dinner was some hours later at Bocca di Lupo- this charming, almost affordable, Italian restaurant, 3 blocks from the Piccadilly tube.

Paddington

Day 4 Grabbed some fresh squeezed OJ and croissants from Pret A Manger, which we ate while sitting on the steps of the National Gallery Museum, overlooking Trafalgar Square. We did a quick run through the museum (about an hour), before checking out of the hotel. For our last night in London we rented a flat in Paddington (using airbnb.com). It was a great deal cheaper than the hotel and would make getting to Heathrow super easy. Once in Paddington, the pavement pounding stopped. We did meander over to The Serpentine, just inside Hyde Park, and to Portabello Road, in Notting Hill, where we gathered the ingredients to make a much needed salad. But more than anything, we relaxed and enjoyed the pace of a charming neighborhood like Paddington. For dinner, my family met us at a local Indian Restaurant called Spice of India, where we dined upstairs til late. The next morning we walked the 5 blocks to Paddington station, where there are direct trains to Heathrow every 30 minutes. Inside the station is a Boots and a Sainsbury's, so we stocked up on last minute goodies to take to the states. The end.

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Glossary

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